Giant breed puppy in dog camp

[aubie0004]

Hi,
I would like recommendations for activities acceptable for a 6 month old Great Dane puppy. The pet hospital where I work has a "dog camp" which is (supervised) day-long play time for dogs. The dogs frequently play fetch and chase each other about, as dogs do and have a wonderful time, but I am concerned about allowing a 6 month old giant breed (or even large breed!) unlimited high-impact play time due to the rapid growth of joints during this time frame.
We have a young Dane that will board with us next week and the owner has already signed him up for dog camp each day during this time.

Does anyone have any experience with this or can anyone advise me about any limitations they would recommend? Perhaps 30 minutes of play followed by 2 hours of rest?
Thank you!
Katherine

[lehughes]

Hi Katherine,

I was hoping others would reply.
My concern with this would be the same for any puppy... it's just heightened because this is a giant breed puppy.
I would NOT recommend playing with more than 1 other dog / puppy at a time. Two would be maximum if they were all very respectful and careful.
I would want mandatory rest times, and I would want the play limited to 15 - 20 minute intervals. I was going to say 30 minutes as well. So somewhere between 15 - 30 minutes (depending on how rough the play is). And yes, likely 1 - 2 hours of rest afterwards.

Sorry for not getting back until now.
Can you update us on how things went?

Laurie

[aubie0004]

Hi Laurie,
I think it went well for this pup and other large to giant breeds that we have had in since. We kept the puppy in for the first hour or two to allow the "morning frenzy" to wear off and then gradually introduced him to some boring friends. Then rest over lunchtime and repeat in the afternoon.

[lehughes]

Sound good! Glad none of our concerns manifested!
Thanks for the update!
Laurie