Puppies often do not have enough muscle tone to take long
runs, but there are always exceptions. Most puppies will tell you when they
have hit their limit, and it is important to resist pushing them beyond this
point.
Even if your puppy wants to keep exercising and running,
some things you should be cautious about are:
Be sure that your dog does not overheat.
If you are too hot, assume your puppy is too hot, too.
Provide water to your puppy or try to run in a cooler area.
Be consistent with exercising puppy.
The weekend marathon after a week of couch potato life is
very hard on the joints.
Be cautious with your puppy's feet.
Running on cement (especially hot cement) can cause
sloughing of the foot pads, so try to have breaks on softer surfaces or at
least work your puppy up to the harder surfaces to give them a chance to form
the necessary calluses.
Be aware of your puppy's limits.
Until you understand your puppy’s stamina, be sure that you
are able to stop when your puppy starts to lag behind. That means taking the
short route 5 times instead of the long route once. If you feel that the puppy
is not able to go as far as he should, consult a vet to see if there is a
health reason for the intolerance.
