How do I know if my new puppy is getting enough exercise?
First-time owners struggle to figure out the right balance of walk duration and frequency for a puppy's age and breed. Guessing wrong leads to overstimulated puppies, leash aggression, and the constant worry of either under-exercising an active dog or doing something wrong.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Switching from two long walks to multiple shorter walks throughout the day
- 2Stepping on the leash and putting the puppy in a down stay until they calm down
- 3Sitting on a bench outside to observe surroundings when the puppy gets overstimulated
- 4Driving to a nearby park and rotating locations for sniff walks
- 5keeping the cat closed in a guest bedroom with food, water, and a litter box
- 6asking online communities and forums for step-by-step pet care advice
- 7watching animal behavior videos online to understand pet needs
- 8Asking online communities for recommendations
- 9Guessing based on past experiences with older cats
- 10Asking online communities for shopping lists and raising tips
- 11asking for pragmatic insight and day-to-day experiences from current dog owners on online forums
- 12Searching for children's books or guides about dog safety and behavior.
- 13Leaving the instrument on the floor for a few days to let the puppy sniff and investigate without sound
- 14Holding the instrument without playing it once they stop caring about its presence
- 15Playing a single soft strum while the puppy is eating something high-value
- 16Starting drums by gently tapping with fingers on one drum very quietly while someone gives treats upstairs
- 17Giving them dental treats
- 18Letting them sniff the toothbrushes
- 19Using frozen treats and lick mats during grooming
- 20Starting slowly by having them lick dog toothpaste off a finger or silicone fingertip toothbrush before progressing to a regular toothbrush
- 21Doing extensive research independently.
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My family is considering getting a dog for the first time, but we're not sure what typical day to day life looks like with a dog.”source ↗
“more like what we'd need to budget time and energy wise if we were going to move forward with getting a dog.”source ↗
“I remember thinking that if I had it to do over, there were certain things I would try to get them used to as kittens so they'd be fine with it when they were older, but now I can't remember what those things were lol.”source ↗
“My husband and I have never had a pet. We are housing a cat after a friend suddenly passed away yesterday.”source ↗
“We know nothing about keeping a cat.”source ↗
“Should we let her roam the house or keep her in the guest room? If we let her out, is there anything we need to prepare for before doing so? We are afraid of losing her.”source ↗
“What kind of cat food is "good" or what should we stay away from?”source ↗
“Is taking her to the humane society the better option? Are cats generally cared for there or is it more that they're thrown in a pen?”source ↗
“My partner and I are viewing some border collie puppies mid October! We've done extensive research and all, but wondering if you guys have any advice/ knowledge!”source ↗
“Do you have any questions that we should ask, anything we should be looking for, any behaviour signs to look for, anything the breeder may ask, just basically anything that would be useful to know and add to our current list.”source ↗
“I’m struggling to find the balance of how many walks she should get per day and how long she should be out for.”source ↗
“she’s started to get extremely overstimulated on these so I’m not sure if she should maybe do more shorter walks instead of two longer ones?”source ↗
“she’s started completely flipping out on me randomly while we’re walking. Growling, barking, and launching herself at me and the leash teeth first.”source ↗
“Are there any musicians who figured out good/safe ways to introduce your instruments to your new pups?”source ↗
“We have 11 week old schnauzer/lab/chow mixes and I tried playing a little acoustic this morning with some Steely Dan and the little one wasn't having it.”source ↗
“They haven't really experienced thunder or fireworks with us yet, so I don't want to be the first booming sound that scares them and have them worried when I'm playing drums.”source ↗
“I just can't figure out a good way to make teeth cleaning training easy for them.”source ↗
“My nephews are coming to my home for Christmas and we just adopted a 1.5 year old rescue! She’s still settling in with us, so I know she may not be fully trained (especially around kids, which we don’t have) by the time they visit.”source ↗
“Does anyone have any recommendations? I imagine I’ll need atleast one book for the 8 & 6 year old, and then a different one for the 2 year old.”source ↗
“I am personally struggling because our spaniel seems to be able to go on much longer walks, wants to run a lot, and I feel like we are limiting him”source ↗
“I'm super nervous about everything. I have bought the food/treats and a couple toys already but I'm not sure what would be needed exactly.”source ↗
“I feel like I dont know what I'm getting into.”source ↗
“I had similar problem with my acoustic and a puppy last year.”source ↗
“I really need some advice on how to keep him happy!! I want my dog to be happy all the time and since it’s my first time owning one I want to do everything right.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to care for an adopted senior dog when you've only had farm dogs
- 3What is it really like to foster rescue animals?
- 7How to handle an extremely intense, high-energy puppy?
- 2How to handle a puppy while working and going to school alone
- 3Why does my dog pee inside right after a walk?
- 10Puppy too scared and overwhelmed on walks