Dear Friends,
My Golden Retriver is of 6 months age.Can i take har for long walks as 3.5 miles?Can any one suggest in chart at what age one should walk and how many miles?Please explain in details according to puppys age and distance.
Thanks.

Shailesh Sheth

3.5 miles sounds too long for a 6 month old. You have to consider the impact and jarring of not yet fully developed bones and joints. I'm not sure of the age but think I've read that you should wait til the dog is at least 1 yr old before long walks? Even at one year, the bones may not be ready for very long walks, others here will know better. There are threads in this forum that address the exercise issue, I believe. If you do a search, you may find a thread that talks about this.

By 6 months old, my puppies (now 13 1/2 yrs, 7 yrs, and 2 yrs old) were going 4 plus miles on off leash hikes at least 3 times a week.

Have to stress the OFF LEASH thing, and the fact we mostly did this on trails/wooded areas/fields. That way the pups were all able to go at their own pace, walking, running, laying in a puddle, tearing off after each other.......... And, truthfully, it was a 4 mile (approx) distance for ME, with all their running back and forth they did much more.

What I did NOT do until my dogs growth plates were closed, was any repetitive or high impact exercises. So no leashed runs on pavement. No jumping continuously for training at heights.

My favorite article explaining how it's as ruinous to UNDER exercise our pups as OVER exercise is on this site (click here).

Frankly, with the high energy levels of my puppies, if I limited their exercise I'd have been a nutcase with them in the house. Being able to give them a healthy amount of exercise, socialize them in new places/sights/sounds/smells/carrides, and training ALL combined to make them the wonderful dogs I have today.

So while I don't have a chart (and haven't seen one) I personally believe that many breeders have taken the 'You over exercised your puppy and THAT'S why it now has hip/elbow/joint problems' rather than where it more likely should be. In the GENETICS from the sire and dam.

Think keeping our puppies lean, fit and well exercised only adds to their general good health as adults.

The off-leash hiking on dirt makes sense. I can see where this would be a strengthening of the muscles of a 6 month old. Possibly the stronger muscles help with the bone issue, keeping bones well supported? My pup, 3 months, is a lightning bolt of energy. He never seems to get enough exercise (mostly in form of play, short walks, and chasing toys) to tire him out. On the other hand, I'm exhausted!