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kbatku
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kbatku
Questionable hiker
PostSat Dec 12, 2015 10:18 am 
My wife says she's read that dogs shouldn't go on long walks until they are at least two years old, because walking long distances will hurt their joints. I called BS, then she showed me some flyer by a dog food company that says dogs under four months shouldn't walk more than 200-300 feet at a time. Anybody know anything about this? How did dogs survive in prehistory if the had to keep their walks under a football field in length?

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Randito
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 10:32 am 
In pre-history they were wolves. Dogs are the descendants of lazy wolves that adapted to eating human scraps instead if hunting for themselves.

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hikersarenumber1
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 11:07 am 
When joints are growing they are more susceptible to damage which is more likely to turn 8nto arthritis later in life. For thus reason, dog breeds prone to arthritis, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and especially large breeds should be exercised carefully when young. Young puppies typically run at full tilt then crash and nap, but they will follow you no matter how tired. Once they start showing signs of tiredness, they are way past tired and that increases potential for damage. Hard surfaces, playing really rough with larger and older dogs can also increase the chances of damage as can straining and pulling on a leash. There have been studies with dogs physically and genetically prone to hip dysplasia that had limited and controlled exercise while they were growing versus those that were exercised heavily. Those with the limited exercise fared way better as adults.

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Slugman
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 11:52 am 
kbatku wrote:
How did dogs survive in prehistory if the had to keep their walks under a football field in length?
Puppies don't hunt.

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kbatku
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kbatku
Questionable hiker
PostSat Dec 12, 2015 12:21 pm 
Wow. I didn't realize this. Score one for the wife (hiss boo!!). So I shouldn't hike with my new dog (Goldendoodle) until she's two or so? Darn.

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hikersarenumber1
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 12:49 pm 
Talk to your vet. You really do not want to do anything real strenuous until they are fully grown/growth plates ate closed but after they are a year or even a little less you can start small and began building up. Do some research, too. There are varying opinions. Make an educated choice.

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Slugman
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 12:52 pm 
I don't think the rule is "no hiking until two", I think it is more like "monitor your dog's exercise when young". I started taking Daisy the wonder dog hiking when she was young, but none of the hikes were that long or tiring for her. All she had to do was keep up with me.

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meandering Wa
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meandering Wa
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 1:33 pm 
all dogs need to be conditioned to distance and strain, just as people do. While a dog may appear to have boundless energy, much of it can be mentally driven. Unlike us, most dogs don't have a stop, if their drive to be near or with their owner is strong they will push on. This is very true of the younger dog. So many dog breeds have been selected away from strong, normal joint anatomy. Carefully consider the conformation of your dog when considering their activity. Larger breeds are much more prone to long bone issues, small breeds prone to anatomic defect due to miniaturization, particularly knee and elbow. Growth plate issues are a problem in some breeds, particularly elbow, confound it with overwork and you can have a lifetime of issue. exercise is good and vital for the development of strong bone. Strong muscle / soft tissue is needed to support the active joints. An active hiker might find frustration that their friend is not able to bang out a 10 mile trip with 2000 foot gain, but you can certainly start working over terrain and build the vital core strength needed for the long haul. Wrapping a dog in fluff to protect it is like keeping a race horse prospect locked in a stall until they are three. Neither will have strong bone and soft tissues to tackle work. start reasonable and work up.

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treeswarper
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treeswarper
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 4:21 pm 
Guess the one year old Slightly Used Dog doesn't know all this.
I'll have her read this thread.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Conrad
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 4:42 pm 
treeswarper wrote:
Guess the one year old Slightly Used Dog doesn't know all this. ... I'll have her read this thread.
Or you could read the thread. Did you catch how a 1-year old puppy definitely doesn't "know all this", but only knows that it wants to be with you? But perhaps the dog's joints will "know all this" when it's 10. Re the question how ancient dogs (wolves) survived: From what I read, surprisingly, humans are actually the long-distance walking champions of the animal world, so it doesn't surprise me that a dog, or even a wolf, could have trouble keeping up with a human on a long hike.

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hikersarenumber1
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 5:11 pm 
treeswarper wrote:
Guess the one year old Slightly Used Dog doesn't know all this.
I'll have her read this thread.
Didn't you just retire your dog due to old tired joints? Maybe he would still be going strong if you had monitored his exercise. Maybe, the OP is interested in doing what's best for his dog, based on scientific evidence rather than condescending antedotes.

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Bedivere
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 6:08 pm 
A dog's bones aren't done growing 'til they're about a year old, a little longer in some cases. When I brought home my most recent pack member he was about 8 mos. old and was having some issues with limping and soreness so I took him to a vet where they x-rayed all his joints and tested him for hip dysplasia. The X-rays clearly showed the active growth plates at the ends of his long leg bones. These growth plates are softer than cartilage and can be damaged by over-use and such damage will lead to problems later in the dog's life. The vet said his best guess is that Clyde would be done growing in the next 3-4 months and to take it easy on him until then. Some running around at the dog park was okay, some walks of a couple miles are okay, but no long backpacking trips or extended running and jumping until he's at least a year old. I took him on an easy flat trail hike in July when he was about 11 months and up to Robin/Tuck Lakes in October when he was about 14 months. I had his pack on him to get him used to it but only a couple pounds on that first hike and no more than about 6 or 7 lbs on that second hike. He'll be good to go next year. Dogs are good at hiding pain and they just don't know when to stop. Bigger dogs are more prone to problems than smaller dogs also.

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BlameTheDogz
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PostSat Dec 12, 2015 10:10 pm 
There is some info on this thread: https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8017836&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= Cheers, and congrats on the new pup!

striving to stand like mountain yet flow like water, and make the dogs happy
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wolffie
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PostTue Dec 15, 2015 11:00 am 
seconding what Bedivere said. The breeder we got the corgis from was quite firm with me (knowing I'm a hiker): "No big physical challenges until 1 year old". You especially want to avoid injury to one of the wrist bones, which could cause premature fusion of one growth plate, after which the leg grows curved. Although one would think you'd need a lot of help to overwalk a puppy.... Also: I am not sure of this, but I suspect that what hurt Al's stifle (age 6) was struggling in thick tangled brush and blowdown. I usually find the path of least resistance, but in this case I was ahead scouting the trail (lost under blowdown and years of neglect), called him to me, and he had to find his own way. It was thick stuff. He woke up lame the next day. Mostly healed, but I'm not sure he's ever been quite the same. I'm guessing he tried to jump a log too high, slipped back and landed badly, something like that. So: beware dog-unfriendly terrain.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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treeswarper
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treeswarper
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PostTue Dec 15, 2015 2:29 pm 
I got a little mutt, to try to avoid all that. How do you keep a young dog from jumping when that's what they do? Or tearing at high speed through the woods? That's what they do. The Slightly Used Dog is a high energy pup and needs to blow it off. She bounds like a deer and launches over blowdowns with no hesitation. It's part of being a dog. I guess we'll see how long she lasts.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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