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85 Posts
Great story!
You definitely do not want to over-exercise her. Until she is a good year old and fully grown, just give her what she can handle. Probably two 30 or 45 minute hikes per day towards the end of the year and less than that prior to the end of the first year. at 6 months it should be more along the lines of two 30-minute walks. a large dog will be essentially fully grown by about 12 months. I giant dog by about 18 months. Until then you need to take it easy. Once the Animals full grown you can train her just like a human. Increase duration weekly and soon she will be able to keep up with anything you can handle.
If you make things too intense too early, she can really damage her shoulders and hips from strain. This goes doubly for hiking up or down steep hills. You really need to be careful.
One thing you'll also need to be aware of, is that she may not let you know if your hikes are too much for her. She will be a good little soldier and try to keep up with you even if she is in pain and even if damage is occurring. You will need to be patient.
As far as food goes, there are lots of good options for raw or cooked food. Typically meat and something like potatoes for starch. You do not want to feed too much protein to a puppy because it can cause them to grow too fast and their bones can suffer for it. That is why puppy food for large breeds tends to be lower in protein than puppy food for small breeds or dog food for adult dogs. You really do not want to overdo the meat at this age.
in terms of housebreaking, you should be able to get her trained fairly quickly. Keep her in an enclosed area or a cage for a few days and only let her out to do her business. If you see her wandering around the house about to pee or something, get her outside, fast! If she is a reasonably smart dog she will figure out that avoiding herself inside is a bad idea.
as for sleeping outside, I imagine you mean very cold temperatures in Russia. You really should try to find a way for her to sleep inside if you can. Dogs at the end of the day are pack animals and they just don't do well on their own.
Mazel tov on your new friend.
Dave
You definitely do not want to over-exercise her. Until she is a good year old and fully grown, just give her what she can handle. Probably two 30 or 45 minute hikes per day towards the end of the year and less than that prior to the end of the first year. at 6 months it should be more along the lines of two 30-minute walks. a large dog will be essentially fully grown by about 12 months. I giant dog by about 18 months. Until then you need to take it easy. Once the Animals full grown you can train her just like a human. Increase duration weekly and soon she will be able to keep up with anything you can handle.
If you make things too intense too early, she can really damage her shoulders and hips from strain. This goes doubly for hiking up or down steep hills. You really need to be careful.
One thing you'll also need to be aware of, is that she may not let you know if your hikes are too much for her. She will be a good little soldier and try to keep up with you even if she is in pain and even if damage is occurring. You will need to be patient.
As far as food goes, there are lots of good options for raw or cooked food. Typically meat and something like potatoes for starch. You do not want to feed too much protein to a puppy because it can cause them to grow too fast and their bones can suffer for it. That is why puppy food for large breeds tends to be lower in protein than puppy food for small breeds or dog food for adult dogs. You really do not want to overdo the meat at this age.
in terms of housebreaking, you should be able to get her trained fairly quickly. Keep her in an enclosed area or a cage for a few days and only let her out to do her business. If you see her wandering around the house about to pee or something, get her outside, fast! If she is a reasonably smart dog she will figure out that avoiding herself inside is a bad idea.
as for sleeping outside, I imagine you mean very cold temperatures in Russia. You really should try to find a way for her to sleep inside if you can. Dogs at the end of the day are pack animals and they just don't do well on their own.
Mazel tov on your new friend.
Dave
