In this episode of Pandemic Puppy, Kayla and Dr. Leslie Eide discuss exercise and puppies. They cover everything you need to know about exercising your puppy!
Why are people so worried about exercise for puppies?
- Too much of the wrong type of exercise could affect development
- Being proactive is good, but its important not to overdo it. Not everything will hurt your puppy, but at the same time, it’s important to do research on how to observe your puppy’s activity and movement
What activities, if any, are clear no-gos for little puppies?
- It is more important to focus on building your puppies stamina up for activities, such as slowly build them up
- Let your dog self regulate their exercise and don’t push them too hard
Breed dependent? Individual? Neuter status?
- There’s a general idea with breeds and their growth plates
- However, its more important to look at the dog in front of you
- With larger breed dogs, its super important to work on body awareness
- There is still a lot to be learned when it comes to neutering and how it affects development
How do you know when it’s safe to add in an activity for an aging puppy?
- Observe your puppy. When they are comfortable doing the movement themselves, it is okay to ask them to do it. But be careful not to overdo it
- Trust your gut
- Use “trial and success”
Links Mentioned in the Episode
Patreon Question Answered:
My sweet, almost 7 month old border collie can be a bit of a hurricane; most things are done at 100mph (minimum)! He has been checked out by a great vet CCRP and an amazing vet physio who are both really happy with how he is developing physically. He and I have been working on body awareness exercises since I brought him home to try to help him know, understand, and move his body. However, any and all body awareness he has learned flies out the window when he is excited (e.g. we were joking that he nearly injured himself trying to enthusiastically lift his leg on a stump before a class). After an enthusiastic play session with another dog, he is now sitting with an iliopsoas injury. And I am let wondering how to make sure he stays healthy and still gets to do things and be a puppy! Do you have any tips for how to build “resilience” (for lack of a better term) and help avoid injury for a young enthusiastic pup? – both mental and physical skills.
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