Walks.

One walk in the morning and a free run in a closed off soccer field that I have access to in the evening. If I can't make it to the field, then three walks a day.

Hanna finally gets more walks, maybe three times a week and then some agility practice.

Kash gets nada.  he is too young for walks.  He gets all his exercise thru play and walking to potty

On days Lilly isn't working much I walk her twice for 45 min to an hour.  On days she has worked at least 50% - 70% of the day I take her on one 45 min walk, anything (she has worked 75% of the day or more) over that and I know she has had plenty of exercise for the day so she will get a hardcore play/burn session at the park, but nothing more than that as I don't want her to overdo it.

Liz and Lilly

Usually one 20-30 minute walk at night. The rest is just play in the house and yard. Usually don't go outside to play until after 6 p.m. Just too hot now!  :roll:

How young is too young for walks?  Tango is just 12 weeks.  I thought a good short walk would help with getting him out experiencing life.  He is socialized plenty but I want to make sure he also has enough exercise.  He is getting used to the leash and starting to do well.  

Also do you guys use any type of choke chain for teaching your boxer to heal.  I am only using a soft basic collar because he is too young for a choke chain or training device.  If I am wrong someone can tell me.  I am still learning everyday.


[quote="HannaBanana\";p=\"22372":2wvaq3yb]Hanna finally gets more walks, maybe three times a week and then some agility practice.

Kash gets nada.

I always have avoided any type of forced excercise in the first 12 months.  I just let them excercise at their own pace.  They say a good rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month of age.

Reasoning behind my not walking Kash as a young age is the research from below.   I am very concerned with HD as well as arthritis in the joints.  

This topic was brought up and pointed out by Newcastle Boxers -
_______
Excessive activity before the growth plates of the bone are closed can cause injury to the plates, which may result in reduced or uneven bone growth, leading to bone deformities. Damage can also happen to the joints, and while you may not see arthritis at 18 months, you could see it severely at 3 years of age.

Chris Zink, DVM, PhD, a canine sports medicine consultation, recommends no forced exercise until at least 14 months of age. She does 'allow' leash walks beginning at 9 months, working up to 20 minutes of walking at 14 months. She believes this, along with keeping the dog at a healthy weight, is one of the best ways to prevent the numerous injuries and bone/joint problems that she sees so often in dogs.

Here are some quotes from Dr. Zink:

No forced exercise before 6 months of age. To me that means no walks on leash. That's not to say you can't walk with him off leash around your property or let him run in the park, or train basic obedience and early jump training. Right after 6 months, most of his exercise would need to be strength exercises, like fetch games, tug, jumping, scent games, stationary strength training exercises. I do not think about taking my dogs on a leash walk of greater than 20 minutes until they are after 14 months of age. And only would start leash walks at all after about 9 months, gradually building up to 20 min at 14 months of age.

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Tango, I would only use a choke collar if your dog is unresponsive to training with a flat buckle collar and lead, and is a lot older.

Cokes can be very helpful when needed but if not used properly can also be a nightmare.  I would see in your training how your pup does with just plain collar and lead.  Then access it from there.  They are smart dogs, and you may not have to even use a choke!

Good thing I saw this now we will have to cease Tango's walks until he ages a bit.  He gets plenty of play and excercise anyway.  I just thought I was being a good parent getting him out.  

I guess I can cheat on the walks and keep him playing and socializing for now.

Good to know!  Our puppy kindergarten teacher (also a vet) said "No running your puppy until 12mos or more."  She said short walks of no more than 20 mins should be okay for young joints.  Of course our beloved boxers seem to have their own set of rules, don't they?  :signhelp:
Thankfully the past couple of weeks have been too hot to walk Beckham so we haven't. We do have lots of play time in the house and if it's a cool evening B will get to play outside with his furbuddy Kirby (cocker spaniel).  
But now I'm worried we've been too overzealous with the forced exercise and that might have caused him harm.
I want to give B every possible chance in the world to live a long, healthy and happy life.   He will 7 months on the 19th~  

So do we stop all walks now?  Is there a safe time limit we can adhere to?  
I'm freaking a bit here  :crazyeye:

No need to freak, its just a guideline.   They dont want you running a mile or walking 5 with a pup whos joints are still growing.

Boxers play hard, burn all the time most likey everything will be fine, if it was a major issue, then you would have heard many of horror stories about boxers getting injured from a long leash walk.

So I would not panic, but just use it as a guideline for exercise in young developing pups!    :lol:

HannaBanana\";p=\"22390 said:

No need to freak, its just a guideline.   They dont want you running a mile or walking 5 with a pup whos joints are still growing.

Boxers play hard, burn all the time most likey everything will be fine, if it was a major issue, then you would have heard many of horror stories about boxers getting injured from a long leash walk.

So I would not panic, but just use it as a guideline for exercise in young developing pups!    :lol:

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Okay thanks!  I'm still a new boxer mom and a bit of a worrywart when it comes to the health of my Beckham

Oh gosh me too!!  I am on my second one and it does not get any better.   Hanna pants heavy I am ready to rent a holter! ha ha ha.

Lol, good to hear I'm not the only worry wart.  I think we just all agree we only want whats best for out little ones.  I can't imagine what having kids is like if I am this protective of Tango lol.

Kiah will be 12 mos next week, we were walking 2 to 4 miles a couple of times a week (or the off leash dog park) until it got too hot.  Now we go in the basement and I throw a ball for her; she tires out very quickly when we paly fetch so it doesn't last long.  After our walks she would drink and relax for about 5 minutes then start playing with her toys.  We still go to the dog park (off leash) on Saturday and Sunday mornings very early so it is not too hot.  Does that seem like too much exercise?? Kiah is going to large for a female, when I took her to the vet last week she weighed 62 lbs.  She has gained 10 lbs since May 5 when she came home.

Kane is (we are guessing) about 18 months old, and we go out in the early morning (about 6:00 a.m.) for about 45 minutes - and we do it again between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.  That seems to get the wiggles and giggles out of him so he can settle down and sleep for the night.

Wow! almost 3 walks a day! Well, i've been trying to get out a lot more, and we go for about a 4 km walk every day at least.. or every other day.

[quote="Tango\";p=\"22394":s03cdwrx]Lol, good to hear I'm not the only worry wart.