What is the 5 minute rule for puppies?
Stevie Swaniawski
2025-07-10 23:53:55
Count answers
: 19
Puppies need less ‘formal’ exercise than fully grown dogs. You’ll know your dog best, and the amount of exercise a dog can manage will vary between breeds and dogs, but a good rule of thumb is a ratio of five minutes of formal exercise per month of age (up to twice a day) until the puppy is fully grown i.e., 15 minutes (up to twice a day) when three months old, 20 minutes when four months old and so on. As they become older, they’ll be able to cope with larger amounts of exercise.
Dedric Kozey
2025-07-03 07:46:46
Count answers
: 22
When it comes to continuous puppy walking, a good rule of thumb is that puppies should have no more than 5 minutes of exercise for each month of age, twice a day. So a five-month-old puppy would have no more than 25 minutes of walking twice a day – and this should be decreased in larger breeds. Walking beside a human is tiring for a puppy and to walk at a constant pace is totally unnatural and can easily strain your puppy, so it is something you build up to slowly over time. Keep continuous structured puppy walking to no more than two minutes at any one time – and if at any point the puppy flops down, seems reluctant to walk, or looks tired, listen to them and act accordingly. Puppies do not have the cardiovascular system for endurance either so these shorts burst of energy are all they can manage as they are building stamina for the future.
Vivianne Bosco
2025-06-26 04:47:43
Count answers
: 18
I give 5 minutes exercise for every month of age. When a puppy is trotting around the garden it can stop at any time, crash out and sleep. So the pup is not over stimulated, no reason why it should not stop for a rest. That is NOT part of the 5 minutes per month. But now look at going out for a walk, the lead goes on and you and your pup start walking, however tired the pup gets it has no choice but to keep going for as long as you do. It's YOUR responsibility to take charge, to control the situation. For a 3 month old puppy I would be looking at 15 minutes of exercise, but that 15 minutes will probably take me between 30 and 45 minutes. You can probably do this twice a day with no ill effects, providing there is a decent resting period, and if you happen to do a little much in the morning, then cut the afternoon walk down a little to balance it off.
Charley Schroeder
2025-06-26 03:17:07
Count answers
: 24
The 5-minute rule states that a puppy should only exercise for 5 minutes per month of their age – so, for example, a 4-month-old puppy should only exercise for 20 minutes. Though this myth is born from a genuine concern for puppies’ welfare, it can often lead to owners spending months worrying themselves silly over how to stop their energetic puppy from doing too much. The rules around limiting puppy exercise are based on the idea that their growth plates are not yet closed. There is no evidence to suggest that simple exercise will damage your puppy’s growth plates. You may also hear people claim that these restrictions are necessary because too much exercise can result in damage to your puppy’s joints. However, damage to growth plates is caused by trauma – this could include landing from a large height, being hit by a car or being crashed into by another dog. It is true that some forms of exercise can contribute to joint problems – studies have shown that climbing stairs can contribute to hip dysplasia in very young puppies and that jarring, high-impact exercise such as running after a ball or stick can also contribute to joint issues such as osteochondritis dissecans.