walking, chewing, diet, heart murmer

Question
Hi, i have a 12 week old bulldog and was wondering if you could give me some advice? (1) How much time would you advise on daily walks for this age? (He walks for 20 minutes a day and then plays in the garden) (2) How to calm the chewing down? (He only does it when he gets playfull, and when i tell him NO!!! and ignore him he stops, but while im at work he plays nice with my two kids untill they start running around, and then he chews at them when hes close. Is there a way of training him to play without chewing while hes teething, and how long will it take for his teething problems to stop?) (3) Whats the best food to give him? (I feed him softened kibble and puppy food mixed together 4 times a day, sometimes with a spoon of cottage cheese mixed aswell, is that too much food for him at that age as he eats it all everytime) (4) Are heart murmers common in young bulldog pups? (When i took him for his 10 week needle, the vet thought that he might have a heart murmer, and to bring him back at 12 weeks to check again which will be this week. Do they grow out of them when they get older, or do i have to prepare myself for the worse news, as he plays allday without much trouble but sometimes sounds like hes trying to clear phlem from his throat, which results in him sounding chesty)

Answer
Iain,

1.  20 minutes sounds like a good walk for a puppy that age.  The time of your walks depends on what he is use to.  If you continue to keep him in good shape, he should be able to take good walks.  Remember that as a puppy, his legs are short so he has to work a lot more.  But he is light weight and can run easier too.  You really just have to watch him and make sure he is not getting over worked.

2.  First, if you don't want him to chew or bite when he plays, you cannot allow him to chew at all, even when playing.  He doesn't know when you consider it playful and when you consider it too much.  Don't ever let chewing or biting be a part of playing.  

3.  I think that a good quality dry puppy food is the best to feed until he is a year old.  At his age he only needs fed, three times a day.  In a month or two you should be able to go to twice a day.  Any good quality dog food will be fine, but always feed a bulldog a small kibble.

4.  Heart murmers can clear up.  I would not worry.  Even if he still has it when you go back to your vet, it may be something that never gives him any trouble.  It sounds like he is every healthy!

Christine Puetz