I've got an 8.5-month-old Altdeutscher Schaferhund (an Old German Shepherd Dog) and I was wondering what's the maximum distance I can take him on a hike.
We live in a beautiful part of Italy and we haven't done any long walks with him over the last six months to make sure he didn't overexert himself while he was just a pup... and I must admit, we're really itching to get out for a full day in the mountains!
At the moment, we go to the woods for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes tops per session, even though we reckon he could do much more (he absolutely loves it and charges about, getting so excited every time).
What would your advice be?
Thanks a lot!
Translated from French
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Thank you so much for such a detailed and constructive reply! I really couldn't have asked for more. We followed the five-minute rule at the start, until he was about 5 or 6 months old, but then we realised it just didn't seem like enough for him. We aren't going to suddenly start going on 10-hour hikes with him, but we are going to gradually increase the distance and duration. My wife works from home, so she looks after him during the day (playtime and trips to the park), and I take him out for a longer walk in the evening before bed. This routine seems to suit him as he isn't restless at home; generally, when we get back, he has a drink, lies down, and goes straight to sleep. We're staying in a mountain hut this weekend, so we'll see how he handles a longer outing! I think we’ll start with 2 hours and see how he goes. Thanks again! (Here’s a photo of him from last month :) )
I agree with Kainate, that doesn't seem like a problem to me. You’ll need to build it up gradually, see how he reacts, and don’t do too many days back-to-back; he’ll need proper recovery time. Also, make sure to bring a long lead. You might be heading off for a hike, but he won’t understand that and will probably go flat out like he does on his usual hour-long walk. So, keep him on a long lead just in case he can’t pace himself...
There are a few different schools of thought on this...
You’ve probably seen that famous "5 minutes per month of age" rule that gets passed around online.
I’ve never followed it myself and I actually find it a bit dangerous. Five minutes barely gets me to the end of my road; it’s impossible to properly socialise a dog under those conditions.
Then you’ll find various charts online showing how long they can do certain activities based on the type of exercise and their age, like this one:
https://www.chiens-de-france.com/photo/eleveurs/117/23238/presentations/a25b5812-5e86-cf24-2d04-578a31606d44_min.jpg
The problem is, we have no idea how these timings were worked out. Where did all this come from? What kind of research or experience actually backed those numbers up?
On the flip side, there’s another school of thought, a newer perspective that’s gaining more traction: building muscle is key, and it’s actually the best way to prevent severe joint issues.
That’s exactly what my vet told me – he’s an orthopaedic specialist. I took my dog to see him because I was worried about dysplasia after noticing he had a bit of a weird gait.
He told me to stop believing all the rubbish you read online that comes from nowhere. He said to stop carrying him up the stairs and things like that (not that I could anyway, he was already way too heavy for me to lift! lol). Instead, he told me to get him moving on different types of terrain to build muscle and improve his proprioception.
He never mentioned anything about a "maximum time limit".
So, I work on the basis that there isn’t one, other than using common sense. Obviously, you aren't going to walk a puppy for hours on end without a break.
But honestly, with an 8-month-old "teenager", I’d have no qualms about taking them on a full-day hike. They need to move at that age – I’m actually surprised you can manage him with just an hour’s walk (unless that’s several times a day?). Of course, if he’s never walked for more than an hour before, you’ll need to build him up a bit first. By the time they were 8 months old, my dogs were regularly doing 2-3 hour walks without any bother, and the occasional longer trek.
If you’re going to be careful about anything, it should probably be high-impact sports that involve unnatural movements, like repetitive jumping (agility, frisbee, etc.).
But I don’t believe just walking causes problems, as long as you're paying attention and letting the dog take breaks when they need to.
That’s just my gut feeling, though. I don’t think there have been any proper, in-depth scientific studies to settle the debate once and for all :)
