Labradors are such fun and playful family dogs. They usually have a ton of energy and are ready play and run any chance you give them. While it is amazing and beneficial to their health to exercise your furry friend, did you know that as a puppy, this should monitored?
Exercise needs are different from breed to breed, but Labradors tend to be prone to hip and elbow problems as they age. While OFA and genetics play a huge role in this (always make sure your pup comes from a good history of hips and elbows), over exercising a Labrador puppy is not beneficial to their health or future.
Think of it like this, would you let your toddler go to the gym and workout or go for hour long hikes or runs? Probably not. Their joints and bones are growing and you want to protect them as much as possible so they grow into their full potential and have healthy, strong bodies. The same goes for puppies up until about 18 months of age.
Puppies that are over exercised or have too much high impact exercise are prone to joint and bone damage, which can lead to arthritis and dysplasia. It can also stunt their growth.
On the other end of spectrum, you also don't want to under exercise your puppy. Under exercising leads to boredom, frustration, and can cause your puppy to act out on bad behaviors.
Knowing your puppy is key to making sure you are giving them the proper exercise to keep them happy and healthy. So to help you, we have some simple tips and guidelines we follow in our home and program that might help you and your family!
1. Avoid long walks and hikes until your puppy reaches 18 months old.
Over walking, running, or treacherous hikes are very demanding and can cause damage to the joints of growing pups. Simple walks around the yard or down the street are plenty for your puppy.
2. Make sure any game of fetch is leisurely and controlled.
A simple game of fetch can become very intense from our experience. Especially when you have a ball thrower and endless land for your dogs to run. To keep it simple, we recommend a simple throw of the hand for your puppy to chase versus a ball thrower of any sort.
3. Keep lots of toys in the house!
I cannot stress this enough to new puppy owners or Labradors owners in general, toys are you and your puppies best friend. Toys will keep your puppies active and happy all day long! Our favorite toys are Kongs, ropes, beef bones (make sure you puppy has their adult teeth before giving them a bone), bully sticks, and a simple cardboard box.
4. Get your pup a snuffle mat!
We LOVE snuffle mats and other brain games for our puppies and adult dogs. Snuffle mats are great for mental exercise, which is just as important as physical exercise. It is said that 15 minutes of snuffle mat play burns just as many calories as a 60 minute walk! Plus, it alleviates anxiety, boredom, and slows down fast eaters.
To use a snuffle mat, just place treats or food under the different flaps of the mat and let your pup go to town!
We hope that these tips help you and your families, but remember, over exercising is typically unintentional. Everyone wants what is best for their furry friend and mistakes happen. Let's work together to correct these mistakes and help our puppies live longer, happier, healthier lives!
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