Angie H Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I am fostering my first Border Collie. He is almost 6 months old and has never had a family before; I put a collar and leash on him for the very first time on Saturday I've been taking him on a 15-20 minute walk in the early morning and then another walk in the evening for about an hour. He doesn't pull forward (I stop moving the few times he has), but he does keep cutting me off and circling - LOL - I guess that's the breed, huh? The walks are taken in the neighborhood behind me: Is it ok to WALK on concrete at his age or should I try to keep him on the grass? How long and how many walks should he get at this age? I know there are concerns about joints and bones that are still developing in pups. I saw a post today about not using Frisbees and such to exercise young dogs because of the jumping, and I began to wonder about the surfaces we are walking on due to his age. Also, for those of you with LOTS of BC puppy experience...how much energy should I expect from this guy at this age. He's about 30 lb and almost 6 months old. I don't want to over do it, but I want to keep him mentally and physically exercised enough so that I can teach him an OFF switch for inside the house. All suggestions and insights are welcome - thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I don't have a BC pup but my foster girl is a suspected Corgi/BC or CorgiX. She's 6.5 months and gets 2 30 min walks/day plus play time in the house with my older girl and multiple short potty walks in the evening. She's still fairly busy in the house, but hasn't been showing any signs of boredom and she is very well muscled. On days when her activity will be limited I make sure she has plenty of chew bones and stuffed treat toys and that seems to take the edge off. On weekends, we'll go hiking for about an hour at least once and she is well able to keep up, but pooped once back in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 That's about how much I walked Woobie at that age. We have asphalt trails and even though there was plenty of soft ground on each side, whenever I tried to make him walk on the dirt, he'd move to the trail. So, as long as you try to show your pup it's available but they choose to walk on the sidewalk (I'm assuming) it should be fine. When we weren't able to walk as much and Woobie got the "zoomies" (crazy time right around dusk) I found that training or fetch worked to keep him occupied/expend some mental and physical energy. He wasn't a big jumper so I didn't have to worry about that but still kept the ball close to the ground. Evenings at the dog park were a godsend for us as well, lots of other dogs to zoom around with and he came home tuckered out! Have fun with your pup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeping Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I didn't know that you were supposed to limit the ammount of excercise pups were getting, or there jumping. Part of the reason I got Charlie was because I was walking and playing with my roommate's dog (a pug) and the walks always ended up with me carrying the dog back to the house. I'm 22 and in good shape, so with the exception of the past 2 weeks, Charlie usually gets an hour long walk almost daily, and several hours of playing, either wresteling, or me running around the house letting him try to herd me, fetch, or when I have a long days sometimes I use the laser. I had to keep him on a low key the past 2 weeks to let him heal from his neuter. That and he bruised a bone in one of his legs, so that needed time to heal. I thought that the bone was because of him playing to ruff with another bigger dog, but maybe I should take it easier on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Charlie usually gets an hour long walk almost daily, and several hours of playing, either wresteling, or me running around the house letting him try to herd me, fetch, or when I have a long days sometimes I use the laser Your pup is NOT "herding" you. He is chasing, you and he are playing "tag" maybe, but herding, no. As for the laser, there was a thread fairly recently about using the laser. You might try searching for it. At any rate, not a good idea. It can make for some neurotic behavior. Sorry to sound crabby, but it's late, and we've been all over this "herding" thing so many times before. Just because the dog is a BC, or a BC mix does not mean every thing it does is "herding." A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeping Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I'll look for the laser thread, I have heard or it causing them to attack lights or something to that effect, I use it very sparingly. Last weekend he learned to fetch the superball, so he's been going after that instead. bc + superball = infinate entertainment for me. As for the tag thing, sorry if it's not hearding, but basicly I run around and he trys to cut me off. Depending on how long or hard we play he'll start to do a growl/whiny thing, and then will jump up and... well I think he's trying to bite or grip or something, but I'm carefull to push him away whenever he jumps tward me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.