Grooming your Labradoodle

Puppy Fitness - exercise, growth and joints>>

Labradoodles not only love exercise, they need exercise - but exercise will NOT eliminate all puppy related behaviour problems. We all look forward to taking our puppy for walks, however it is important to not push your puppy to dangerous and inappropriate levels of exercise.

Strong Minds in Strong Bodies

Appropriate exercise helps build puppies minds as well as their bodies. Exercise has a very particular and important role in brain growth and improves learning, memory and emotional response. But, exercise that is not age and development appropriate can cause significant and irreversible damage.

Understanding Puppy Bodies

Let's consider growth plates. Growth plates are the soft areas that sit at the ends of the long bones in puppies and young dogs. They contain rapidly dividing cells that allow bones to become longer. Growth plates gradually close and calcify and this closure is normally completed by 18 months. Until this time the growth plates are soft and vulnerable to injury.

Puppy's muscles, ligaments and tendons are stronger than his growth plates which makes the growth plates liable to be injured. Injuries to growth plates may not heal properly or not heal in time for puppy to grow up straight and strong.

In addition to soft growth plates at the end of long bones, puppies bones are generally softer. Spiral fractures of the tibia are common in puppies under 1 year. Movements such as twisting and turning suddenly can cause these type of fractures.

Puppy Exercise

Self directed play is an overriding rule for any young puppy. The majority of exercise can be free play, exploring, digging and noodling around. When puppy is ready for a walk on the lead (even in your own yard, until after the their third vaccination) or human directed exercise such as retrieving a ball, we recommend following the rule of no more than 5 minutes of exercise for every month of age.

Things to avoid with your puppy:

Jumping off the couch, bed, into or out of your car - this can cause too much weight and strain on front legs
Rough play with other dogs - such as knocking, pushing or body slamming continually.
No agilty, jumping or flyball before 2-3 years of age.
Climbing stairs are not the best for young pups. unsupervised stair climbing before 3 months of age can put a strain on joints.
No fast turns, sudden stops, throwing balls or frisbees great distances or for long periods of time.

Exercise Guidelines

There are lots of guidelines for many types of exercise, but the most common questions are regarding running, walking and agility.

Walking on a leash for no longer than the recommended time for age (see above)
Self directed play or noodling is great for any puppy up until around 18 months. This includes free play and exploring.
Playing with a well matched gentle playmate.
Supervised play if you have children.
Hide a favourite toy or ball with treats inside for puppy to find - great mental stimulation and they move at their own pace.
Keep running and distance/ endurance training for when your puppy has reached full maturity - around 18 months.

Reference :

Puppy Fitness That Fits The Puppy - by Jane Messineo Lindquist (Puppy Culture)