[MyCharlie]

Hi guys,

I'm dog sitting a friend's mini doxie while they are on their honeymoon. They never walk him or exercise him, but I don't want a dog on crack running around my house for the next two weeks!!

So what is a typical walk for a dog that size? He's 5 lb. and only 7 months old but has tons of energy. I'm used to just walking as long as I feel like it but what sort of limit do you put on the walk when they are so small (not to mention still a pup)?

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

As long as he'd like, especially since he's so easy to carry. We walk our mini doxie until he's ready to stop, and we know by signs of fatigue (panting, slower gait, etc) Just carry some water along.

 

[deege39]

My Donnie is 18 lbs, a Manchester/JRT mix- So he has a lot of energy to burn! We can walk two and a half miles straight, no rest- And he's still wanting more!

What I do is keep a spare set of dog bowls in my truck, so when we get back he rests in the back of my truck and drinks all the water he wants.

If we go around the neighborhood I don't worry about carrying along bowls, and water because we never go far enough to wear him out... I don't want to carry him home! lol!

But, ThoseWordsAtBest, said basically what I would suggest.

 

[midnight mojo]

Mojo's walks are anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the day, weather, pace and how much time we have. If your friends don't normally walk their dog, I'd start with a shorter walk just to see how he does. The bright side is if you wanna keep walking after he's done, at 5lbs is not too bad to just carry him the rest of the way!

There is a rule of thumb used with young pups but I don't remember what it is....I wanna say 10 minutes per month? We've just gradually increased Mojo's walks as he's aged and he's never had a problem. If we are really focusing on training during the walk though he definitely wears out faster than if it's just walking around in the park.

 

[Dog Tracks]

Hi Charlie,

Just remember that mental exercise is just as tiring (if not more) to a dog than physical exercise. Combine some training with the walks (either during or separately) and he'll sleep soundly.

 

[MyCharlie]

Thanks for the replies guys! Dog Tracks, we will definitely be doing training as well - this dog knows NO commands so we are already working on "sit." But it's so much different with a teeny dog! I can barely even tell when he's sitting down.