# 1yo Springer Spaniel - exercise?



## Doddster

Hi there,
this is my first post so apologies if I haven't picked the right foum.

We have just rehomed a 1 yr old Springer (Male). Previous owner said they took him for one half hour walk a day (which doesn't seem like enough to me)?

We are currently taking Charlie for a half hour run on the field in the morning, a quick trot around the block in the afternoon and a good hour+ run in the woods in the evening.

I've got two questions (if that's OK....)
1 - is what we are doing too much? I have read that you can over excercise young dogs and certainly don't want to harm him. Charlie is tired when we get home from his big run in the woods (it is a run, he is a springer and doesn't walk anywhere) he takes 10 min or so to cool down and then sleeps. is this normal?

2 - My main hobby is hillwalking/mountaineering. I would like to start building up Charlie's stamina so that he can join me. Any tips on how/when to start this? At the moment he goes at 100 miles an hour when we go out so I wonder how to slow him down so he can walk all day??

any tips or pointers would be gratefully recieved by me and charlie

J x


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## springerpete

Doddster said:


> Hi there,
> this is my first post so apologies if I haven't picked the right foum.
> 
> We have just rehomed a 1 yr old Springer (Male). Previous owner said they took him for one half hour walk a day (which doesn't seem like enough to me)?
> 
> We are currently taking Charlie for a half hour run on the field in the morning, a quick trot around the block in the afternoon and a good hour+ run in the woods in the evening.
> 
> I've got two questions (if that's OK....)
> 1 - is what we are doing too much? I have read that you can over excercise young dogs and certainly don't want to harm him. Charlie is tired when we get home from his big run in the woods (it is a run, he is a springer and doesn't walk anywhere) he takes 10 min or so to cool down and then sleeps. is this normal?
> 
> 2 - My main hobby is hillwalking/mountaineering. I would like to start building up Charlie's stamina so that he can join me. Any tips on how/when to start this? At the moment he goes at 100 miles an hour when we go out so I wonder how to slow him down so he can walk all day??
> 
> any tips or pointers would be gratefully recieved by me and charlie
> 
> J x


I'm suprised that your springer is getting worn out after such a short walk. At that age my springers would be putting in a half days work on the shooting field.Perhaps he needs building up, maybe a change of diet. At the moment I'm training a 20 week old retreiver pup and he gets more exercise than that without any adverse reactions.


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## Rolosmum

Springers i think need a minimum of two times one hour a day, and really most of this needs to be offlead, in woodland or on fields retrieving and scenting type work, searching for their tennis ball type exercise.

This so far has been enough along with some training on the walk and at home, in sit, stay, leave etc and they are 13 and 16 months.

It really depends, springers do work all day so can keep going, but a pet walk where they are on the go for a good hour a couple of times a day on average should be near the mark from my experience.

The working dogs are managed in a more controlled way when they are off lead to the average pet dog doing ball retrieves so the pet dog will probably run and hunt more freely and use more energy in a shorter space of time due to the lack of hunt/retrieve bursts by the working dogs.


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## Doddster

Thanks guys, 
you have confirmed what I thought. We'll keep taking him out for 2 hrs a day.

I think he was mainly a house dog before so he probably just needs to build up his stamina.

J x


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## grandad

Doddster said:


> Hi there,
> this is my first post so apologies if I haven't picked the right foum.
> 
> We have just rehomed a 1 yr old Springer (Male). Previous owner said they took him for one half hour walk a day (which doesn't seem like enough to me)?
> 
> We are currently taking Charlie for a half hour run on the field in the morning, a quick trot around the block in the afternoon and a good hour+ run in the woods in the evening.
> 
> I've got two questions (if that's OK....)
> 1 - is what we are doing too much? I have read that you can over excercise young dogs and certainly don't want to harm him. Charlie is tired when we get home from his big run in the woods (it is a run, he is a springer and doesn't walk anywhere) he takes 10 min or so to cool down and then sleeps. is this normal?
> 
> 2 - My main hobby is hillwalking/mountaineering. I would like to start building up Charlie's stamina so that he can join me. Any tips on how/when to start this? At the moment he goes at 100 miles an hour when we go out so I wonder how to slow him down so he can walk all day??
> 
> any tips or pointers would be gratefully recieved by me and charlie
> 
> J x


A working spanner is an athlete. So think about training him that way. My guy can work all day, but I only train 2 hours per day. It is however strenuous exercise. If go for a long walk that can be up to 5 hours. This is just walking though, not tear arsing around. I used to have him run alongside a mountain bike for 20 mins at a time to build stamina.


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## Rolosmum

grandad said:


> A working spanner is an athlete. So think about training him that way. My guy can work all day, but I only train 2 hours per day. It is however strenuous exercise. If go for a long walk that can be up to 5 hours. This is just walking though, not tear arsing around. I used to have him run alongside a mountain bike for 20 mins at a time to build stamina.


You have a springer that walks! lol, when out and about mine only know how to run even if it is away and back again or round and around us in big circles!! lol They will walk to heel offlead but it isnt a favourite pastime and a bit erratic somedays!!! lol


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## Sled dog hotel

something that might help in general and be of interest is The Pet Gundog by Lez Graham. I havent read the book, but it was serialised in one of the dog mags and from what I read looked pretty good. Might be worth looking up.
Seemed aimed specifically for pet owners of gun dog breeds including springers, and ways to train them and keep them mentally and physically stimulated, which I should imagine could be a problem.


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## grandad

Sled dog hotel said:


> something that might help in general and be of interest is The Pet Gundog by Lez Graham. I havent read the book, but it was serialised in one of the dog mags and from what I read looked pretty good. Might be worth looking up.
> Seemed aimed specifically for pet owners of gun dog breeds including springers, and ways to train them and keep them mentally and physically stimulated, which I should imagine could be a problem.


I've read it to and would reccomend it for pet gundog owners. I beleive she is working on the second book now and it will be available soon.


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