Hi All,

I've been lurking around for a while, learning from you all.  If you can, I'd love your input on age-appropriate amount of exercise for our puppy Baker - he is our first shorthair!  He is currently just shy of 7 months, we've had him since he was 4 months old.  A trip to an off leash dog park (~1 h, play with other dogs and fetch with us) and an on-leash 30-45 min. walk used to tire him out, along with some play time at home.  Now we've recently started changing his schedule to ~1h off leash walk in the morning on flat trails, in the woods where he runs around off trail in the woods like crazy the entire time, and a trip to off leash dog park or a walk on-leash later in the day.  He seems to start getting more and more energy, and I am wondering how to manage that safely in view of his joints until we can have him accompany us on long trail runs and hikes that I and my husband routinely do.  I've taken him on short hikes a few times with mellow uphills, but he runs up and down boulders and hillsides, including jumping down from on top of rocks, and I get worried about his joints, although he definitely gets more tired during those trips.  We do work on obedience at home, and I spend some time most days teaching him tricks just for fun (he seems to love working like that), we also go to a tracking class with him (he seems to love tracking). 

For managing his emerging energy surplus right now, would you think it's safe to take him on uphill/downhill hikes once or twice a week, or would you recommend rather to put time into say doing tracking practice more often to work his mind while not taxing his growing body?  I have to admit we've been a bit lazy with tracking practice outside class as the nearest big open fields for laying tracks where dogs are allowed are a bit of a drive - but we can commit to it once a week at least.  Or something else?  Day care more often? 

Any advice would be much appreciated!  Thank you in advance. 

Hello, and welcome! To be honest with you, at your dog's age, mine was going on and still goes on just about daily off lead hikes through rolling hills that she loves bounding up to the top and full speed back down to the bottom. There were no boulders really so I would try and monitor that if you can (you don't want him making any HUGE jumps down, but as long as it isn't repetitive and excessive I really think he is fine). Hikes like these I didn't worry too much about because she is setting her own pace and the changing terrain isn't like taking a dog on a pavement jog where it is being forced to run at the same pace on hard ground for an extended period. If you are like us, and have the luxury of nearby off lead hiking....I say utilize it! Bella has great muscle tone (more than some of her other littermates from what her breeder says) and I believe her hikes really had the most to do with that.

Training at home is also a great way to expend energy. Sometimes mental exercise can wear these guys out just as much (at younger ages especially). At that age we had daily training sessions with Bella, that I often incorporated breaks for play. So I would train (she would earn play) and then we would play a bit, switch back into training. I still do this. Yes, they LOVE to learn (well from my experience). If I am teaching Bella a new trick you can just see the focus as she tries to figure out what it is exactly we are learning. And those "light bulb/Ahah" moments are priceless. Bella knows sit, down, Nose (nose to ground in a down position), roll over, army crawl, sit pretty, stand tall, wait, stay, here, "circles", what my husband taught and dubbed "Ole" (she goes through the middle of your legs), heel, jump, hug, up up hug, Wait nose (treat on nose), go settle.........There's really no end to tricks and useful things you can teach a GSP I still want to teach her to cover her face, but haven't gotten around to it. Hide and seek is also a fun game we play inside that is especially great for your pup if you are working tracking. Bella waits in one room while I hide a toy anywhere in the house. I return to the room and tell her "go find" and she goes to work. I throw a ridiculous party for her when she finds it lol. She LOVES it.

Enjoy this age, because before you know it they are all grown up and no longer gangly adolescent puppies lol.