When should I start walking my puppy and how long?

My pup Riker is turning 8 weeks tomorrow. He's pretty energetic and already does well on a leash just in the backyard. Can I start taking him on small walks yet? What age can I start? How long before I can take him out for a mile?

Ultimately I want to work him up to 10 mile walks but I know that's pretty far away.

He's not finished his shots yet but I don't plan on letting him near other dogs.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on January 25, 2014 at 1:31pm

He could go a couple blocks at that age but I wouldn't push him if he's looking tired. I think we started doing about a mile at maybe 4 months old.

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Permalink Reply by Andrea on January 25, 2014 at 1:32pm

Keep walks short right now. No more than a mile until they get to be older. At 1 year we only do a max of 5 miles and many corgi people do not like that. You have to be careful of their hips and knees right now.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on January 25, 2014 at 1:37pm

He probably won't want to walk. Sometimes it's easier to carry them away and then walk towards home; they have a strong instinct to stay near the den. Only go a block or two. Paw pads are still tender.

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on January 25, 2014 at 6:30pm

a) When should I start walking my puppy and b) how long?

a) Now.

b) At 8 weeks? About five to ten minutes. Increase steadily as time passes: maybe by say, 5 or 10 minutes per week until the human can't stand it any more. Five minutes per stroll at the outset (even around the yard or house); but in early puppyhood it could be two or three times a day. Then slowly working up to longer expeditions.

Pay attention to the weather. Dogs bred for cooler climes do better in cooler temps.

Cassie, who is aged, RAN a mile with me after dark last night; weather in the high 50s or very low 60s. She was still flying low when the human staggered in the front door. But...she can't even walk around the block on an AZ summer night.

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Permalink Reply by Arielle and Riker on March 17, 2014 at 10:42pm

To update, he has been doing a mile for the past few weeks (he's 3.5 mo as of yesterday).

His energy isn't the problem, I'm sure he'd walk his lil nubbie legs right off if I allowed it. The problem is he tends to drag his front paws so I have to walk him at a slow pace of 2mph or slower or his claws get ground down too much and can bleed.