Hey everyone, I have a 2 year old Siberian Husky(Macy) who is about 40lbs. We are very active and she never seems to tire. Today we went on a 3.5 hour hike and when we got home she slept and later I found she was limping for a bit. She’s trained off leash so she is running circles around me the entire hike and I don’t know if she’s over doing it. Will she slow herself down if she’s doing too much or will I have to actually stop her at some point?
Thanks

Depends on the dog and how often you do what level of exercise. Dogs that are over stimulated because they don't get out a bunch can overdo it some, but more often than not they will regulate themselves to an extent. Make sure she didn't pick anything up in her paw like a thorn that could be causing the limp. If you are exercising heavily all the time then your dog could probably benefit from some joint supplements if you aren't already giving them. It's important to condition your dog. If you normally only cover a mile a day or less, you need to work up to a 10 mile a day hike. We average 3-5 miles a day, but when we go on vacation we average over 10 miles a day which is more than normal and mine show it. There's some exercise pains. It doesn't matter whether you do 10 miles at one time or 10 miles over several hours, it's still 10 miles which will make a person (or dog) achy if they aren't used to doing that much very often.

We live in Canada so the snow has slowed us down for the winter (about 5-6km daily) but have bumped back up to our summer activity level over the past 2 months. No paw injuries. She doesn’t seem to have a limit to activity which is why I was wondering if I should be stopping her at some point. I think she would run herself to death if I allowed it. I’ll look into joint supplements, I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you

My dog (age 7-8 ) "self-stops"... his trot will turn into a walk, his tail goes down, tongue hangs out. Your dog will keep going with you if you want, because they are so loyal - but if you see signs like that, then they are pretty tired and/or hot! If she is still frisky and running and happy and excited, then I guess she's probably fine.

But, like with people, if you usually walk 2-3 miles a day and then one day she runs offleash for 14 miles, she's gonna be sore the next day! Even if she had a blast doing it.