Whippet excercise

[David Gifford]

Hi. My name is David and I’ve just joined the community. My partner and I have our first dog who we love dearly: a 6 months old, female, blue brindle whippet, called Elsa. She enjoys being off-lead in the local fields, always keeping an eye on where we are and returning when called. She runs at high speed, in short bursts, and also spends lots of time exploring. This usually lasts an hour, door-to-door, once a day. This appears to be more that the recommended time for a 6 month old puppy, but she seems very happy with it. Nevertheless, I do worry that it might be too much given that her body is still developing. Am I right in allowing her the full hour? If she’s happy, does it mean she’s ok with it, or should we rein back a little?

 

[JoanneF]

Are you thinking of the five minutes per month of age rule? If so, there is value in it, you do need to be careful before growth plates have closed and joints have developed.

But. that theory seems to refer to pavement pounding exercise, and there are new studies challenging it. I'll try to find the one I saw, it was based on feral pups playing and not limiting their exercise.

That said, I'd always err on the side of caution.

 

[Tinytom]

My friend has always had ex show whippets ...those were never allowed to run offlead in a big area until they were over a year old ...its all to do with the bone growth ...

 

[JoanneF]

This is an article about the study I mentioned.

https://www.mylamedog.com/post/what...ng-puppies-until-the-growth-plates-are-closed

 

[JudyN]

This is an article about the study I mentioned.

Is it just me who is sad to read of all the dogs forced to run on a treadmill for long distances every day?

How relevant this is I don't know, but when my lurcher was in early adulthood, we found that repeated ball chucking over a few days (on holiday by a beach) where he would run after the ball, overshoot, twist and pick it up on the way back resulted in him becoming lame. Whippets are certainly better designed for fast turns on a sixpence, but this might be a type of exercise you want to avoid.

 

[Hemlock]

Your pup's exercise sounds fine to me, as a fellow sighthound fan. As long as you aren't making her run (as with the ball-throwing type of thing) and she is doing her exploring by her choice and at her pace, it shouldn't cause problems. Caution is important, and I would avoid her running with other dogs if she were mine.

 

[David Gifford]

Are you thinking of the five minutes per month of age rule? If so, there is value in it, you do need to be careful before growth plates have closed and joints have developed.

Yes, the 5 minute rule. She is never forced into any activity, and most of the exercise is on grass meadows. 35 mins seemed a bit mean when she is so clearly enjoying herself! But I take your point about developing bones/joints. Thank you

But. that theory seems to refer to pavement pounding exercise, and there are new studies challenging it. I'll try to find the one I saw, it was based on feral pups playing and not limiting their exercise.

That said, I'd always err on the side of caution.

 

[RGC]

The fact that you are allowing her to exercise herself should be fine but I’d add that I’m no expert - we’ve only ever had rescued whippets although our first, which we found on the side of the road, was about six months old. As they have limited stamina I’d have thought that their own metabolism would let them know when to slow down provided that no onus is placed on them - throwing balls for them to chase, etc. They are sprint hounds not long distance galloping merchants. Letting her explore in her own way should suffice as a reasonable cooling down procedure as they’re as nosey as hell. As I’ve said, I’m no expert - my experience is purely from our own adoptees. Do you have photos of her?

 

[Feverfew]

I agree with the above, particularly not using ball games (I would never throw a ball with any dog, whatever their age - those fast chases from a standing start and the hairpin turns eventually lead to injury and/or early onset arthritis in many, many dogs).
It's important to warm her up first, so do some walking before she goes off lead. I would also say, from the point of view of her emotional development, she shouldn't be shooting off like a rocket when the lead comes off. What you want is for her to be calm and relaxed when the lead is unclipped. If you don't have that yet, just drop the lead instead so that the unclipping isn't a trigger for over excitement. You can also desensitise her to the sound of the lead clip.

That way, she can move naturally into a fast run, maybe when she spots a rabbit etc. Dogs are not good at regulating themselves when they are excited, so mixing bursts of excitement with some slow sniffing and watching is a good idea, with any breed, even our fast companions!

 

[Hemlock]

I may have mistaken what you mean by "drop the lead" but if that means let go of it - not with a sighthound please. They can go from 0-30mph (and cruise at 40-45mph once adult) in one stride, and twist and turn with every stride and in half their own length. Catching a lead around their legs has the potential to cause awful injuries. They do go like rockets, but they turn faster! Otherwise I agree with what you have said about a warm-up walk before the lead comes off - good sense.

 

[Feverfew]

I may have mistaken what you mean by "drop the lead" but if that means let go of it - not with a sighthound please. They can go from 0-30mph (and cruise at 40-45mph once adult) in one stride, and twist and turn with every stride and in half their own length. Catching a lead around their legs has the potential to cause awful injuries. They do go like rockets, but they turn faster! Otherwise I agree with what you have said about a warm-up walk before the lead comes off - good sense.

I take your good point, but I think it does depend a bit on the dog. I've had several lurchers, and most of them have been very nifty and fast, so I have used a trailing lead with some of them when they first arrive, without any mishaps. If they are so exciteable, they are likely to lose their heads and get tangled, I would have them on the lead all the time, until they have started to process the environment a bit more thoughtfully and cautiously. I have seen sighthounds who have run head-on into a tree, and if that's their state of mind, that's definitely a case for holding onto the line.

Should add that the lead needs to be a long, soft lead and definitely not a flexi lead, which I'd never use anyway.

What I'm aiming for ultimately is the dog's pace looks no different when the lead comes off, and it isn't a trigger for over the top running.