03/08/2022
How long should I walk my German Shepherd?
The general rule of thumb is that you should walk your German Shepherd 5 minutes per month of their age.
For example: If your puppy is 4 months old, then you should walk them for no more than 20 minutes at a time. That’s 10 minutes one way and the return leg for 10 minutes.
Also, you must not walk your dog outside your surroundings until your puppy has been properly vaccinated.
Always take your time with the puppy and let them experience the new world around them. Let them sniff and explore as much as possible whilst always on a lead. Remember, this is their time, so make it fun and introduce them to safe scenarios and watch their knowledge grow.
Praise them when they toilet on the grass and make a fuss to show them that they are doing exactly what you want them to do. Never shout or scold a puppy at any time whilst out walking.
To enforce praise, take a few small doggie treats but use sparingly and only give when your puppy has fully deserved it. Take a look at the packet nutrition before buying any treats and only use them as a reward. As your dog gets older, reduce the treats until each habit has become fully embedded.
Try and walk them the same time everyday so that you can build a positive habit and they grow to learn the times when ‘walkies’ is due. Believe me, my dog solemnly knows when it's 12 noon! She’ll be sitting patiently beside me with a few head movements now and then to let me know she’s there!
Don’t forget to take your p**p bags and wear suitable footwear at all times. I have a pair of hiking boots that I wear early in the morning because there's always dew on the grass. I always carry a mobile phone in case I come into difficulties or I come across that ‘perfect’ Instagram post we all love to share!
Straight from the off, never let your dog jump at passing cars and always keep them off the road (even when its clear). Always get your dog to sit before crossing a road, even when the road is empty.
Try and keep 50% of your walks to hard surfaces because you need to keep your dog's nails down and reduce the amount of time required for claw clipping. Claw clipping can become stressful to your dog over time and you should avoid it if possible. Natural wearing of your dog's nails is always best.
Always take your dog out first thing in the morning. The rule of thumb is – if you have just been to the toilet, then they may need to too! If you take your puppy out for the toilet at 10pm, then you need to get up at 5.30am to repeat the exercise. The older they get the better they can hold it. Since having my puppy for the last 16 months, she has only ever spoiled in the house ONCE and that was on day one!
German Shepherds are so house proud and extremely clean. If anything comes out of their body, they’ll attempt to ‘lick it up’ almost immediately.
At 16 months old, I tend to take my puppy out 4 times a day. 20 minutes first thing, 30 minutes for dinner, 60 minutes down the park on her 10 meter ‘long lead’ late afternoon and 10 minutes last thing at night.
On longer walks, always make sure you take a pet water dispenser and let them drink during or/and after the walk. On hotter days, I take an extra few litres of water to top up the dispenser so that I don’t come up short. When visiting larger national parks, I never let my German Shepherd drink from provided water bowls. You simply don’t know what other dog has drunk from it and whether or not it has been contaminated in any way.
I have two types of lead. A strong lead for small walks & puppy class and a long professional 10-meter lead for her early evening walk. Long leads are perfect for letting your dog explore whilst in the park but I always retract it when on a pavement next to a road.
Always make sure that your German Shepherd is on the left-hand side of you and away from the road. You should be next to the road and NOT your dog. Also, make sure that the dog's lead is only extendable to the edge of the curb and no more (so that they don’t jump out at another dog on the other side or a noisy car / motorbike passes by).
Always be wary of people around you. There have been a few occasions when local youths (10-13 years) have innocently come up BEHIND us and stroked the dog before we could react. Thankfully, on both occasions she did not react but it may not be the positive outcome for other owners.
Never let your German Shepherds back get wet. Getting wet hinders the oils in their back. If it's raining, I put a dog coat on her and simply take it off when it stops. I call her ‘little red riding coat’ after the famous fairytale and she looks amazingly cute in it!
Watch out for blind corners! Even though you may have your dog under complete control, there may be dangers lurking around the corner. Always keep your dog on a very short leash when taking a blind corner as you may encounter another dog approaching the other way. Also be ready for any ‘out of the blue’ altercations or surprise encounters that you will surely experience over time. Remember, if you can’t see them, they can’t see you.
Never, ever take a dog out for a walk during extreme heat. I experienced a neighbour's dog dying the other day because of heat stroke. Apparently, it was kept in all day and escaped when the back door was opened. After galloping in the street for 3 minutes, it returned and died propped on the curb outside its house. Rest in peace dear Greyhound.
Feel free to comment on any tips or tricks you have for walking your dog.
If I’ve missed anything, please message me and we’ll update this post asap.
