[PDXDeutschhund]

We're bringing home our pup today (soooo excited) but I'm curious when I should start exercising him and what I should be doing. He's 8 weeks old. There's a lot I want to do, but I'm scared of taking him out into public until he's fully vaccinated.

I'm planning on starting clicker training asap, but I'm not sure about walks/fetch/etc. What's a reasonable timeline for basic exercises?

 

[FG167]

I didn't bring my pups out into "public" until their vaccines were done.

However, I played lots and lots of games: fetch, eye contact, basic obedience (sit, stay, down), find the toy, mirroring, impulse control etc

 

[PDXDeutschhund]

I didn't bring my pups out into "public" until their vaccines were done.

However, I played lots and lots of games: fetch, eye contact, basic obedience (sit, stay, down), find the toy, mirroring, impulse control etc

Are you just doing that around the house? Yard? I'm just wondering if I should keep him home until the vaccines are done.

 

[FG167]

Are you just doing that around the house? Yard? I'm just wondering if I should keep him home until the vaccines are done.

Yupper, around the house and yard. Most of the exercises I do on-lead as well so that pup can learn the boundaries and to be sensitive to the pressure on the lead. The find it game is way more fun inside because there are more places to work with

 

[Zoeys mom]

I happen to see no problem with taking your dog for a walk around the neighborhood- just avoid dog parks, pet stores, and keep contact with other dogs to a minimum. Socialization needs to begin before 12 weeks when their vaccinations are done so keeping them confined to your home is not the best idea IMO

 

[Castlemaid]

Keep play sessions and walks short. You could take him places that you know are safe (as in, rarely frequented by other dogs - or to a place that you know the dogs are well cared for and up on vaccinations), and carry him around at first just so that he has some exposure to the real world. For example, when I had a little pup, I took him to our SchH club, since I knew that all the member and their dogs, but did not take him out to pet stores of public places until he was older and had at least a couple rounds of shots.

For the first few days, play it by ear as to how much to do. If pup is stressed and wants to sleep, let him. If pup is hyper and wants to play, take him out and play. He probably won't want to have anything to do with leash walks at first, so get him used to dragging a light leash around, and get him used to being walked around a bit in the yard with you holding the leash.

By the time he is 3 - 4 months old, he should be able to do 20 to 30 minute leash walks without any problem, other than getting bored (bring treats, a tug toy to play along the way). Though he should be able to do nice long walks/hikes off leash on soft surfaces, running and walking at his own pace.

 

[ahazra]

We are in the same boat and will be bringing our GSD puppy home in a few days. With our first GSD puppy we were able to take him for 30 minute walks by 16 weeks. Bottom line is you will know when your puppy is tired. Don't push those tiny bones too much. They need all the energy to grow rapidly

 

[PDXDeutschhund]

We are in the same boat and will be bringing our GSD puppy home in a few days. With our first GSD puppy we were able to take him for 30 minute walks by 16 weeks. Bottom line is you will know when your puppy is tired. Don't push those tiny bones too much. They need all the energy to grow rapidly

We took him out today to a little park near our home and let him run around and chase us. I think I'm being over protective though. I'm just so paranoid about parvo, bloat and his ears standing up haha.

 

[Ace952]

WHat do you plan on doing with your pup long term?

People have a habit of doing way too much with a young dog b/c of their own personal expectations of the dog. Take your time and let him get comfortable.

Most trainers will say not too much strong obedience until they are around 4-5 months ..some say 6. Just work on sit, down, stay, etc. You want to spend your time working on the 2 most important things......1) getting your dog to focus on you. 2) Recall.

Recall is the most important thing to work on. Starting early is the best.
I have right now 95% recall. I took him to petsmart to get a bath and the leash slipped out my hand and ran to people giving him attention. I told him to come to me. The first time he looked at me and the second time he ran directly to me. (he is 10 weeks). Not bad for his first contact with the outside world. He wont have anymore until he gets all of his shots. He just needed a bath though!! lol. $16 for a puppy treatment with oatmeal is very affordable.

 

[doggiedad]

after my dog had his 2nd round
of shots we were out but with caution.
we also waited a week after he had his 2nd round
of shots before venturing out to far. i didn't go
to pet stores untill he was 6 months old or so.
invited family, friends and neighbors to visit
us all of the time. i also had people visit with
their dogs and pups.

as far as training i didn't really do
any formal training untill my dog was 4 months old.
before 4 months he knew his name, come, house broken
(within 10 days), crated trained and not much more.

 

[Elaine]

Stay away from dog parks and such for a couple of weeks, otherwise get him out and about as much as possible and exercise as much as he wants. I start training the minute the puppy gets home. Waiting for months is a waste of the best and easiest time to train your dog.