Fit Tip 7/22/09 – babies & puppies
This is part of a series in keeping your furkids, especially the elder variety, feeling and looking their best. It is not intended to supercede medical advice or directives.
First there’s THIS (having nothing to with rehab but sure is FUN): CLICK HERE
Since I’m hearing of a lot of new additions to the family and with the warmer weather, seeing a lot of people jogging/running with their dogs, my Fit Tip suggestion is NOT to jog/run/exercise (along) with your young dog. (aka, doing “structured” exercise like YOU do…)
The reason for this is because your puppy will not reach skeletal maturity until 18-36 months!
He has soft(er), growing bones that may respond to excessive wear (essentially equaling trauma) by ceasing to grow, forming microtraumas along the plates/ends of the bones, or speeding up the eventual degeneration at the joint spaces (read: arthritis!).
Smaller dogs mature faster than large breed dogs but large breed dogs also “age” faster too. [I know, bummer!!]
Some competitive trials won’t let puppies participate until 12-18 months for this reason. In general, I think this isn’t enough time given the high rate of exertion and practice methods I’ve seen some people use (NOT anyone reading THIS blog, of course).
Dogs need exercise. You need exercise. Puppies seem to crave A LOT of activity. Taking your pup for a run seems like an easy way to kill two birds with one stone (sorry for the pun). But before you go for that 2-4mi jog up Street of the Golden Lantern with your Boobear, leave him at home and find a human companion [if you need the company] instead.
You both will be better off in the long run (again, no pun intended) for it!!
Don’t get me started on some of the practices on ‘babies’ in the equine industry…
