[maggie's mom]

We just became parents to a 13 week old doodle. Her name is Maggie. I was curious as to how much exercise (walking) she should get each day. Sometimes as we are walking towards the end she just plops down on a grassy area. It makes us wonder if we are giving her too much exercise given her age?

On a second note, we need to travel this weekend and want to take her with us but she hasn't recieved all her shots. I assume it would be safer is she travels with us instead of boarding her somewhere (they may not even take her yet because of that). Any thoughts??

I am very happy to have found this board. This is the first puppy I have ever had and am very nervous. I have found a wealth of information here so thank you.

Regards,
Naomi

[hmz819]

I am not sure about the exercise part. I got mine when she was 3.5 mos so she could go on long walks.

As far as shots and travel. I don't think any boarding facility will take her w/o being fully vaccinated. If you take her keep her potty time on the road very breif. I took Maya on a 10 hour road rip when she was 3.5 mos old and when we stopped for potty I tried to take her to the out of the way place to minimize exposure to disease. She did have her third series of shots though so I was less worried.
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Heather, Morgan, Maya, and Sadie
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion-Unknown

[MountainDoodle]

Our doodle is just a week younger than yours -- aren't they adorable?!

Our vet basically told us not to leave our fenced yard to exercise our puppy (Stella) until she's a week past her last set of shots. We do a lot of running around, playing fetch in the yard and the house, and messing around with toys. She'll do the Doodle 500's every once in a while and wear herself out! If you don't have a fenced yard, I'd just walk her where I feel confident there haven't been any loose dogs (did you know either Parvo or distemper -- can't remember which -- can live on the ground for years?) and then when she plops down, take that as her cue that she's had enough. Do you have access to any other safe dogs or puppies she could play with? That wears them out as well.

As for the travel, are you going by plane or car? It does complicate things to have a not-quite-vaccinated puppy, doesn't it? We had a heck of a time just going to my in-laws', where there are loose dogs running around everywhere (they're near a walking trail). She just stayed in the house for the most part, and we tried walking her to potty where there were the least dogs around -- what can you do?! It drove me nuts, I know that! Is there anyone who could come in and puppysit for you? You might want to check with your vet and/or a good boarding facility as to what they suggest you do, or if they know a good (cheap) petsitter.

Good luck -- we'd love to see pictures!
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Traci & Stella

[maggie's mom]

Thanks for your reply. I talked to the Vet. As long as we keep her out of public areas she should be fine. I have alot to learn! As soon as I can figure out how to post a picture, I will.

Naomi

[m&t]

Our little Sadie (8 weeks) is the same way. We don't take her for long walks since she has only had one set of shots, but we want to at least get her used to walking on a leash for short distances. Sadie flops down quite often and it takes a lot of encouragment to get her moving again when she is tired- if she just got distracted she will keep moving("let's go" and a few steps of running will normally get her to follow).

She loves meeting new people and will sit down and watch them until they are out of her sight. It is quite funny when somebody walks by without petting her, she just sits there looking at them walk away with this look like "I don't understand where you are going. Why don't you want to pet me?"

If Sadie flops down more than once we take that as our cue to start towards home.

Good luck with your puppy

[Maddjaxx]

[maggie's mom]

Yesterday Maggie was more amped up than normal. Being a new dog owner, I didn't know I shouldn't take her out on walks until she is fully vaccinated so Yesterday no walk, but I did try to play fetch with her in the back yard for exercise. Well she had so much energy to burn she became very bitey and jumpy and just tore my arms and legs up. I couldn't get her to calm down. I tried to ignore her so she would stop the biting but she just kept at it. It seems like she was mad for not getting her walk, but I know she is just a pup and has energy to burn. Regardless, it was a rough evening for me and I was in tears by the time my husband came home. I'll be glad when she has all her shots so I can take her out on walks again!

Naomi

[MountainDoodle]

Naomi, is there anywhere nearby that dogs wouldn't normally be able to run where you could take the little rascal? Do you have any friends with dogs? I know how frustrating it can be when your puppy is going crazy -- with our lab when he was a puppy, we didn't have a fenced yard and our place bordered national forest land so he couldn't be loose or he would have been GONE -- it was SO SO hard! I did find gravel roads where I could walk and hike with him out of town and off the beaten path and that saved my sanity.

One other thing... when my puppy acts out and gets nippy and just bratty, I either put her in her crate with a good chewy or put her in the bathroom for a time out until she calms down. Maybe that'd work next time?

I'm with you on wishing for the time to pass so our pups are old enough to take out on walks, but I'm trying to remind myself of how quickly this cute puppy stage passes and try to enjoy it.

Oh, one other thing. I'm starting Stella in puppy kindergarten with other not-quite-vaccinated (but started) pups and they're having puppy playdate this weekend so we can meet owners of other puppies in all the "Puppy I" classes and exchange numbers for playdates during the week... I thought that was a great idea! Is there a reputable trainer you'd feel comfortable enrolling your puppy with after her second set of shots? My vet said it was okay based on my trainer's reputation. That way you could maybe find doggie friends to wear yours out?

Good luck -- I'm right here with ya! I felt just like you did and was often reduced to tears with our first puppy... it WILL get better and SOON!
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Traci & Stella