How Far Can I Walk My 9-Week-Old Puppy?
Taking your 9-week-old puppy for a walk definitely comes with its challenges. They’re at an age where everything seems to be a chew toy and their interest in things is peaked extremely easily. Going on a walk that is intended to be about 15 minutes can easily turn into a half-hour adventure for them. Taming one of these wild beasts is tough but it is not impossible. With a small amount of elbow grease, consistency, and a bit of luck, your 9-week-old puppy will be the talk of the dog park.
In this article, we’ll cover the topics relevant to walking your 9-week-old-puppy, as well as providing you with some helpful tips and tricks to make your walk as seamless as possible.
Can you walk a 9-week-old puppy?
Of course, you can walk a 9-week-old-puppy. Before taking your puppy out for a walk, there are a few items you may want to purchase beforehand. Grabbing yourself a harness that comfortably fits your puppy is essential.
We recommend using a puppy harness (link to Amazon) as opposed to a collar simply because using a collar on a puppy that is unfamiliar with its purpose can cause some serious injury.
Puppies that have never went on a walk before while using a collar will fight against the restricting feeling the collar provides and they will tug on it until they can get it removed, which more times than not can cause serious damage to their throats.
A harness should fit firmly around your puppies’ torso which can make it 10X easier for both you and them.
A suitable leash that attaches to their harness is necessary as well. For a puppy that is so young, we recommend a leash that is capable of limiting their distance to 3 ft. or less. As stated above, 9-week-old puppies can be quite curious little creatures. It will be beneficial for both you and your dog to keep them on a short leash in order to control what kind of trouble they may be getting themselves in to.
Leash training prior to taking your dog for a walk is also extremely helpful.
Another item you may want to consider bringing along with you is a water bottle. Younger puppies, after exerting a great deal of energy have a tendency to get dehydrated a lot faster than older dogs.
Whenever your puppy starts to show signs of being thirsty, pour them a sip of water to get them going again. Using a dog water bottle is the perfect tool for this.
Where to walk a 9-week-old-puppy?
Along with preparing yourself with the products needed before walking your dog you must also know the places you should and should not take your puppy.
At the 9-week mark, your puppy probably has only received their first round of vaccinations and will likely not receive their full round of vaccinations until the 4-5 month mark.
Therefore, there are some rules that you should follow until your puppy has gotten all of their shots.
- Only take your dog on walks around the neighborhood or in you building.
- Avoid socialization with other dogs. (for now)
- Avoid walking them into pet stores. (Petsmart, Petco, etc.)
- Avoid both regular parks and dog parks.
- Avoid mud.
- Avoid grassy, wooden areas as these may contain harmful bugs, ticks, or parasites.
- Do not let them sniff or interact with another dog’s poop.
- Avoid dirty areas or public places with a lot of foot-traffic.
You should only walk your 9-week-old puppy in places that you deem to be clean, hazardous free, and safe for them. Remember, at the 9-week mark their tiny bodies are still very susceptible to picking up diseases, sicknesses and other illnesses extremely easily.
Following the rules listed above should be able to guide you to an area that is perfect for taking your dog on walks.
How far should you go on your walk?
Not all puppies are the same, but there are some rules puppy owners can follow to gauge how far they should be walking their pups.
It is recommended that you walk no further than your puppy will allow you to. An easy way to guess this range is to test your pup’s stamina levels. Read their body language, if you’ve ever taken them on a walk before, how long does it take before they begin panting aggressively, how long does it take before they stop and just stare, at what point do they just refuse to walk any further?
Reading your puppies’ body language can give you a pretty good estimate on how far you should be walking them.
Though, if you have never taken your 9-week-old puppy on a walk before and are afraid of over exercising them then a good rule of thumb to estimate how far you should be walking your puppy is through a simple game of fetch. Usually, how far can your puppy make it before they become tired or lose fuel? That distance should easily tell you how far you can walk your 9-week-old-puppy.
How long should I walk my 9 week old puppy?
For a puppy this young, most veterinarians and dog trainers recommend staying below the 15-minute mark. At 15 minutes, this is sufficient for your dog to get in a really good workout without becoming too tired.
A walk that is below 15 minutes is fine, but then you run the risk of not providing your dog with enough daily physical exercise needed to develop and grow at the rates of other dogs which are of a similar breed as yours.
Whereas anything above 15 minutes will run you into the risk of over exercising your 9-week-old-puppy which can lead to an extremely exhausted and dehydrated pup.
Signs of over exercising your puppy
When taking your puppy for a walk, here are a few signs that should to tell if you are over exercising your puppy.
· Heavy breathing
· Panting
· Drooling
· Sitting or standing still longer than usual
· If they begin looking for a cooler place to lay
· Drinking water extensively
Conclusion
Taking a 9-week-old puppy for a walk can be overwhelming, which is why we created this guide to help owners’ cope with the many challenges a puppy can bring. We hope that this article has been helpful and has provided you with the information you were looking for.
