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Exercise

Amtpmtamt

New Member
I have heard mastiffs should not get too much exercise while they are growing becAuse of their joints but I am wondering since that is mostly due to their size if my mastiff mix puppy should just be exercised regular since she will be smaller. Any advice or input appreciated. image.jpgimage.jpg
 

gilles

Well-Known Member
too much exercise is not good, too little exercise is also not good...it depends how old she is but if she is around 5 months: if she is living in a large garden space then she will be exercising herself at her own rate, 15 mns playsessions with her or 15 minutes walks are good. if she is crated then 3 outdoor walks a day about 20-30 minutes each is good, increase with age ..at around 8 months you can go 40 mns each walk. but this is for a CAO i am not sure if it is the same for mastiffs
 

Siloh

Well-Known Member
I may have a mastiff mix and err on the side of caution since, whatever he is, he is clearly going to be a pretty big boy. I try to be mindful of his joints. We currently don't have a fenced yard, so his running on a daily basis is seriously limited anyway. I did start using an empty backpack on him a bit too early--at about 5 months--but I do limit my use of it weekly and take into consideration how much stress his joints have endured in recent bygone days.


"Nothing is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."
Hamlet Prince of Denmark
 

gilles

Well-Known Member
a friend of mine used backpacks with gradually adding weight on his CAOs as early as 10 months and they grew up fine. however i wont do it myself i wont start any weight jackets or weight pulling before 18 months at least or maybe even later
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
I let the puppy set the pace - do as much free-style play time for exercise as you can - on soft surfaces, dirt and grass.
Start with no more than 10 minutes of exuberant play time, and work up from that - following the puppy's lead - she'll let you know when she's tired. :)

"Never walk a mastiff further than you can carry them home."

I imagine that may work for a mastiff+X, too. :)

You can practice "follow me" and do some ping-pong "come" games... for that you need a second person... unless you also teach "wait" as a first command...

Avoid repetitive exercise, like jogging - especially on hard surfaces.

Don't forget to also exercise the brain - learning new words and rules can also make for a good, tired puppy.
 

Amtpmtamt

New Member
Thanks everybody yes she is a em and german shepherd mix she is currently 10 weeks old now and loves to run around the house but has definitely been setting a pretty slow pace herself. We have about two acres and she starts off walking with me when I push the stroller but usually decides she so done and would like to ride in the stroller. She loves to run around the living room when she is playing with her toys but she calms herself within a pretty reasonable amount of time. I guess she is doing pretty good a realizing her limits right now. Puppy naps are helping her :)