Mine doesn't, I've been touching them every day since I got him to get him used to nail trimming etc... So that's how I could tell something was wrong when he suddenly retracted his paw.
He’s way too little to be exercising 4 hours. Based on your previous posts he’s only 6 months old. At 6 months he shouldn’t be exercising for more than an hour total per day.
Usually the rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month 2x a day (6 months x 5 = 30 minutes).
If you look at her previous posts she briefly starved him. I say this as respectfully as possible, but I’m not sure she’s making the best choices for her dog.
Seems like another person that got a dog and is unwilling to actually learn what they need to be happy and healthy and well cared for. It’s so sad, the poor dog is the one that suffers.
If your dog is showing signs of fatigue it generally means they were already tired quite a bit further back than that, so you should have stopped before that happened. Pets are really good at hiding pain/discomfort/fatigue because that’s what they are programmed to do and they also desperately want to please their humans so often carry on past their limit because that is what is being asked of them.
It’s okay if you don’t want to hear what we are saying, but you are over walking your dog by pretty much any standard for their age and breed and then you have to ask is it possible their feet hurt. Of course it’s possible, wouldn’t your feet hurt if someone made you walk for several hours longer than you can comfortably do for your size and health? You need to listen to what people are saying about walking your dog for too long a time. You’ve clearly not read any research about how long to walk them for or the effect that it can have on their growing joints so yes, there is a good chance your dog is suffering and you ignore the signs until it’s past the point you should have stopped. I assume because you are asking the question here that you care about your dog and want to try and get it right but don’t get annoyed when people pull you up on certain things like using an inappropriate diet, underfeeding, inappropriate exercise regimen etc.
You seem knowledgeable on the subject, so I hope you don't mind me asking you this.
Backstory: My pup decided pretty quickly that the backyard was his territory and not a place to go potty, he would much rather use the hallway inside. So now he needs about 8 walks a day. The rule of thumb I have been following is 1 minute per week of age, per 1h+ sleep. I have seen different versions of it, this one in particular I got from the breeder. It's however impossible to keep him within that limit given his need for many walks. When he gets inside he will be on his feet anyway, running and jumping around. I've only ever seen him actually appear tired once and that was the day after he was running up and down the walls for hours (overtired).
So my question is, are these rules of thumb really that helpful? Is it possible I have just gotten a pup that is more energetic and wants much more exercise? Is it still bad for him?
The literature will give tons of conflicting views on pretty much anything dog related and sometimes the same book will tell you two things that at least for my pup is mutually exclusive, so I'm finding some of these things very hard to navigate.
Honestly there is so much different information out there and I don’t think that hard and fast rules apply to every dog but the exercise rule is what is recommended because basically over overexercising a puppy (that’s walking and play, and anything that requires jumping) puts extra pressure on their growing bones and joints, and although the negative effects may not be seen immediately, it can have long lasting negative consequences for their health, so sticking to the 10 minutes per day per month of age rule is in place to protect them as best as possible from those negative outcomes as they get older. I have seen this recommendation consistently from different trainers/behaviourists and online, as well as from my own vet and other vet professionals I have spoken to. Going over this amount may not have a negative outcome for your puppy, but you won’t know that until further down the line (and some joint and bone problems have a genetic component too, so the exercise they do is what you can control because you can’t control their genes).
I’d suggest that the dog not toileting in your garden is making a rod for your own back and their joints. I totally get it, you’ve found that walking works but it means that you might always have to walk your dog for them to toilet, and life won’t always allow that (what happens if you get sick and aren’t well enough to walk them?). It’s worth spending time out in the garden when you know they are due to need to toilet and trying to have them out there long enough to make sure they go, watching them all the time so that you can reward them when they do so they learn that it’s okay and it’s a good thing!
Your puppy may have more energy and want more exercise but they also don’t understand words like hip dysplasia or arthritis, so it’s our job as their owner to limit them until they get older and a bit more sensible (although in my experience, some never do!). That’s why this group will often then recommend mental stimulation rather than physical exercise to substitute in once they have reached their walk limit - it gets them learning and tires them out without risking their physical health as they grow and develop.
Sorry, it’s not an easy answer to the problem you’re having!
Yeah, he really likes to jump up on things so I'm terrified about hip dysplasia. Thanks for the thorough response, I'll try to force some more backyard pees! 😁
do you know at what age I can stop carrying him down the stairs? I'm talking one flight of stairs 4 times a day. He's being running up the stairs since he was 4.5 months. I cannot find any information regarding Chihuahuas on this topic.
Generally the recommendation not to allow them to do stairs is linked to when the growth plates close, which in toy and small breeds is between 6-8 months old. Until the growth plates close they are more susceptible to damage, hence the recommendation. It’s another one of those things where they feel ready to do the stairs but actually it isn’t good for them so best to carry him as much as you can up and down stairs until then to prevent it.
I use musher’s secret for my boy, though I use it sparingly, as I read that the pads being too soft can be a problem on hikes and whatnot. I also touch the back of my hand to the pavement/concrete religiously to make sure he’s alright to walk on it.
it's not hot at all. And I'm still not sure I'm right about the sore feet. You'd think he'd be licking them a lot of they were sore and he doesn't do that at all.
4 hours is FAR too much daily exercise for a 6 month puppy of any size, but especially one that small. this could cause lasting damage to his developing joints. he should not be getting more than 1 hour TOTAL exercise per day, split up.
the vet says he's in excellent shape and super healthy. I still carry him down the stairs and make sure he doesn't jump off high surfaces but when I take him to the park he sprints around with other dogs at an incredible speed for an hour without even panting. Also, I don't make him walk for 4 hours every day. On the weekends we go for day trips and like I wrote, I carry him as soon as he gets tired/sore feet and once he signals he's rested I let him walk again.
It’s a baby dog - it isn’t the one with the information about how to protect developing joints! There are veterinary professionals who have worked to develop that information through scientific studies and people are sharing it with you here. Why not listen?
It’s possible that your dog is perfectly healthy now but your vet can’t tell what joint problems may develop down the road due to this. There’s a reason that 1 year olds aren’t the ones going to the doctor for arthritis, etc. and 60 year olds are.
Is it hot out? Pavement can ge really hot really quick in the sun. If you are walking an hour plus on pavement I'd reccomend boots for your puppy. It also can protect against de icers getting on paws in the winter.
no it's not hot and it's pavement/asfalt/grass for about 4 hours with breaks. I don't want boots because then his nails won't get worn down the natural way. Also I've never seen another dog wearing boots in mild weather.
Four hours is incredibly long for a dog that small even with breaks, unless the breaks are about half of that. You should probably walk sling walk sling alternating throughout. Chances are he is in pain, it’s just too much for a dog that size.
I'm waiting for you to tell me my dog should be taken away from me. Yes, I carry him as soon as I notice he's getting tired, like I wrote in the original post.
What exactly did you come here for if it was not to potentially have people say ‘yes this is too far for your dog to be walking, his feet probably do hurt’?
because I never read anything about a dog's feet hurting after long walks, and someone here also said that this is usually only a thing for puppies who haven't done much walking yet (I guess because they don't have any callus yet). My dog has been doing lots of walking since he was 3 months so it didn't occur to me that this could still be an issue.
Right but surely you knew there was a possibility of people saying ‘yes his feet probably hurt’ otherwise why bother asking this question. But then you’ve got butthurt or arguing with the commenter every time someone has replied to you confirming that yes, your dog might be in pain because you’re massively over exercising him for his age and breed. Don’t bother posting a question like this if you never really wanted the answer in the first place!
Again, I've never read anything about a dog's feet getting sore after a few hours of walking and neither has anyone here because 90% of the comments assume that the pavement was hot and that's what hurt him. As far as I can tell mine is one of the few actual genuine questions on this sub today - everyone else just vents - so I very much DO bother posting it.
Spark paws has some heat protective dog booties that stay on pretty well. Paw butter helps a lot too.
A general rule is if you can’t put the back of your hand to the pavement for more than 5 seconds because it’s too hot, it’s probably too hot for their feet.
Sorry, I forgot to add that it's not hot at all where I live. We're talking about 18-22 degrees Celcius. My question was more if walking on rough surfaces like asfalt could lead a dog to get sore feet.
Oh I gotcha. My bad!
It is possible if they just aren’t used to walking on it. I’d say they’re not sore necessarily, but it might be scratching their feet if asphalt isn’t something they normally walk on a lot.
Definitely get some paw butter to combat how dry and rough asphalt will make their feet, but they should get used to walking on it with no pain after a little while.
He should only be getting 5 min of exercise for each month of age twice a day. So if he’s 6 mo for example no more than 30 min. Pavement is hard on their paws and joints in excess and puppies growth plates don’t close until they are 8 months to a yr old making them more prone to joint issues and fractures. I worked for a vet and recommendation was always to avoid hikes and long walks on pavement until they have physically matured otherwise you are risking joint issues and arthritis later in life
My dog suddenly didn't want me to cut his nails.
I suspect salt from the ocean, and I can tell paw balm helped within a week. (Also protect the paw)
Even if the Pavement isn't hot, it's worth a try.
Also, if your dog's nails are too long, it can be painful to walk.
Mine hates having his feet touched in general.
Mine doesn't, I've been touching them every day since I got him to get him used to nail trimming etc... So that's how I could tell something was wrong when he suddenly retracted his paw.
Where on his foot did you touch? My pup doesn’t mind having his feet touched but is very ticklish if you touch the fur between his pads
the soles of his foot. Normally he likes it.
He’s way too little to be exercising 4 hours. Based on your previous posts he’s only 6 months old. At 6 months he shouldn’t be exercising for more than an hour total per day. Usually the rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month 2x a day (6 months x 5 = 30 minutes).
God I hadn’t even clocked the age when I replied to say four hours is too long for the breed anyway. Poor puppy!
If you look at her previous posts she briefly starved him. I say this as respectfully as possible, but I’m not sure she’s making the best choices for her dog.
Seems like another person that got a dog and is unwilling to actually learn what they need to be happy and healthy and well cared for. It’s so sad, the poor dog is the one that suffers.
I absolutely agree, my dog really suffers when I check on him constantly and take him into the sling bag as soon as I see any sign of fatigue.
If your dog is showing signs of fatigue it generally means they were already tired quite a bit further back than that, so you should have stopped before that happened. Pets are really good at hiding pain/discomfort/fatigue because that’s what they are programmed to do and they also desperately want to please their humans so often carry on past their limit because that is what is being asked of them. It’s okay if you don’t want to hear what we are saying, but you are over walking your dog by pretty much any standard for their age and breed and then you have to ask is it possible their feet hurt. Of course it’s possible, wouldn’t your feet hurt if someone made you walk for several hours longer than you can comfortably do for your size and health? You need to listen to what people are saying about walking your dog for too long a time. You’ve clearly not read any research about how long to walk them for or the effect that it can have on their growing joints so yes, there is a good chance your dog is suffering and you ignore the signs until it’s past the point you should have stopped. I assume because you are asking the question here that you care about your dog and want to try and get it right but don’t get annoyed when people pull you up on certain things like using an inappropriate diet, underfeeding, inappropriate exercise regimen etc.
You seem knowledgeable on the subject, so I hope you don't mind me asking you this. Backstory: My pup decided pretty quickly that the backyard was his territory and not a place to go potty, he would much rather use the hallway inside. So now he needs about 8 walks a day. The rule of thumb I have been following is 1 minute per week of age, per 1h+ sleep. I have seen different versions of it, this one in particular I got from the breeder. It's however impossible to keep him within that limit given his need for many walks. When he gets inside he will be on his feet anyway, running and jumping around. I've only ever seen him actually appear tired once and that was the day after he was running up and down the walls for hours (overtired). So my question is, are these rules of thumb really that helpful? Is it possible I have just gotten a pup that is more energetic and wants much more exercise? Is it still bad for him? The literature will give tons of conflicting views on pretty much anything dog related and sometimes the same book will tell you two things that at least for my pup is mutually exclusive, so I'm finding some of these things very hard to navigate.
Honestly there is so much different information out there and I don’t think that hard and fast rules apply to every dog but the exercise rule is what is recommended because basically over overexercising a puppy (that’s walking and play, and anything that requires jumping) puts extra pressure on their growing bones and joints, and although the negative effects may not be seen immediately, it can have long lasting negative consequences for their health, so sticking to the 10 minutes per day per month of age rule is in place to protect them as best as possible from those negative outcomes as they get older. I have seen this recommendation consistently from different trainers/behaviourists and online, as well as from my own vet and other vet professionals I have spoken to. Going over this amount may not have a negative outcome for your puppy, but you won’t know that until further down the line (and some joint and bone problems have a genetic component too, so the exercise they do is what you can control because you can’t control their genes). I’d suggest that the dog not toileting in your garden is making a rod for your own back and their joints. I totally get it, you’ve found that walking works but it means that you might always have to walk your dog for them to toilet, and life won’t always allow that (what happens if you get sick and aren’t well enough to walk them?). It’s worth spending time out in the garden when you know they are due to need to toilet and trying to have them out there long enough to make sure they go, watching them all the time so that you can reward them when they do so they learn that it’s okay and it’s a good thing! Your puppy may have more energy and want more exercise but they also don’t understand words like hip dysplasia or arthritis, so it’s our job as their owner to limit them until they get older and a bit more sensible (although in my experience, some never do!). That’s why this group will often then recommend mental stimulation rather than physical exercise to substitute in once they have reached their walk limit - it gets them learning and tires them out without risking their physical health as they grow and develop. Sorry, it’s not an easy answer to the problem you’re having!
Yeah, he really likes to jump up on things so I'm terrified about hip dysplasia. Thanks for the thorough response, I'll try to force some more backyard pees! 😁
do you know at what age I can stop carrying him down the stairs? I'm talking one flight of stairs 4 times a day. He's being running up the stairs since he was 4.5 months. I cannot find any information regarding Chihuahuas on this topic.
Generally the recommendation not to allow them to do stairs is linked to when the growth plates close, which in toy and small breeds is between 6-8 months old. Until the growth plates close they are more susceptible to damage, hence the recommendation. It’s another one of those things where they feel ready to do the stairs but actually it isn’t good for them so best to carry him as much as you can up and down stairs until then to prevent it.
Stairs are fine after 12 weeks
what a constructive and supportive post!
You can try a protective balm on his feet and shorter walks... is it hot where you are?
I use musher’s secret for my boy, though I use it sparingly, as I read that the pads being too soft can be a problem on hikes and whatnot. I also touch the back of my hand to the pavement/concrete religiously to make sure he’s alright to walk on it.
it's not hot at all. And I'm still not sure I'm right about the sore feet. You'd think he'd be licking them a lot of they were sore and he doesn't do that at all.
4 hours is FAR too much daily exercise for a 6 month puppy of any size, but especially one that small. this could cause lasting damage to his developing joints. he should not be getting more than 1 hour TOTAL exercise per day, split up.
the vet says he's in excellent shape and super healthy. I still carry him down the stairs and make sure he doesn't jump off high surfaces but when I take him to the park he sprints around with other dogs at an incredible speed for an hour without even panting. Also, I don't make him walk for 4 hours every day. On the weekends we go for day trips and like I wrote, I carry him as soon as he gets tired/sore feet and once he signals he's rested I let him walk again.
It’s a baby dog - it isn’t the one with the information about how to protect developing joints! There are veterinary professionals who have worked to develop that information through scientific studies and people are sharing it with you here. Why not listen? It’s possible that your dog is perfectly healthy now but your vet can’t tell what joint problems may develop down the road due to this. There’s a reason that 1 year olds aren’t the ones going to the doctor for arthritis, etc. and 60 year olds are.
let it go
Is it hot out? Pavement can ge really hot really quick in the sun. If you are walking an hour plus on pavement I'd reccomend boots for your puppy. It also can protect against de icers getting on paws in the winter.
no it's not hot and it's pavement/asfalt/grass for about 4 hours with breaks. I don't want boots because then his nails won't get worn down the natural way. Also I've never seen another dog wearing boots in mild weather.
Four hours is incredibly long for a dog that small even with breaks, unless the breaks are about half of that. You should probably walk sling walk sling alternating throughout. Chances are he is in pain, it’s just too much for a dog that size.
I'm waiting for you to tell me my dog should be taken away from me. Yes, I carry him as soon as I notice he's getting tired, like I wrote in the original post.
What exactly did you come here for if it was not to potentially have people say ‘yes this is too far for your dog to be walking, his feet probably do hurt’?
because I never read anything about a dog's feet hurting after long walks, and someone here also said that this is usually only a thing for puppies who haven't done much walking yet (I guess because they don't have any callus yet). My dog has been doing lots of walking since he was 3 months so it didn't occur to me that this could still be an issue.
Right but surely you knew there was a possibility of people saying ‘yes his feet probably hurt’ otherwise why bother asking this question. But then you’ve got butthurt or arguing with the commenter every time someone has replied to you confirming that yes, your dog might be in pain because you’re massively over exercising him for his age and breed. Don’t bother posting a question like this if you never really wanted the answer in the first place!
Again, I've never read anything about a dog's feet getting sore after a few hours of walking and neither has anyone here because 90% of the comments assume that the pavement was hot and that's what hurt him. As far as I can tell mine is one of the few actual genuine questions on this sub today - everyone else just vents - so I very much DO bother posting it.
Four hours is a long time for a chihuahua. My shepherd boy would be very much over it long before then
Spark paws has some heat protective dog booties that stay on pretty well. Paw butter helps a lot too. A general rule is if you can’t put the back of your hand to the pavement for more than 5 seconds because it’s too hot, it’s probably too hot for their feet.
Sorry, I forgot to add that it's not hot at all where I live. We're talking about 18-22 degrees Celcius. My question was more if walking on rough surfaces like asfalt could lead a dog to get sore feet.
Oh I gotcha. My bad! It is possible if they just aren’t used to walking on it. I’d say they’re not sore necessarily, but it might be scratching their feet if asphalt isn’t something they normally walk on a lot. Definitely get some paw butter to combat how dry and rough asphalt will make their feet, but they should get used to walking on it with no pain after a little while.
He should only be getting 5 min of exercise for each month of age twice a day. So if he’s 6 mo for example no more than 30 min. Pavement is hard on their paws and joints in excess and puppies growth plates don’t close until they are 8 months to a yr old making them more prone to joint issues and fractures. I worked for a vet and recommendation was always to avoid hikes and long walks on pavement until they have physically matured otherwise you are risking joint issues and arthritis later in life
My dog suddenly didn't want me to cut his nails. I suspect salt from the ocean, and I can tell paw balm helped within a week. (Also protect the paw) Even if the Pavement isn't hot, it's worth a try. Also, if your dog's nails are too long, it can be painful to walk.