# Conditioning Younger Dogs-What do you do?



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I was told running and playing with another dog.

Do you have access to anywhere that he can swim? ( Sorry I just saw that you said that )

Sailor had that roll when she was that age, it just disappeared with age and she wrestles daily with my other two goldens. You should be able to jog with him or run with him on grass at this age, no hard top until he is 14 months.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Field training and lots of free running.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

The beach to chase seagulls and some uphill chuck it


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

He does wrestle quite a bit with my other one. I feel like he looks fairly nicely muscled when stacked but we're still working on the dang roll.

Is running up and down stairs bad at this age? I wish we lived closer to the beach or had more good, safe hills for him to play on. We do take him occasionally but we're not close enough to make use of it on a regular or daily basis.


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## Kmullen (Feb 17, 2010)

I talked to a handler a few weeks ago and she said she doesn't have a problem with a small amount of bike time but not overdoing it. She said she bikes or does the treadmill for 5 minutes.

I wouldn't run up and down stairs, but maybe running and chasing up and down hills.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Know anyone with a riding arena? (same benefits as running on a beach)

Or are there nearby fairgrounds? 

Take him places where he can do a lot of off leash running and walking.


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## rooroch (Nov 7, 2012)

Chuck it up hills is great. I would not do it downhill it is too hard on the front joints. Definitely not up and down stairs. I assume he moving correctly and not ambling.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

No, no problem with his movement at all, he just needs toning.

Kate, great ideas and I wish I knew people. Our safe areas are limited to dog parks for the most part or non fenced and on a long line, etc. Not ideal but I'm not comfortable with his recall around distractions at this point. It's also harder now that it's dark so early. There's a good place to take him swimming but it's not temperature controlled, closes early during the week and isn't too close. 

There is a really great park with a hill close by, he'd just have to be on a long line.


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

I have a radical approach. So take it for what it's worth.

I like lots of running and swimming, but nothing forced. That said, I've never been one to baby my dogs. My feeling is that they are supposed to be rugged. And if the only way a dog will clear hips and elbows is by keeping it from doing things that it wants to do, then that's a dog that shouldn't be bred, imho. So, I let them have at it without restriction. That includes roughhousing, running up and down hills _and stairs_, jumping, lots of distance retrieving on land and water, and long off-leash hikes in rough terrain.

Doubtless I will be taken to task for this, but that's how I feel.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

DanaRuns said:


> I have a radical approach. So take it for what it's worth.
> 
> I like lots of running and swimming, but nothing forced. That said, I've never been one to baby my dogs. My feeling is that they are supposed to be rugged. And if the only way a dog will clear hips and elbows is by keeping it from doing things that it wants to do, then that's a dog that shouldn't be bred, imho. So, I let them have at it without restriction. That includes roughhousing, running up and down hills _and stairs_, jumping, lots of distance retrieving on land and water, and long off-leash hikes in rough terrain.
> 
> Doubtless I will be taken to task for this, but that's how I feel.


Dana - what do you do then if the dog's hips/elbows are poor quality or dysplastic... and all that unrestricted exercise and strain worsen the hips and elbows to the point that the dog either needs surgery or an escalated pain treatment plan for the rest of its life?

To me... the whole goal of avoiding forced exercise and crazy stuff is to ensure that no injuries occur while the dog is growing + you aren't worsening what the dog already has. 

It's not all about weeding out the dogs who can't take it. It's making sure that if the dog fails clearances, at least you are just dealing with a weak area as opposed to bone chips and other nasty stuff....


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

DanaRuns said:


> I have a radical approach. So take it for what it's worth.
> 
> I like lots of running and swimming, but nothing forced. That said, I've never been one to baby my dogs. My feeling is that they are supposed to be rugged. And if the only way a dog will clear hips and elbows is by keeping it from doing things that it wants to do, then that's a dog that shouldn't be bred, imho. So, I let them have at it without restriction. That includes roughhousing, running up and down hills _and stairs_, jumping, lots of distance retrieving on land and water, and long off-leash hikes in rough terrain.
> 
> Doubtless I will be taken to task for this, but that's how I feel.


If you are talking about adult dogs whose bones and growth plates are no longer growing, then yes, let them go run, exercise and play hard. But OP is asking about a young dog who is still growing. Bones and growth plates can be damaged by wild abandon and hard impact, hard contact exercise. I don't think they need to be restricted from normal activity, just be choosy about cutting out things that put hard impact on still growing bones and joints.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

I'm with Dana. I think a lot of what we consider "hard" exercise probably really isn't. I think the only thing I do differently with dogs before they get clearances is not let them jump out of the car unaided, especially onto concrete. Bally is the only dog I have who jumps directly from crate to ground without stepping on the tailgate first. I lift him down every time. Other than that, I agree with what Dana says, young dogs should get lots of exercise of their own free will, I think without it at a young age they are never able to reach their full potential of conditioning. We're breeding a bunch of hot house flowers if they need to be restricted and coddled as babies just to pass a clearance.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Anney... there is a difference between letting dogs be dogs and take them out hiking and swimming and making sure they have lots of opportunity to build strong bones and healthy muscles while growing (believe me - my dogs are not hothouse flowers LOL)... and some of the more crazy stuff out there. 

I think we all know people that are jogging 5-10 miles every day with young dogs to tire them out. Calling it unforced because the dogs are off leash... 

Same thing with doing a lot of fetch over rough terrain, encouraging dogs to make sharp turns or jumping over back to catch stuff.

Same thing with doing agility with young dogs and jumping them. 

These were things I immediately thought about after reading Dana's comment. I didn't think about the more common sense stuff that we all do with our dogs to keep them healthy mentally and physically....


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