Guest noodlenpasha Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hi All! I have a question that's been nagging at me for some time. I have 2 greyhound puppies (~9 months old now). They both weigh about 65 pounds and are growing into fine young men Here's my question. I love, LOVE walking them on local trails. I live in a rural area that happens to have plenty of ski trails which are multi-use in the summers. The trails are miles and miles long, wide, and mostly empty of people. This Sunday I took both boys for a 7.5 MILE off-leash walk. They stop and sniff, explore, then dash to catch up to me, run ahead, sniff, explore, and trot along. We were probably out there for a little over 1.5 hours. Is this too far for their age? Is it too far in general? They are tired towards the end of the walk (as am I!!!), take ~2 hour naps when we get home, then get up and play around the house, get their zoomies in in the backyard, and that does it. They don't seem stiff or sore the next day. I rarely go this long. Normally our trail walks are ~45 minutes to an hour. But, it was so nice outside! And it was so fun! What do you guys think? 7.5 miles off-leash trail hike too much for 9 month old greyhounds? Thanks! Ivan and Pasha's Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 People have different opinions, especially for puppies, but if they are still energetic and aren't looking tired or limping, I think this is fine and great for them to burn off the energy. People used to be more worried about keeping exercise to a minimum for proper joint development, etc. but a lot of the newer opinions say that it is fine to do exercise/light work and even beneficial. For me...as long as they are showing me they have lots of energy, things are likely fine. Although greys aren't known for their endurance, I do fairly long walks and hikes as long as the weather is cool. We just did a 20 km (10-11 mile?) weekend with hikes up to 6-7 miles and my grey is 5 and out of his puppy years. He consistently does 4-7 miles every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noodlenpasha Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 @RedHead - Thanks for your quick reply! I really appreciate your thoughts. Internet reading on the topic (puppies and exercise) is what brought me here in the first place.... I read that more than a couple miles, or ~20-30 minutes can do permanent damage to joints, etc. And then I read other things.... Eventually, I just decided to trust my own eyes and pay attention to how they look/seem after these hiking days! They seem OK with it. What you describe is pretty much what I do (only we don't get to 4-7 miles per day, more like 2-5). This 7.5er was a rarity. But, the trails we used were very familiar. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmdsmoxie Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 You can walk them as far as you and they want to go. You could jog them or bike ride with them as far as you want as long as you build the distance up a little at a time. The only thing you can't do is run them full speed for 3 miles. They will and have run themselves to death because they don't pace themselves so it is all out all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAJ2010 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Geeze my dogs act like I'm killing them after 1/2 a mile! Quote ------ Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 it's what they are used to, and they are YOUNG....they will keep up their stamina and keep on trucking no matter what! boy do you walk fast - 7.5miles in 1.5 hrs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 it's what they are used to, and they are YOUNG....they will keep up their stamina and keep on trucking no matter what! boy do you walk fast - 7.5miles in 1.5 hrs! You beat me to it. That's like walking a 12.5 minute mile, give or take. You must have been trotting too! Did you have any concerns about your boys being off leash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazehund Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Better to keep them fit and engaged as well as strong and healthy. My dogs are out and about daily as weather permits also. We routinely cover 2 - 5 miles all off leash. The longest has been about 6.5 miles. Only difference is my guys are adults. 6, 7 and 8 years old. Two males and one female. I don't buy the greyhounds are happy with a 10 minute leash walk theory peddled by some adoption groups. My dogs need to run and run they do. Enjoy your hikes with your pups. I live for my daily hikes too. Welcome to GT! I'd love to see a photo of Ivan and Pasha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest simile Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Hi! I finally found you on Greytalk! . You've already gotten great responses (of course you have; this is Greytalk! ), but I'll go ahead and add that when Jack & Chloe were puppies, they would run and play for hours in the backyard. They honestly didn't stop, except to grab a drink of water, for two to three hours at a stretch. Keeping your boys conditioned is a very good thing - coursing this Spring! @Fiesty49 - The places she's taking the boys is really off the beaten track. No real roads nearby - just lots of trails and trees . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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