Re:Lucy's First HIke

[Gina Heitz <brier@oregonsbest.com>]

At 07:31 AM 10/3/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi GIna and Everyone,
>We're happy to participate in any studies..sounds like important work. 
>Lucy climbed her first mountain yesterday...Mt. Zion...She stayed right by 
>me the whole way up the trail (an easy, wide, steady - climbing  1.8 mile 
>path) We brought along an old backpack for  her to ride in if she got 
>tired, but she would have nothing to do with it -she wanted to 
>cruise!  The views from the top were spectacular...Mt. Baker, the 
>Sound,  the  Olympic Mtns.    My question:  At 12 weeks, how much exercise 
>is too much?  Greetings to all the gang, Libby Reid

Hi Libby, and All,

Thanks for the note sounds like a fun day!  As far as how much is too 
much:  Basically my rule of thumb is let them go as long as they want but 
don't force beyond that.  A lot of up hill is not good, but as you note the 
path is steady and wide room to zig and zag and this is soft ground not 
concrete.  I don't think this is too much.  We take our puppies to the 
beach and they play till they drop. They sleep and then they run till they 
drop again!

Concrete and stairs are really hard on growing dogs.  If you have stairs in 
your home normal up and down is just fine but don't play games on the 
stairs and or allow rip snorting ball games up and down.  These guys are 
not china dolls but moderation is always the best case scenario.  Concrete 
is not a good place to "play" the pounding the joints take when a pup runs 
and jumps lands is hard on them.  Overall making sure your puppy has lots 
of free exercise rolling in the grass romping will keep things limber and 
fit.  Leash walks are great but 5 minutes of tumble in the grass is worth 
two blocks on a leash to me...  :-)

A couple of you have pools and you are the lucky ones!  Or your dogs 
are.  Yanna I bet you could chime in here on how fit swimming keeps the 
dogs.  I know Jake is all mussel anyway but I bet he is really buff since 
moving to a home with a pool!  Swimming is absolutely by far the safest and 
best exercise you can provide.

Gina