[KaiserRodriguez]

How muchave exercise is too much exercise ? I don't want to be hard on his hips and elbows. He's a year old and I haven't been working since the time we got him, so our routine has been the same every day. I get up get something to eat, and then we hit the park and play fetch until he tires out. He is extremely ball driven and I use the Chuck it stick to throw it very far and he runs after it like crazy and will go back and forth like that non-stop until he drops for at least a good 15 minutes if not longer. Then we take a break and go home and sometimes go back out in the evening again. We do this every day and he is very physically fit and strong. Sometimes we can do a couple of hours of this play with intense runs for 20 minutes or ten minutes and then a good 10 to 15 minutes of a break and then back at it again. He absolutely loves it and is insatiable when it comes to running after the ball. Even when he is too tired he will run after it and maybe stop on his way back and lay in the grass for a second and then come back. He is West German show line, he's not even a working line yet he is very active. ( just goes to show you that show line dogs can really get at it too)
Anyways my question is, does this seem like a reasonable amount of activity or does anyone think it's too much? Just curious. If too much please advise how much to cut down to. Thanks

 

[edanzanders]

Very intense running, like chasing a ball or frisbee, should probably be held to 15 or 20 minutes with plenty of rest in between. A 2h session of fetching with 10 minute breaks may be too much. My dog had a groin pull from me trying to be a "good" owner and doing two 30 minute sessions a day, non-stop chasing. She ran very fast and jumped in the air to grab the frisbee too. These dogs have a lot of energy and often will get injured and just keep running.

I found that an hour long walk achieved the same without the stress on her young bones. Since her injury, I cut out all chasing and spend 30 minutes twice a day doing free play rather than intense chasing. I think the general consensus is waiting until age two before very intense work. Granted, I may be paranoid since the injury, but seeing her limping for a couple of days really made me feel bad.

 

[wolfy dog]

I don't use the Chuck It more than 5 times in a row and no more than once a day.
They need more creative exercise after that; searching for toys, obedience, off leash walks etc.

 

[Blaze's-mom]

My boy isnt interested in chasing anything but my cat. Which im working on. Doesnt like frisbees, balls or sticks. Loves walking though. He walks on a long line due to no recall just yet lol.

How about sniffy games and mental stimulation?