When enough is enough – what is the appropriate amount of exercise for puppies?

Common advice given to puppy owners is to exercise their puppy for five minutes per month of age to protect them from premature and debilitating musculoskeletal issues, such as osteoarthritis. While this guideline is supported and promoted by some professional organisations in the UK, debate remains around whether the guideline is adequately supported by research.

Existing research on exercising puppies

Studies found that daily moderate (low impact) jogging over significant distances increased cartilage thickness (Oettmeier et al., 1992), while running (high impact) thinned cartilage (Kiviranta et al., 1987, 1988; Arokoski et al., 1993). However, this research was limited to Beagles – a structurally robust breed of dog – that were all exercised on a treadmill as opposed to the harder concrete and tarmac surfaces dogs are commonly exercised on. Krontveit et al. (2012) went on to highlight the importance of soft and undulating terrain for puppy exercise in joint disease prevention.

Further research has identified additional potential risk factors for puppies developing joint disease in later life as (Krontveit et al., 2012; Sallander et al., 2006; Slater et al., 1992):

• Repeated chasing of balls and sticks
• Running next to their owners on a bike
• Jumping off high surfaces
• Frequently going up and down stairs in an uncoordinated and uncontrolled manner
• Playing with other dogs

Note, playing with dogs can be a healthy part of socialisation and is important for puppy development. Potential risks are likely involved in boisterous, overly-physical and competitive play.

However, all research to date has focused on the physical effects of exercise on puppies rather than potential behavioural effects. Subsequently, failure to provide puppy owners with guidelines on appropriate levels and types of puppy exercise due to an absence of specific research may negatively affect canine welfare.

Failure to provide puppy owners with guidelines on appropriate levels and types of puppy exercise due to an absence of specific research may negatively affect canine welfare

Clumsy, poorly coordinated puppies with developing skeletons and soft tissue are perhaps more susceptible to injury, and pain is a risk factor in the development of behaviour problems (Mills et al., 2020). However, there can be other reasons, beyond pain, why physical exercise may affect puppy behaviour.

What are the negative effects of under-exercise on puppies?

Physical exercise is crucial for dogs to maintain a healthy body weight. Excessive weight puts the body under stress, which can affect a dog’s emotional state. Dogs who are overweight have been found to be more likely to exhibit behavioural problems (German et al., 2017). Under-exercised puppies may also become more active in the home environment, potentially leading to jumping on and off furniture or rushing up and down stairs in their efforts to expend energy. These high-impact activities may increase their risk of injury or debilitating joint issues in later life.

While exercise should not be the sole source of mental stimulation for a puppy, too little physical exercise may result in undesired behaviours motivated by boredom, such as chewing furniture or jumping up and mouthing at their families. This may lead to the increased use of punishment towards the puppy, which may damage the dog–owner relationship and increase the risk of canine anxiety (Ziv, 2017).

While exercise should not be the sole source of mental stimulation for a puppy, too little physical exercise may result in undesired behaviours motivated by boredom

What are the negative effects of too much exercise on puppies?

Fast-paced walks may have a negative effect on puppy behaviour. Puppies may be unintentionally hurried into social encounters and/or environments that they are not emotionally or behaviourally prepared for: for example, being walked through a busy, noisy environment or encountering a dog that may resort to using aggressive behaviour when their personal space is invaded. Such negative experiences can have a lasting impact on dog behaviour (Appleby et al., 2002).

Excessive and repetitive bouts of aerobic exercise can increase oxidative stress and muscle damage and promote gut dysbiosis (Robinson et al., 2021). Heightened sympathetic nervous system activity during exercise and the potential for subsequent over-arousal can lead to poor regulation of emotional responses and affect sensory processing. This can lead to decreased inhibition such as over-exuberance during interactions with humans that are punished by the owner, or rushing towards and jumping on other dogs who may respond with aggression. Alternatively, the heightened activation of the sympathetic nervous system may contribute to heightened fear responses in some puppies.

Heightened sympathetic nervous system activity during exercise and the potential for subsequent over-arousal can lead to poor regulation of emotional responses and affect sensory processing

Puppies undergo significant developmental changes within their brains, with neurogenesis and neural pruning occurring at peak levels. This development-phase level of sensory information processing makes puppies prone to overstimulation, requiring plenty of rest and sleep to aid healthy brain development. Furthermore, memory consolidation and emotional stress recovery occur during sleep. Similar to many humans, an excessively tired puppy may not be at their best emotionally or behaviourally. Anecdotally, behaviour professionals around the world report on the negative effects of overstimulation on puppies. Common problem behaviours observed include increased mouthing/biting, increased vocalisation, difficulty settling down on return from walks and a diminished ability to respond to their owners.

Young puppies have a limited capacity in which their brain can cope with elevated levels of sensory input, even if they are walked in quiet places. Adapting routines based on awareness of individual abilities and thresholds can improve puppy welfare.

Adapting routines based on awareness of individual abilities and thresholds can improve puppy welfare

The individual before us

There is a clear difference in exercise requirements, motivation and physical ability between breeds, types and ages of dogs and individuals. However, young individuals from any species will take time to develop the strength and stamina of their mature conspecifics.

Working breeds and athletic dogs will be more likely to require greater levels of physical exercise, but this should be gradually built up over time to avoid injury. The prevalence of behaviour problems, most notably in dogs under three years of age (Boyd et al., 2018), should redirect focus to the emotional experience of the puppy when they navigate the external world.

Athletic breeds and types of dogs commonly require assistance in regulating their arousal levels. This is especially the case with young individuals or those motivated by a highly rewarding activity, such as chasing a ball or acting upon breed-specific motivations. Human carers need to assist these dogs in developing an improved ability to regulate themselves rather than increasing exercise levels in an effort to tire them out.

Advising owners on appropriate exercise for puppies

Veterinary professionals are in an optimum position to give advice to puppy owners on appropriate physical exercise that supports both the behavioural and the physical health of puppies

Veterinary professionals are in an optimum position to give advice to puppy owners on appropriate physical exercise that supports both the behavioural and the physical health of puppies. Here are eight key suggestions you can bear in mind when advising owners of appropriate exercise for puppies and how to facilitate this:

1. Socialisation and physical activity go hand-in-hand once puppies are fully vaccinated. Outdoor experiences should be gradually increased and followed by periods of rest, supporting memory consolidation of experiences, improved learning and practising of desired behaviours established through training efforts
2. The benefits of mental stimulation in addition to physical exercise should be advocated, such as using positive reinforcement training exercises to prevent problem behaviours and provide breed-specific outlets as motivations increase with age
3. Teaching a puppy to walk nicely on a lead can reduce excessive strain on the body caused by pulling on the lead and promote the healthy development of muscles from a balanced, walking and trotting gait
4. Owners can further be informed of the structural and muscular benefits of undulating “park” terrain, deterring them from excessive or exclusive street walks on a flat and hard surface (Krontveit et al., 2012)
5. Excessive high-intensity and overly competitive play with other dogs should be discouraged as it not only poses a risk of negative social experiences but is established as a risk factor for joint disease in later life
6. Observations of free-ranging dogs found that ambling, trotting, foraging and observation of their surroundings while in a resting state are a significant part of the dog’s ethogram (Majumder et al., 2014). These behaviours can be facilitated by owners finding quiet settling places on their walks parallel to a “puppy-led” pace of walks, remembering their role in supporting self-regulation in individuals prone to high levels of arousal
7. Duranton et al. (2022) found that puppies will match their caregiver’s pace, demonstrating that puppy owners walking fast has the potential to interfere with exploration and social experiences. Encouraging owners to slow down their walking pace may facilitate improved social experiences and a more proactive approach to responding to anxieties, fears or undesired behaviours
8. Activities such as foraging for treats or chewing can support puppies in settling into a resting state on return to their homes, allowing their bodies to recover and their experiences to be consolidated into their long-term memories

An alternative quantitative guideline for puppy owners may be five minutes per month of age walking distance plus an additional five minutes per month of age exploring, observing, training and interacting with others under proactive supervision twice a day. Such advice may support owners in optimising their puppy’s early experiences when outdoors and improving canine welfare.