How long should I walk my 7-month Bernese puppy? Can he hike yet?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Luna. You will want to walk her in the early morning or late in the evening when it is hot outside. Be careful on concrete or asphalt as it can burn her pads. As opposed to a specific amount of time, I go off of how the dog is feeling each day. If she begins slowing down or if she becomes sluggish, you have gone too far. A dog will pant when it is warm, but this should not be excessive. If she is actively seeking out shade (under a tree for example) and laying down, again you have gone too far. Be sure to carry water and offer it to her frequently. I hope this information helps!

This is a great question! Yes, there is a concern that dogs who aren't fully grown shouldn't have too much exercise because it can have negative effects on their growth. The amount of exercise a dog of Oly's age should get is five minutes for every month of age; therefore, he should be getting at least 40 minutes of exercise twice a day. You can add on five minutes for each month of age to his exercise, and I would wait to do such long walks until he is fully grown (around 18 months of age). I would recommend scaling back on these long walks for now, and sticking to 40 minutes twice a day. I hope this helps!

At this age your puppy can walk a couple miles but not run, you will be able to introduce him to distance running at the age of 6 months, you should do it very gradually though (every week increase up to half a mile.

Hello! There is no precise answer for this. I tell people it's easiest to use common sense and let the puppy tell them what is too much. A long walk in the park or a short hike in the mountains (under 1 hour) should be fine. If you are expecting him to run behind your bike for even 20 minutes, this is likely too much. If he keeps up and seems happy and playful, that's just right. If he is lagging behind and seems worn out, too much! And make sure you offer water often especially when it's warm outside.

A 10 minute was twice a day is really encouraged. However, once their body acclimates to that you could easily work them up to an hour walk it more a day. If you want to run them I would start at a 5 or 10 min run several times a week and work yourself up by 5 minute increments weekly. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Puppies will gain a lot of weight in the first couple months of life, and it's never recommended to worry about their weight at a young age. In addition, he should not be talking long walks, at most he will need 10 minutes of exercise twice a day. A puppy should get 5 minutes of exercise twice a day for every month of age, i.e. at 3 months 15 minutes, 4 months 20 minutes, etc. I would not talk him on walks just yet given that he is fully vaccinated. You can play with him in your yard, but do not worry about his weight and do not over exercise him. Too much exercise will be detrimental to his growth.

Until you get a full diagnosis it would be inappropriate to speculate. It would be recommended in all giant breeds to feed a high quality large/giant breed puppy food which should already be enriched with glucosamine etc, to prevent excess weight gain or rapid growth and to limit strenuous exercise until bones are fully developed. Keep her on complete rest with only short, toilet walks until this can be fully investigated