[EmpressO]

Hi,
I have a ten month old puppy that I adopted four months ago. Best guess is some sort of beagle/boxer or beagle/pit bull mix, about 35 lbs.
Our normal routine is a 30-45 minute walk around the neighborhood in the morning and 45-60 minutes in the evening. Sometimes we go to the dog park and sometimes I take him on a long line to one of the city parks.

My question is about more strenuous exercise for him. There’s a wonderful off leash dog park about 15 minutes from my house. It’s mainly hiking trails. I’ve taken him on the flatter ones until this weekend, where we did about 2 miles with hill climbs, plus playing with another dog.

I want to keep it going but I want to make sure it won’t be too much for him. I’ve read you should limit hikes until puppies are 18 months or older and the growth plates close, but I don’t really know what limit means. Never? Once a month? Once a week?

Springs coming up and I think we’ll be more active but i just want to make sure I’m not doing long term damage.

 

[storyist]

Limit is squishy language. Straightforward advice is don't do it. However, if you're that keen, growth plates close earlier on small dogs than large ones. You can have x-rays done to see if they're closed on your guy at, say, a year.

 

[Shell]

I'd be comfortable with the exercise you describe.

Repeat motions like on-leash running on pavement or trails, higher impact running like stairs or concrete, generally anything where the limbs and joints are hitting in the same way over and over is the biggest concern.

35 lbs at ten months is not a large dog. Take it easy starting out, go for a light jog for 20 or 30 mins. do that a few times a week. Climb hills on dirt at a walking pace and you are adding little impact to dog joints.