15/09/2026
Like most things, puppy exercise is so much more nuanced than instruction manual rules
“A puppy should only be exercised for 5 minutes per month of age.”
You’ve probably heard this rule.
A 3-month-old puppy gets 15 minutes.
A 4-month-old gets 20 minutes.
A 6-month-old gets 30 minutes.
It sounds wonderfully simple.
But there really isn't good evidence supporting such a precise, one-size-fits-all rule.
The science around exercise and developing joints is much more interesting — and much more nuanced.
Growth plates — or epiphyseal plates — are areas of cartilage within developing bones that allow those bones to lengthen as a puppy grows.
They don't all close at the same age.
In toy and miniature breeds, skeletal maturation generally happens considerably earlier, while some growth plates in large and giant breeds can remain open until 14–16+ months.
While those growth plates are open, they can be vulnerable to traumatic injury. A growth plate fracture can potentially interfere with normal bone growth.
But that doesn't mean that simply walking and exercising a puppy causes growth plate damage.
We should be particularly thinking about trauma and unnecessary impact — for example, allowing a young puppy to repeatedly jump from significant heights, including out of a car boot.
Cartilage responds differently depending on how forces are applied to it. It can accommodate a gradually applied load considerably better than sudden, high-impact loading.
Studies have identified owner-thrown balls and sticks as potential risk factors for joint problems, while prolonged, jarring exercise has also been associated with developmental orthopaedic disease such as osteochondritis dissecans in susceptible dogs.
That's one reason repetitive activities involving sprinting, jumping, twisting, skidding and suddenly stopping deserve more consideration than simply counting how many minutes a puppy has been outside.
Think about repeatedly throwing a ball.
1)Your puppy accelerates as fast as possible...
2)Chases...
3)Twists to catch...
4)Slams on the brakes...
5)Turns...
And then does exactly the same thing again.... and again... and again
Compare that with a puppy walking, sniffing and exploring at a more natural pace.
They are very different forms of exercise.
Interestingly, research looking at moderate running doesn't support the idea that ordinary weight-bearing exercise automatically damages developing joints.
In one experimental study, skeletally immature dogs undertook 15 weeks of running at approximately 40 km per day without detectable changes in cartilage content.
Now, we're certainly not recommending taking your puppy for a 40 km jog!
But it demonstrates why the simple message that “exercise damages growing joints” isn't scientifically accurate.
In dogs with normal joints (and that is a big if given the conformational challenges we face), relatively low-impact, weight-bearing exercise has not been shown to inevitably damage joint cartilage.
And exercise isn't the only thing we should be thinking about.
A puppy's environment may influence musculoskeletal development from an incredibly young age. We should be asking these questions of a breeder and seeing pictures and videos!
One study found puppies raised on slippery flooring were around 1.6 times as likely to develop hip dysplasia compared with those raised on non-slippery surfaces.
Another identified stair climbing from birth to three months as being associated with an increased risk of hip dysplasia.
So perhaps we need to move the conversation away from:
“How many minutes is my puppy allowed to walk?”
and towards:
“What sort of movement, environment and exercise are appropriate for this particular puppy?”
Because there is another enormous complication. Not every puppy starts with normal joints. Sadly, some breeds have significant genetic and conformational predispositions to hip and elbow dysplasia. Small breeds may be predisposed to patellar luxation. Some brachycephalic breeds have vertebral malformations. Some have Chondrodysplasia. Large and giant breeds have very different growth rates and skeletal development compared with small breeds.
A puppy's breed, conformation, bodyweight, genetics, health, temperament and stage of development all matter.
And we can't forget behavioural development either.
Sniffing and exploring.
Appropriate interactions with other dogs.
Experiencing different environments.
Meeting people.
Learning and problem solving.
Building confidence.
We shouldn't become so frightened of exercising puppies that we inadvertently restrict opportunities for appropriate movement, learning and socialisation.
So rather than exercising your puppy according to a stopwatch:
-Encourage appropriate, varied and self-directed movement.
-Avoid excessive repetitive ball and Frisbee chasing.
-Minimise unnecessary high-impact, twisting and jarring exercise during development.
-Provide good footing and be mindful of slippery floors.
-Don't encourage puppies to repeatedly jump from significant heights.
-Keep growing puppies lean — unnecessary additional bodyweight means additional loading on developing joints.
-Feed a complete, appropriately balanced diet designed for growth and suitable for your puppy's size.
-And speak to your veterinary team about exercise if your puppy has an orthopaedic condition, unusual gait or belongs to a breed at increased risk of developmental joint disease.
The evidence points us towards something much more sensible:
Think about the individual puppy, the type of exercise, the forces being placed through developing joints and their overall physical AND behavioural development — rather than simply watching the clock.
Read more here: https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/puppy-exercise-5-minuets-per-month-of-lif
