How much running/ fetching is OK.

[alixb]

My girl is almost 7 years old. She is retired hunting dog with tons of energy. I play with her for 15-20 minutes in the morning, just to get the crazies out of her & then we walk at 10:30 for another 15 minutes. Lunch time we are out for 30-40 minutes, walking & running. After work I try to mix it up by doing good quick walks for an hour or go to the dog park. She could fetch all day I'm sure.
it may be a weird question but sometime I think she is going to get too obsessed and I fear her joints will go like my previous Lab. Any advice?

[ZoeysMommy]

She is 7 years old, personally I wouldnt do much more forced exercise at all especially fetching. I bet she would love long, slower hikes, swimming, etc.

And yes they can get exercise obsessive.

[Annette47]

Just keep a close eye on her and stop when she gets tired. Also, be sure to keep her exercise levels even through the week so she doesn’t get weekend warrior syndrome. Chloe (just turned 6) has always been active, but since the puppies were born has been getting TONS of running and fetching. At first it was because we didn’t want her going anywhere in case of bringing home germs, so we would throw bumpers for her instead of taking her on walks and then when we started house breaking them it was because she decided that she needed to chase bumpers every time we took the puppies out. Today is pretty typical - she’s already had at least 4 10-15 minute fetching sessions, went for a 4 mile run/walk/swim with me, and will go for a short walk soon, with probably at least one more fetch session later.

If there’s nothing inherently wrong with her (like hip or elbow dysplasia) your girl is still in the prime of her life and should be fine with the exercise she’s getting. The more they get, the more they tend to want though so be warned! As she gets older, she may eventually start to slow down a bit but as long as you are watching closely you should be able to see the signs. Keep her slim and active and she should do well for several more years before you have to worry about it. Mulder competed in Obedience (so jumping) until he was 11 and didn’t need pain meds for arthritis (hips) until he was almost 14. Scully on the other hand had bad elbows and was slowing down at that age and by 7 or 8 needed to be medicated. In my opinion, it’s more about their inherent structure than the amount of exercise.

[Labradorks]

I agree with Annette. As long as she is slim, wants more and has not health issues that you are aware of, go for it! If you want to er on the side of caution, you can try to limit her jumping (don't throw/bounce the ball in a way that will cause her to jump for it), have her run on the softest surface possible (grass versus the sidewalk) and see if you can exchange at least one exercise session with swimming.

[PinkDragon14]

I agree with the others - just keep the activity at a calm, but still fun, level.

When Katie was around 7, she still liked to chase the ball in the backyard, but she was definitely slowing down. She wasn't an athletic/energetic dog by any stretch, but she liked to chase the ball slowly in the yard and go for gentle walks. We never tried swimming with her, but I would follow what Labradorks said and replace one session with swimming. I'd imagine that swimming has the same effect on a dog's joints as it does a human's - less stress/pressure and more of a therapeutic aspect.

[outrag]

I'm always concerned when my Lab(s) would run and exercise hard. Always afraid of the hidden ditch that would tear an ACL, etc...They can get hurt just like humans. I have a bunch of guarded issues with this, but I will just say watch your dog and the environment he's playing in. My mother used to throw treats out a back window to one of my dogs on the deck stairs on a regular basis. One day he hurt his back leg because he's jumping up and down on an uneven surface because he's so excited.

These dogs are tough but they can also get injuries that impact them for a long time...

I'm not as concerned with providing intense exercise for a dog the age of yours, but more injury type crap from uneven surfaces, dips in the ground, etc. I also don't usually allow others to throw balls or stick for my dogs, but that's just me. A lot of people that aren't close to dogs don't understand how they could get injured...

[Snowshoe]

I echo the "weekend warrior" comments. Once I learned of it and actually INcreased Jet's mid week exercise (just a longer walk but she was off leash and thought she was hunting) I was able to take her right off a med. for arthritis at age 9 and she didn't need it again till past age 12.

[alixb]

Thank you everyone for your great advice. I must admit, sometimes it's the time factor & a bit of her intense energy. I just want to run some of the energy out of her.
I have only had her 6 months & living in the city has been a huge adjustment for her as she grew up on a farm where they bred & trained Labs for hunting.
I do notice that the nice long leisurely walk in the forest really tire her out. I do take her swimming a lot as we live very close to the beach & that is far & away the best. But she just go NUTS at the beach!!