# growth plates and jumping



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I don't know the current research, but you may have people telling you no jumping until 24 months at the earliest, but when I did that with my Jacks, it was an uphill climb getting him to not just jump something instead of going around it and then jump properly, but also getting him conditioned to jump with ease (building muscle memory). 

I asked my one instructor how to handle and before 6-9 months she usually has the dogs jumping 8" (high jump) and at least 1 board for the broad jump. Between 12-18 months she starts gradually adding boards to the jumps. And keep the reps down (don't just keep jumping the dog). 

With Bertie (because I had such a tough time getting Jacks to jump anything from the time he turned 24 months), by the time he was 12-18 months, he was jumping at least 16-20" on the high jump and at least 30" with the broad jump. After 24 months and getting his OFA's done, it was pretty easy bumping up to full height/length. He's 2.5 years old now, but I still don't do a TON of jumps in a training session.


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## Lucky Penny (Nov 13, 2011)

Sally's Mom, who is a vet, says two years. I waited to start my jumping work until then and did everything else.


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

I've always gone with 2 years old, but have rethought that based on what I was told by Chris Zink. Here's a blurb from Chris' "Coaching the Canine Athlete" seminar materials.



> From this link: http://pennvetwdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/9-Zink.pdf
> 
> *Age-Appropriate Conditioning and Sports Training*
> 
> ...


Chris is possibly the world's foremost authority on veterinary and canine sports medicine (I believe she even founded the veterinary specialty in sports medicine), and she has put 75 agility titles on dogs, so what she says should carry a lot of weight. And if she says 14 months is the appropriate age for intact dogs, and 20 months for neutered dogs, I'd believe her. Though Chris is a friend of mine, I don't think that makes me biased. She's a huge authority in this area. From her Wiki page: 



> "Chris Zink DVM, PhD, ACVP, is the director of the Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She also holds professorships in the Department of Pathology at Johns Hopkins and in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Zink researches the response of the immune system to retroviruses such as HIV and is currently investigating an animal model of antiretroviral therapy and the potential of a common antibiotic to prevent HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. As a veterinarian, Zink is known for consulting and writing on canine athletics and is an expert on stem cell therapies for dogs. She was named Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year at the 2009 meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Her books include Peak Performance: Coaching the Canine Athlete, Dog Health and Nutrition for Dummies, The Agility Advantage, and Jumping from A to Z: Teach Your Dog to Soar and Building the Canine Athlete: Strength, Stretching, Endurance and Body Awareness Exercises."


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## flatcoated (Feb 3, 2013)

Susan Salo, who is one of the foremost experts in the agility world on developing good jumping technique, also has a low impact puppy program that is designed to lay a good foundation for long-term performance. She recommends the utilization of very low jump bumps (halved PVC tubes) and grids to begin familiarizing puppies with some of the spatial and mechanical concepts that help build good drive and skills and understanding that promote jumping efficiency from an early age without compromising joint health and safety in growing dogs.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

As Lauren said, I wait until two years...never been a problem..got my CDX's and a UD following this... My guys have had plenty of muscle memory and soundness...


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I am in no hurry to jump my dogs. I will start increasing height above elbow height around 22 months.

There is so much foundation work to do in any sport, I just let my dogs mature out a bit so they have balance, muscles and closed growth plates.

I don't really like running them all that hard before they're 2 either and my dogs generally do well into their teens


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Bella was jumping 16" on high jump and 36" on broad jump at about 14 months, but not excessively. Just 2-3 times per week. She doesn't really jump when it's set that low....it's more of a stride. I didn't start jumping her at full height until about 2 weeks ago. She'll be 3 next month.


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## regspeir (Jan 4, 2010)

DanaRuns said:


> Chris is possibly the world's foremost authority on veterinary and canine sports medicine (I believe she even founded the veterinary specialty in sports medicine), and she has put 75 agility titles on dogs, so what she says should carry a lot of weight. And if she says 14 months is the appropriate age for intact dogs, and 20 months for neutered dogs, I'd believe her. Though Chris is a friend of mine, I don't think that makes me biased. She's a huge authority in this area. From her Wiki page:


I actually think I met her at NOC last year when I was thinking about a Gaylan pup. And, btw, she was and is awesome.


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