{"id":487,"date":"2018-09-12T16:50:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T20:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pawsitivestepsrehab.com\/blog\/?p=487"},"modified":"2018-09-12T16:50:25","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T20:50:25","slug":"all-about-puppies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pawsitivestepsrehab.com\/blog\/all-about-puppies\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Exercise for Puppies"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cathryn Adolph, LVT, CCRP, CCFT<\/p>\n

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Burning Off Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Puppies are happy bundles of fluff that are always learning.\u00a0 With all their exuberance, many owners look to exercise to \u201cburn off energy.\u201d What many of us don\u2019t realize is that repetitive and high impact exercise can cause damage or injury.\u00a0 Puppies can grow so fast that, for some breeds, it is actually easy to forget they are still growing.\u00a0 In this blog we will examine types of exercise and give some basic guidelines to help burn off puppy energy in a safe manner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Developing Bodies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Puppies grow a lot in a short amount of time.\u00a0 From an orthopedic standpoint, their bones are still spongy and their growth plates are increasing the length of the bone itself.\u00a0 Tendons and ligaments are soft tissues that attach muscle to bone and bone to bone respectively.\u00a0 The tension that tendons and ligaments apply to bone tell the bone where it needs to be stronger,\u00a0aka grow thicker.\u00a0 At this stage, it is crucial to remember that the soft tissue is stronger than the bone.\u00a0 The picture on the left shows highlights just some of the growth plates in the forelimb.<\/p>\n

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In an adult dog, the growth plates have calcified over and they are considered \u201cclosed.\u201d\u00a0 Growth plates closure occurs, on average, at 12-18 months old, with variations based upon breed.\u00a0 Adult dogs\u2019 bones are fully developed and now stronger than the surrounding tendons and ligaments.\u00a0 A rotation or bend the wrong direction for an adult dog is more likely to result in a strain to the soft tissue.\u00a0 In puppies, the same extreme rotation or bend can result to damage to the bone itself.\u00a0 Injuries can result in fractures and\/or damage to the growth plates.<\/p>\n

Injuries to the growth plate can cause permanent injuries that follow the dog for life.\u00a0 Bones may not grow to their full length or even grow unsymmetrically, resulting in the outer or inner edge of a long bone to grow faster than the other half.<\/p>\n

Free-Play versus \u201cForced-Exercise\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

For young puppies free play is a great way to exercise.\u00a0 Free play is when they can run, romp, and explore on their own.\u00a0 The puppy can flop and take a rest at any time.\u00a0 Free play and exploration allows the puppy to set the pace without overdoing it.<\/p>\n

Repetitions and timed exercise can often lead owners to overdo it with their puppies and adult dogs.\u00a0 When we have a number or goal, we put pressure on ourselves to meet that goal.\u00a0 This can also include long walks and hikes.<\/p>\n

Lack of Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n

While exercising your puppy sounds scary, locking our puppies up to ensure their safety is just as bad as repetitive exercise.\u00a0 Developing bone tissue needs the stress of movement to get stronger.\u00a0 Bone needs to be thicker at joints and where muscle attaches to the bone.\u00a0 In human studies, children who regularly exercise are less likely to break a bone as an adult.<\/p>\n

Tiring Out a Puppy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mental exercise can be just as tiring as physical exercise.\u00a0 Engaging their mind and using their scent abilities are a great place to start.\u00a0 Other ideas and tips for puppy enrichment include:<\/p>\n