Walk the line

Hi

My wife and I have a German Shepherd pup who is almost 10 months old. His name is Torin.

My enquiry might seem quite trivial to someone who is used to dealing with dogs but we are relative newcomers to dog ownership although we have both had dogs in the past. We want to do our absolute best for Torin.

We have become a bit confused about how much exercise he should have on a daily basis. Someone told us that he should get five minutes for each month of his age per walk and he should get two walks per day. At present we give him about 90 minutes in total per day (plus playtime in the garden) spread over two or three walks but some sources say this isn't enough and others say that the dog is still too young for this amount. We don't let Torin off the lead much as he barks at other dogs and the dogs (and owners) often look quite concerned at this big dog who seems to be aggressive but in fact isn't.

We love Torin to bits and obviously want to do our best for him - the thought of our doing him harm fills us with dread.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you in anticipation.

John and Liz Brannan, by email

Christine Bailey, Dogs Today, says...

Hi John and Liz,

I think the five minutes per month of age is a pretty good guide, split into two or three walks a day. It’s especially important for a larger dog. When I had my first dog, Airedale Tasha, I spoke to a vet at my local practice (a locum) as I had been advised to only give her two 15 minute walks and it didn’t seem much to me. He told me that he didn’t think that enough for any pup, and to walk her much more. But a couple of months later she went lame, and on seeing the owner of the practice I was told in no uncertain terms that I most certainly should not be walking her so much, and I could well have caused her a major problem! You can imagine how I felt. Luckily rest sorted her injury, and I was not best impressed with the initial vet, who of course by then had left. I have never forgotten that experience.

Play with your pup in the garden but my advice would be to keep him on shorter walks until he is about 15/16 months, then gradually increase. Are you taking him to classes? Training exercises will tire him too, and you can practise your recall in safe areas, calling him from one to the other with tasty treats, and socialise him with other dogs so that he learns to interact in an acceptable way. It’s hard work, but definitely worth it in the long run!