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Comment by Shrn & Fitz on May 30, 2011 at 11:35am

Fitzy is doing a little better :P but he's def more lively at night...in the daytime i just take him in the shady backyard and we romp around but at night after 7ish I take him out on 3 smaller walks around various parts of the neighborhood...

 

thx ;) for all the feed back!  In the end i think its just learning a medium between prompting and encouraging him to move :P forward and walk vs letting him go by his own pace and exploring (or in this case XD NOT exploring) the world.

Comment by Susan Stanton on May 27, 2011 at 6:40pm

How's your bubby doing?  We hit an 80-90 degree heat wave this week, and Bertie is hating every minute of it.  We go for walks, but only where there is water for swimming.  Made me think of you and the puppy.

Comment by Alison Prasavath on May 25, 2011 at 3:49pm

I realize 80 might not be hot, but Noodles doesn't like it when the temps get in the 70s. (I always say, if I'm feeling comfy outside and don't have to wear a coat, he isn't happy.) He will still go jogging/walking with me, but he likes to take rest stops in the shade. When it really does warm up (mid 80s-100s), I take him for his long jog in the morning (4:30am) and then I take him for a quick walk in the evening (around 8:30). He needs 2 a day, but I also know his temp limit.

Comment by Susan Stanton on May 25, 2011 at 3:48pm

Is he behaving differently about anything else?  Lethargic?  Not eating?  or just no energy for walks?  When I first got Bertie, we were in Manhattan and it was 100 degrees every day for weeks.  He would walk out the front door of our building, and keel over onto the sidewalk after about 3 feet of walking!  He HATES humidity and heat.  So yours may be adjusting too, but do watch him for other signs that something is bothering him, just in case.

Comment by Judith Andre on May 25, 2011 at 3:00pm

80 is not very hot.  At 4 months he should have boundless energy.

Comment by Bev Levy on May 25, 2011 at 2:55pm

It may not be the heat. Make sure the pavement isn't too hot. Also, he is getting to what I call the "goofy" age where they imagine all kinds of silly things. It is a developmental stage. Try to make walks fun with lots of "happy" talk and a few treats. Let him sniff plenty but act matter of fact if he seems reluctant to walk. If the pavement isn't too hot keep going and reward him moving on.

Comment by Peggy Woods on May 25, 2011 at 2:21pm

when Bugs was a baby - he didn't seem to want to go very far. He pooped out & wanted to go home.

Try & break up the routine a bit! Sometimes we just walk & sniff & "do business", sometimes we go right to the park & play a quick game of soccer. Try not to walk the same route everytime also. Let him sniff & explore!

Sometimes I'm in a hurry - I overslept or have somewhere to go. I feel guilty for making Bugsy have a short or sensory-deprived walk. So I always make it up by letting him go where he wants at his pace, within reason of course.

Comment by Shrn & Fitz on May 25, 2011 at 1:47pm

he's 4 months old :) almost and he's been doing fine until just now.

 

i'm slowly but surely :P introducing him to walking  and walked him about 30 mins a day broken up into 2 10 mins walks (morning/evening) and a short 5 min :) in the afternoon.

 

:( these past 2 days thought i've only been able to get him to go out at night for 10 mins

Comment by Kari & Quin on May 25, 2011 at 1:39pm

How old is he? I don"t think it is too hot. But he may just not want to walk:) But for sure walk early in the morning or the evening which ever is cooler. If I remember correctly it seems like Quin didn't start to really enjoy walks until about 8 months or so. And now she sits and looks at me in the morning and whines until I get up and get my shoes on:)

Comment by John Wolff on May 25, 2011 at 1:22pm

Several threads on heat here lately, check them out.  I've ordered a "ChillyBuddy" cooling vest -- the only time I have to wait for these animals hiking is when they get hot in sun above timberline -- I'll report on this late this summer, after I've had some experience with it.

Try wetting him thoroughly first in hot weather.  Utilize early mornings and cooler evenings.  Could the pavement be too hot?

One 10 min. walk a day may not even be enough for a puppy, although our breeder was quite firm with us: "no major physical challenges (like 20 mile hikes) until 1 year old."  It's impact-related growth-plate injuries to the forelegs that you want to prevent, mostly I think; injure the cartilage, and the leg will grow curved.

Even as an adult, it seems Al is a bit slow to get "warmed-up" on the morning walk sometimes.