How far/long should you walk a 4 month old puppy?

[Shannon and Finn]

Finn definitely loves his walks and keeps on going without laying down or stopping but I am wondering how far/long is recommended at such a young age?  It has been 13 years since we had a puppy and he was a big ball of lab energy!  I don't want to do anything that could have a negative effect on Finn's hips/joints while he is growing so I was wondering if you all use a guideline for how far they should go.  We took him on his first "hike" this weekend but the kids can't go far so it was a very short up hill walk and Finn kept up better than the kids.  Obviously I am not going to jog with him or take him for long when it is hot or walk him after he shows signs of fatigue.  He gets a lot of exercise in our big, fenced yard but we also do a daily walk to school (a few blocks) and another actual shorter walk later when the kids ride their bikes.  He doesn't seem overly tired after we get home so I am wondering if we could go a little longer but am afraid to push it if it isn't healthy.  Thanks for sharing your puppy walking advice!

[John and Finn]

5 minutes for every month of their life.  That being said I took my Finn (almost 5 months) on a March of Dimes 6 mile walk Saturday and he was just fine.  In fact he pulled hard for the about the first 2 miles trying to get to the kids in front of us.  later that night he played with another older dog for about an hour with no problems.

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Shannon- This is something I have searched long and hard on the internet for a definitive answer but have yet to find one.  There seems to be general agreement that too much sustained, repetitive motion is not good for puppies young joints but I have never been able to find any guidelines.  My vet has felt that a 30 minute walk is perfectly fine for a puppy over 4 months old but that it is also good to allow some sniffing, wandering time during the walk so it isn't non-stop repetitive motion for 30 minutes.  That is the general guideline I have used for Rooney and now that he is 5 months old, we will even go for as long as 45 minutes but I add in extra non-walking time by throwing some training in (sit, down etc...) and allowing him to sniff and wander a bit more. 

Rooney doesn't tire easily either so it is so tempting to want to just keep going but I have found that when we get back home he drinks lots of water and crashes so that tells me that 30-40 minutes is probably plenty for him.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley's breeder and his trainer stated no more than 30 mins at a the (he is 5 months old now) & no more than 2 times per day.  He loves his walks, and heels quite well, which are usually a short one and a longer one each day and never over 30 minutes.  When Hurley turns 2 I hope to have him join me on my runs but I will start that partnership gradually to ensure his hips/joints adjust to the pace and distance.

[Shannon and Finn]

Thanks for the advice and reassurance.  I have been trying to pay attention to his cues and so far he doesn't seem tired after a 20 minute walk so I might extend it a bit and see.  That being said, he was doing well with loose leash training but now has decided that choking himself to death is a better goal so walks are becoming less enjoyable and I start to lose my patience with stopping, turning etc. and we should probably end the training anyway! 

Do you use a gentle leader?  I was wondering if that might be a useful training tool while we work through puppy energy and excitement?  Or is he just too young?  We can't start our training classes yet since they want the puppies to be older and the next session doesn't start for a little bit.  Don't want him to develop bad habits in the meantime but I need to up my training game with him now.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Finn is such a cutie. What a face!!!

I use what Hurley's trainer recommended. A pronged collar (the German one as the prongs are more rounded and not sharp) and a regular leash.  Loop is around my right wrist and I hold sufficient leash in my right hand that allows Hurley to be comfortably on the leash.  I keep him at my side by saying 'heal' when he tries to change directions, walk ahead of me, slow down, etc. and a couple of sharp tugs on the leash. I tap the side of my left leg from time to time and tell him he is a good dog or good heal.   He heels quite well and, except for the garbage truck, he can walk by nearly everything else without tugging on the leash.  

I don't really know anything about the gentle leader.   I do understand the puppy energy and excitement and love it as I know you do. My personal opinion is 5 months is not to young to engage in good companion walking activity.

Keep me up on how it goes and what you find works for you and Finn.  

[Shannon and Finn]

Thanks!  He gets furrier and cuter everyday for sure. 

I used a prong collar on our previous dog and had great luck with it but I was worried Finn might be too young or small.  I think I am used to such a big dog I worry about Finn more :)  I think I might go that route again with Finn since it has worked for you.  The prong seems more "gentle" since they only get a little pinch and learn quickly, we never needed to tug it after the first couple of times unless a biker went by, that was our "garbage truck".  I was worried the gentle lead might be too much for their sensitive nose area, but couldn't decide.  Thanks again for the tips.