Exercise:
When you first get your furry bundle of fun home, it is very tempting to want to take them out everywhere. Understandably, they are exceptionally cute and you want to share that cute around!
You cannot take them out until they have completed their vaccinations, and the time recommended by your vet for the immunity to kick in. You would never forgive yourself if you let them come into contact with a disease that made them ill, and some of the diseases you have vaccinated against will kill a small puppy.
Once that time has passed, most owners are desperate to take their puppies out. This is where you have to exercise restraint.
Your puppies joints and skeletons are surprisingly fragile.
Giant breeds grow at an almost alarming rate in the first year. In order to do this their joints are quite mobile, and as such they are very vulnerable to injury or even permanent damage.
The images below are of a roughly 2 week old large breed puppy showing how the bones have not yet fused together properly. This is why its important not to let your young dog jump, rough house or take them on walks or runs that are too long until they're a year old. It takes a long time for these bones to fuse "completely" together.
You cannot take them out until they have completed their vaccinations, and the time recommended by your vet for the immunity to kick in. You would never forgive yourself if you let them come into contact with a disease that made them ill, and some of the diseases you have vaccinated against will kill a small puppy.
Once that time has passed, most owners are desperate to take their puppies out. This is where you have to exercise restraint.
Your puppies joints and skeletons are surprisingly fragile.
Giant breeds grow at an almost alarming rate in the first year. In order to do this their joints are quite mobile, and as such they are very vulnerable to injury or even permanent damage.
The images below are of a roughly 2 week old large breed puppy showing how the bones have not yet fused together properly. This is why its important not to let your young dog jump, rough house or take them on walks or runs that are too long until they're a year old. It takes a long time for these bones to fuse "completely" together.
The rule of thumb that we follow at Kernowbears is as much ‘free play’ as they want - that is time playing in the garden, playing with toys or gentle playing with brothers and sisters if they have furry family in their new home.
Walking that is instigated by you has to be limited to ONE MINUTE FOR EVERY WEEK IN AGE.
So at 15 weeks old, a 15 minutes walk there AND back.
That is active walking time.
To work out how far you can go, walk it yourself at a steady pace first. That way, when you are walking with the puppy, they can sniff any new interesting smells, stop and say hello to people, properly investigate their surroundings and you don’t have to watch the time.
If you are walking at a steady pace with them THEY WILL TRY TO KEEP UP long after they would have been tired if they were playing. That is how you stress their muscles and joints. Remember this is a breed that are prone to hip and elbow dysplasia. If you are patient and give their bodies a chance to develop, you are giving your puppy the best chance of developing into a healthy adult.
Stairs are ideally to be avoided until they are over a year old at least. Apart from the fact that they are really bad for their hips and elbows, Newfie pups are incredibly clumsy. Coming down stairs safely requires a degree of coordination that most do not have. A fall down the stairs could cause an injury that will haunt them joint wise for the rest of their lives.
Wooden and slippery floors are not recommended for the same reasons. They have enough problems not tripping over their own paws without their owners adding in ice rink floors.
Get rugs! We love these as they trap hair, mop up any muddy paws and put a stop to any high speed skidding on unsuitable surfaces!
Your puppy will thank you and so will your pet insurer.
Once your puppy is fully grown, you can hike to your hearts content. Just give them the time they need to finish growing, they don't stay small for long!