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What is the 5 minute rule for dogs?
Sasha Krajcik
2025-11-02 20:34:43
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: 17
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.
Sam Nitzsche
2025-10-27 03:15:05
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The 5 Minute Rule applies: When the pack reunites you ignore the dog completely. This means not looking at, speaking to or in any way interacting with the dog. Turn away, avoid eye contact. Because there is no reward for the dog, he will eventually give up trying to get your attention, at which point you call him quietly and stroke him over his head, neck and shoulders. This should present you with a much calmer dog with all four feet on the ground. If he jumps up, turn away and ignore and try again. If your canine chum insists on swinging off the chandeliers, silently leave the room, wait till all is quiet and begin to enter the room again. Any action replay should be met with your retreat from the room.
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Tessie Prohaska
2025-10-16 07:01:29
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The 5 minute rule, and how it came into being. There has always been the question about how much exercise a puppy needs, balancing muscle development against the risks of joint damage. I give 5 minutes exercise for every month of age. 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. To me, particularly in the early days the exercise period is also the training period, and that training includes heel training, obviously, and also sit stays. All in all, 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. It was never meant to be a hard and fast regimented rule, just guidelines to give the inexperienced owner something to work to. 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.
Adrien Klein
2025-10-16 03:16:15
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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.
The rules around limiting puppy exercise are based on the idea that their growth plates are not yet closed.
Growth plates are areas of new bone growth, made of cartilage, found in still-growing dogs - these plates “close” when the bone is finished growing.
In small breed dogs, growth plates typically close at around 6-8 months while in large or giant breeds they are likely to close at around 14-16 months.
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.
Studies also found, however, that genetics and being overweight are two of the biggest risk factors for joint disease.
It is therefore important that you seek out a reputable breeder who has carried out appropriate health tests to mitigate the risk of hereditary joint issues, manage your puppy’s diet to ensure they are a healthy weight and avoid high-impact activities such as “fetch.”
The biggest risk factors for growth and joint problems are: Hip/Elbow dysplasia Genetic disposition for conditions such as OCD Excess weight High impact exercise such as jumping from heights or sudden turns Trauma from accidents.
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