Conditioning a Pup/Young Dog

I'm curious as to y'alls thoughts and opinions on conditioning a pup/young dog. And by this I mean a dog 1-year-old or younger.

I've seen many a people on here that condition young dogs/pups through treadmills, weightpull, and other various methods in order to condition them for conformation shows or even just because. (I'm talking more than a mere walk around the neighborhood or games of fetch for exercise)

So what is your opinion on it. Is it ok? Does the pup need to be allowed to mature more? Does it put undue stress on the musculoskeletal system? Or are these dogs developed and mature enough to endure it? Is there a valid enough reason for doing so?

All opinions welcome.

 

i think pups should be introduced to as many activities as possible. i dont know about "conditioning" or putting alot of stress on the pup. imo the more a pup is introduced to the easier it is in the long run. i would imagine a dog (not a pup) on a mill for a couple hours at a time would be kinda boring after a while. its def. more fun for us and them if they are just as excited over a spring pole than they r with a mill or a tug or what have you.personally i play with my pups long enough for them to still have interest or until they wear me out. JMO

 

Im thinking along the same lines as above...flirtpole as an outlet for prey drive is fine for a pup, but I wouldn't over do it. A few minutes then put it away. I also think its ok to get a dog used to a WP harness (starting at 8-9 months), but I wouldn't put more than 5 or so pounds of weight on it. I also think its ok to put them on a mill, but again don't over do it. I guess its the difference between socializing and building a foundation vs. "conditioning" so to speak.

People get obsessed with having a fit pup, and easily overdo, and cause undue stress on the musculoskeletal system. All things in moderation is the best measure.

 

I believe a pup under a year should have no stress put upon it in the way of weights or treadmill use. I know for a fact while growing as fast as young animals do that working out to the point of "conditioning" is not nearly as beneficial as much as it is damaging. Exercising not only increases hormones and elements in the body but it also can stretch and damage tendons and muscles since the pups are so young fresh and new they dont know their limits ...they might not show any signs of these injuries and damages until its too late for proper repair. This type of conditioning also is going to change the pups eating and food requirements which in combo with the elevated or reduced hormones can have many different adverse effects on a puppy. I believe too much too fast is always bad and at this young tender age I believe a dogs natural body growth and genetic plan should be allowed to develop without interference. After a year then you can introduce the more physical things like mills and pull weights, by then the dog will be more similar to its "adult" self and will be balanced out regarding hormones and bodily fluids and attributes... so an increase in these elements or even a decrease wont effect them like it would as a puppy thats still growing and needs these things to remain consistent and level to have the best natural start ....when everything is so vital at the younger age why try to improve on mother natures plan with workouts for conditioning.... and mills and stuff? If dogs were suppose to jump on them right away then they come out with wheels or their own mill.... and have a chain and collar already attached... .but since they dont it makes since to let them "grow" into these things.....we shouldnt pretend like their born with them and its an immediate requirment to condition a dog as a puppy.

 

I'm not an expert by any means, but I don't go heavy on a pup. With our pups now, they get to play flirtpole once in a while, but mostly they chase each other around the yard. I don't even hand-walk them much right now because all the trails around here are concrete, and I figure if concrete can make Loki temporarily lame, its probably not good for the pups either.

Now I did start training Loki to pull around 8 months, with actual weights coming in around 10 months probably. She started pulling for real at 14 months. I probably did too much too early with her, but no adverse physical effects to speak of. I plan on teaching the pups to pull light drags in a little bit here, but I'm in no rush to start putting heavy weights on them. I'm going to take my time this time around. I figure it'll be better for them.

 

ty his leash to the cieling fan and turn it on and come back in 30 minutes,,,,Lmao,,,j/k,,,, he would definately air out alittle,,,, i'm being alittle honnery this morning:rolleyes:

 

well im not an expert by any means.... but as far as im concerned under a year should be just play... hell let them chase you on the four wheeler or something id say this early a dog should just be excersised enough to keep it satisfyed...

but i dont think its "proper" to "condition" a dog before its old enough...that being some time after hes a year...pehaps id start very slowly with the pup at around 8 months...but basicly that early would just be getting the dog on some sort of schedual... then turning it up after the year mark...

now the definition of the word "condition" will very from person to person so this is definetly a subject thats up for some more debate....

 

I think that a pup need to eat, sleep and shit I let them grow to about 15 to 18 months before i give them some workouts. When they are puppy i will do some exercises with them but only for learning how to and not be scared when mature. A puppy needs al his energie for his bones to grow and become a dog so if you let them workout hard when young their will be nothing left to grow. That's why i think feeding the best food you can get for your puppy is very important, he needs to grow as big as he can and become a strong healty bulldog.

 

Otis is now 6 months old and he gets exercised for 30-45 minutes a day. He uses the carpet mill for 10 minutes max then I put him on the electric mill for a cool down walk for 15 minutes. he does play with the springpole however the pole is not hung high, its just low enough to be in his face.

I do not weight train yet and am waiting til he is 14-15 months old before I put weights on him. He does run around the yard with a milk jag trailing behind him with about 2 hanfuls of small rocks to get him use to noise but not enough weight to it to cause any damage.

We do just enough work to stay active but not to much to over do it. As he gets older I'll be adding more to his schedule but for now that 45 minutes keeps him healthy and motivated.

 

A pup under 12mo should never be conditioned. Normal excerise and playtime are all a pup needs. Getting them used to weight pull and spring poles is great as long as you don't overdo it. Pups are too fragile to be worked hard, they need a nice layer of fat as an insurance policy just in case of illness or whatnot.

 

I feel that puppies should not be "worked out". They should get adequate exercise daily. I often tie my young 6 month old to an empty truck tire. If he wants to pull it, then thats fine, but other than that I don't force him.

A flirt pole works great. You can just let the pup play for a bit to get him to just open up and have fun. Just let a pup be a pup. I wouldn't start anything serious until they are around 17 months or older. Their bodies need to grow and they don't need any type of serious stress on them while they are developing.. same goes for teeth. No hanging and tough mouth exercises at an early age.