How Often Should I Walk My Puppy?

Puppies are cute and cuddly. You can just carry them in your arms all day. But you need to walk your pet pup too. If this is your first time to get a puppy, you may be thinking about how often should you walk your puppy. Well, you reached the right page. Here we talk about how often you should take your pup for a walk. So read on for more information.

Can You Just Walk Your Puppy Anytime?

You may be ready to stroll the streets anytime. But your puppy is not like that. Before you even plan where to tour your new pet, you need to check if it is ready to take a walk outside. Even inside its new home, some pups do not feel like walking around just yet.

If you have a highly curious puppy, you’ll notice how eager it is to explore its new house. Others are not so eager. So it’s important to observe your dog’s personality. It will let you know if it’s ready to take on the outside world.

While your pup prefers staying home, you need to make sure that it gets the exercise it needs. Let it play with dog toys and balls. And play and bond with your canine pet too.

When Do You Start Walking Your Puppy?

Sometimes a pet owner can get so excited about showing off his or her new puppy to friends and neighbors. Or maybe the owner wants to treat the pup on an outdoor trip. But it’s not advisable to do that so soon. There are things you have to consider. These are:

• The health of your pup. Very young puppies have undeveloped immune systems. Exposing them outdoors and to other dogs may compromise their health.
• The vaccination history of your pup. If your puppy hasn’t completed its vaccination schedule, delay taking it out for walks. Complete its record first before you expose it outside. Else, it might catch viral diseases like distemper or parvo.
• The age of your puppy. The common recommendation is to wait until your puppy is between 16 to 18 weeks old before you take it exploring outdoors.

If you want a venue to exercise or socialize your dog safely, why not enroll it in a puppy social club or training class. All pups are usually at the same vaccination level and mingling will be safer for your dog.

How Often Should You Take Your Puppy for an Outside Walk?

When your puppy is ready to start exercising outside, you can schedule the frequency of its walks. Note how active your puppy is. Observer how eager it is to walk outdoors. Is it excited each time you offer to take it out? Do the eyes widen when it sees you taking hold of the leash?

If yes, then try walking it every other day or even every day. If no, then try walking your pet twice a week.

How Long Should You Walk Outside with Your Puppy?

The answer differs depending on several factors. Let’s mention some here.

• The level of energy of your pup. Puppies do not share the same energy level. Some can go on for hours. Others tire easily. You’ll get to know your dog’s energy level as time goes by.
• The level of interest your pup has. Like humans, not all dogs are extroverts. Some dogs get all excited about going outdoors. Others prefer the familiarity of your yard and the nearness of its kennel or living room couch. This means you may have a dog that’s content to spend just 15 minutes or less walking outside. Or you may have a dog that wants to stay in the park for hours.
• The particular breed of your dog. Let’s look at the Australian Shepherd and the flat-faced pug. Do you think they have the same need for walking? Do you think they can keep walking outside at the same pace and period? Probably not. How about the super curious and intelligent border collie that needs a lot of mental stimulation? Do you reckon it could outdo the other two when it comes to walking? Probably yes.

Simply put, you need to adjust your dog’s time walking outside in consideration of its breed type.

Final Thoughts

Your puppy may not share your readiness and excitement of taking it out for a walk. Consider its age and health before you start taking it out exploring. And remember to schedule the frequency and duration of your dog’s walking schedule according to its energy level, interest, and specific breed type. This way, you’ll both enjoy taking a walk outside.