Ways to exercise more

What are some good ways to exercise lab puppies?

My lab pup is 5 months old, and I want to know a variety of ways I can exercise her. I heard somewhere that running a lab puppy for too long a distance can over time cause hip problems, so I'm not sure running with her would be good for her. Right now, we walk about 3 miles a day together, but she still has a lot of energy left over at the end of that. What else can I do that is fun, low-impact exercise? I take her to the dog park about 3 days a week, too. She's a bit shy around other dogs, so she doesn't end up playing some of the time and doesn't really run around too much. She also doesn't like swimming, even though that's pretty weird for a lab. She's kind of forcing us to walk that far, not the other way around... she still wants to walk more when we get back! I don't know how else to burn off her energy, either.

Public Comments

1. Water. throw stuff in, hunting they love it. dog parks
2. You can go to a park and let her off of her leash and play fetch and let her play with other dogs. Running a little is fine and excellent exercise. You could also add a smaller second walk during the day.
3. You are walking her to far already. 3 miles is forced exercise and you can totally ruin her joints. Dogs should not be made to go that distance until they are 18 months of age. You can also try changing her food to include LESS grains. Dogs are not meant to eat corn, wheat, rice etc, and these useless fillers/carbs create more engery then dogs know what to withy sometimes. Choose a food with no more then 2 grains listed in the first 5 ingredients. Just because she is wanting to walk more, doesn't mean you have to oblige. Chasing a ball on the grass would be better for her or just simple training to heal, sit, stay, etc.
4. are you walking her that far all at once on pavement? please stop. she's too young for it. let her run full out on grass until she is exhausted ---throw tennis balls, let her play with other pups, whatever. running as long as she limits it and it is on soft grass won;t be a problem---long walks on pavement are harder on her joints. take her to obedience classes and train her---if you mentally tire her out that can be more important than physically tiring her,' good luck
5. swimming if she don't like it get another lab she will take right to the water I've never heard of any lab that didn't like water of course shes gonna be scared at first but later on you wont be able to keep her out of the water . find a friend with a dog that like to swim you're dog will fallow
6. Best way to exercise any dog is to get out and train it. Train it to do anything, it doesn't matter what.
7. Swimming would be perfect for her.
8. play,play fetch. Labs love to fetch. I have a lab mix that just turned 2 Friday and he loves playing fetch or with his toys. Give her a kong or a bone to chew on. Dogs love Kongs.
9. Why not stimulate her mind throughout the day with basic training exercises. If you get a dog to use her mind it will use up a lot of energy. Since she is so driven to do something, you could probably teach her many fun tricks and such. Big motor skill activity is always good ( walking) but mental skills and small motor skills ( like teaching her to keep a treat on her nose, then catch it) are also very important.
10. Labs are known to absolutely love the water. If you don't live near a lake (rivers are too dangerous as the current may change), use a baby pool or a sprinkler and your lab puppy will run around and play in the water for hours if you let her. Also, three miles is too far for a 5 month old puppy to be walking. You are causing way too much stress on her developing joints. Let her run around the yard and play fetch so she gets enough excercise.
11. Walking 3 miles a day s good. You can also play fetch with her in a safe place. She will run a lot and use up some of that energy.
12. Well before she does anything, make sure she is up to date on her shots and most dog parks require that they have their rabies shot. But playing fetch, frisbee, and just letting her run around in a safe fenced area should be perfect. But if you let her swim in lakes and ponds, be sure to look into putting her on heartworm prevention if she's not already since water is a place where she could get it.
13. Swimming is great. I have a Golden and she loves it. Easy on the joints and she's exhausted by the time we get home. If your dog hasn't been exposed to water, don't rush her. Get in the water with her and definitely don't throw her in. If you do this, she will definintely learn to swim....she will also learn to hate water. Make short trips at first and leave when she still wants more rather than having her be bored and tired. Also, don't let your dog jump. This can cause hip problems. If you're playing fetch, throw it on the ground (or in the water) so the pup isn't tempted to leap into the air and catch it.
14. 1. Run with them 2. Thow a ball 3. Play somthing There was three things for you to choose from
15. Exercise her brain. Take an obedience class, trick class or something like that. We have very active Border Collies and Jack Russells and working the brain really helps take the edge off. You can start by teaching her to down, sit, stand, down. Kind of like doggy sit ups. Be careful with fetch. It can become an obsessive/compulsive activitie for dogs that can become very annoying! Hard stopping and turning is hard on their bodies too.