Half marathons for a Rottweiler puppy?

by Peter
(Cape town, RSA)

I am getting a new Rottweiler puppy.

I run half marathons, 20 km in distance (around 12 miles). That’s usually 1hr 45mins to 2 hours. I train around an hour every second day.

Can I take my dog with me on the jogs.

Hi Peter
Large breeds like Rottweilers grow very quickly and their joints and ligaments are quite fragile during the puppy stage – with big dogs this can last up to 18 months or more. Because of this it’s not advisable to allow them to over-exercise or to run on hard surfaces or jump around too much until they’re mature.

I would say that 12 miles is much too far for a pup of any breed (even though Rottie pups look huge quite quickly, inside they’re still tiny babies!) to be running. Obviously once your Rottweiler’s body is mature you can build up to running a fair distance, but you would need to take it slowly.

These are heavy dogs and any excessive exercise can put undue strain on their joints and bones. I would recommend discussing this with your own veterinarian to get a professional opinion as to when your pup could start jogging with you, and how far would be safe to go.

To begin with, a short walk will be enough for a pup to handl.

Hope this helps, best of luck with your new puppy.

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