Can exercising a young dog be dangerous?

by **laceybaby** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:38 pm

I have heard from a few people online now that exercising a young dog in the form of having him/her run is dangerous to their growth. Is this true?

by **SnowKoi2010** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:52 pm

Well then damn, Snow IS screwed.

Who said these things? Where did they get their resources from? Are you going to believe everything you hear from the internet?

Honestly, Snow has ran and ran all over the place when she was little and the only problems she has is HD, which is genetic so I doubt she got that from running while she was younger. Koi also has been a hard runner trying to keep up with snow. And she is perfectly fine. I would think that not having your dog work out while younger would make it so that the muscles wouldn't develop correctly in support with joints.

I am no expert, But this is what I think. I could be wrong so lets see what the Vets on the site has to say.

I would also be looking into resources that these people use to state such claims.

by **Libby** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:54 pm

How old is your pup, laceybaby?

High impact activities aren't good for growing bones, and very hard on the joints.

by **SnowKoi2010** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:58 pm

But is running considered high impact?

by **Stormi** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:08 am

SnowKoi2010 wrote:But is running considered high impact?

Depends on a few factors. What's the surface? How long is the duration of the running? How old is the dog? Taking a small puppy on a 5 mile jog on concrete is quite a bit different than running while playing in the backyard. I posted up a thread here several months back (could have been over a year, I don't recall) with the x-ray differences of a young 4 month old puppy vs a two year old dog. The growth differences are amazing.

by **Adrianne** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 2:16 am

Hip issues can be environmentally caused just like all joint issues, of course its debatable and there should be a predisposed weakness.

Running depends on the surface mostly but I wouldn't sweat it too much.

by **laceybaby** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:07 pm

SnowKoi2010 wrote:Are you going to believe everything you hear from the internet?

No...certainly not. I am only asking so I will do what's best for my dog. After reading MANY different resources, I make a decision for myself. You don't have to be so rude about it.

by **laceybaby** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:08 pm

Libby wrote:How old is your pup, laceybaby?

High impact activities aren't good for growing bones, and very hard on the joints.

Lacey is almost a year old (July 10 is her birthday).

by **AllisonPibbleLvr** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:17 pm

Stormi wrote:
SnowKoi2010 wrote:But is running considered high impact?

Depends on a few factors. What's the surface? How long is the duration of the running? How old is the dog? Taking a small puppy on a 5 mile jog on concrete is quite a bit different than running while playing in the backyard. I posted up a thread here several months back (could have been over a year, I don't recall) with the x-ray differences of a young 4 month old puppy vs a two year old dog. The growth differences are amazing.

Snow, get off your high horse. It wasn't long ago that you were asking such questions. In fact, you still do.

by **elegy** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 1:50 pm

i wouldn't do any sustained running or running on a hard surface for a puppy/young dog, but running the backyard on grass or whatever is fine.

by **highflyergirl19** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 2:04 pm

Ajax is six months old and we run a little bit here and there. It's never more than a few minutes at a time and it's mostly on dirt, but he loves being able to jog along beside me. We started taking him on short walks (10-15 minutes) when he was about 12 weeks old and up to date on his shots. From there we gradually built up to the 30-45 minutes a day (with a few minutes of running) we do now.

A little running here and there can't hurt too terribly much.

by **FransterDoo** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 2:23 pm

laceybaby wrote:
Libby wrote:How old is your pup, laceybaby?

High impact activities aren't good for growing bones, and very hard on the joints.

Lacey is almost a year old (July 10 is her birthday).

She should be fine then! Folks should use caution for running and jumping for dogs under (about) 9 months old.

by **FBODGRL** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:28 am

AllisonPibbleLvr wrote:
Stormi wrote:
SnowKoi2010 wrote:But is running considered high impact?

Depends on a few factors. What's the surface? How long is the duration of the running? How old is the dog? Taking a small puppy on a 5 mile jog on concrete is quite a bit different than running while playing in the backyard. I posted up a thread here several months back (could have been over a year, I don't recall) with the x-ray differences of a young 4 month old puppy vs a two year old dog. The growth differences are amazing.

Snow, get off your high horse. It wasn't long ago that you were asking such questions. In fact, you still do.

X2

Not to mention unless you knew the age of the OP's dog you were totally incorrect as young dogs/puppies should not be running, jumping and doing high impact exercise.

and once again I will say....if you don't know...don't spout of like what you are saying is FACT.

by **Sarah** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:09 am

Primarily, I don't like to see a puppy doing enforced running. A puppy free playing in an open area is great, that is what they are meant to do. A puppy going for a 5-mile jog on leash, not a good idea. My own choice will always be to err to the side of caution, you will hopefully have many years with the dog, and can do all kinds of exercise when the growth plates are closed.

by **pblove** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:44 am

Sarah wrote:Primarily, I don't like to see a puppy doing enforced running. A puppy free playing in an open area is great, that is what they are meant to do. A puppy going for a 5-mile jog on leash, not a good idea. My own choice will always be to err to the side of caution, you will hopefully have many years with the dog, and can do all kinds of exercise when the growth plates are closed.