Can Labradors Exercise Too Much?

Can labradors exercise too much? Exercise is vital to the health and happiness of many dogs including breeds such as Labrador Retrievers. If you have a lab you also know that they are quite energetic especially when they are young. Is it possible for them to use up too much of their energy exercising and playing? This article will discuss this in further detail.

To maintain a healthy weight, keep strong, and use up energy in a way that doesn't involve destroying things, exercise and playing can be great. Letting your lab run around your yard and play fetch is usually great, however in some cases young Labradors suffer from something known as exercise induced weakness or collapse. This condition is exactly what it sounds like it would be.

The dog is exercising too much or for too long and doesn't stop to take a break, therefore resulting in physical weakness and sometimes collapsing out of pure exhaustion. If this happens it's not necessarily your fault. Yes, you can prevent this from happening by making your dog stop or by taking it inside to lay down. However, this condition is when the dog just doesn't stop or slow down like a normal dog would. It's more likely to occur in the summer when they can get over heated.

This occurs in both male and female Labradors, however usually only happens in dogs under the age of three. If your dog always runs instead of walking and seems to go until it can't go anymore, it may have this condition. You can take your dog to a veterinarian for further examination to make sure there are no other issues causing this.

If your dog does collapses, it will most likely recover once it rests, calms down, and cools off. If your dog collapses and is having difficulty breathing or appears to be having seizures you will want to seek immediate veterinarian attention.

Only allow your dog to exercise extensively for a short amount of time. Try to not let your dog get stressed or overly excited about things. Make sure your dog takes some time to rest and get a drink during and after running and playing.r issues causing this.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.