02/04/2022
𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 & 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗘𝗫𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗘
If you’ve got a puppy you’ve probably heard the term “protect their growth plates”, but what does this really mean and what exercise is appropriate for a puppy?
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀?
Growth plates are the soft areas located at the ends of your puppy’s long bones. They’re made up of cartilage, a rubbery, flexible material. Each long bone has at least two growth plates, one at each end. Their job is to be filled with cells that allow your puppy's bones to become longer and dense; the way these cells work is by dividing themselves until they fill the growth plate.
It is important to understand, that until the growth plates close, they’re soft and vulnerable to injury. After sexual maturity which usually occurs around 12-18 months (sometimes longer for giant breeds) the growth plates calcify, and the rapid cell division ends. The growth plate becomes a stable, inactive, part of the bone, now known as an ‘epiphyseal line’.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱?
Bones are held together with soft tissue such as muscles, ligaments and tendons. For adult dogs that experience joint stress from bending, twisting or rotating too much, the bones remain firm and the soft tissue is pulled away, resulting in a sprain.
Over-exercising puppies can cause injuries to joints and bone, negatively impact on their musculoskeletal development. When the growth plates are severely impaired or injured, anatomic deformity may develop.
For puppies, the soft tissue is stronger than the bones and instead of a simple strain or sprain, the growth plate is more susceptible to be injured. Injuries to growth plates may not heal in time for the puppy’s growth and may alter the way in which the puppy grows. It is also possible that the injured growth plates grow at a slower rate resulting in one side developing differently. Shorter limbs can create incorrect angles to a joint and can make the puppy more susceptible to injuries as an adult dog. It's vitally important therefore that the growth of all bones is synchronized and happens at the same rate.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀?
The most common ways that puppies experience growth plate injuries are from falling, twisting, slipping and sliding. Another contributing factor to growth plate damage is repetitive concussive exercise such as jogging or running on footpaths or pavements. The repetitive impact can damage to tissues that protect the joints.
Without bubble wrapping your puppy, there are some activities that are considered inappropriate when it comes to exercising your puppy. Here are some of the activities you should avoid:
- Jumping on/ off couches or beds
- Jumping in and out of the car
- Running around on slippery surfaces
- Roughhousing with other dogs
- Continuous ball throwing
- Jogging/ running on hard surfaces
- Long on-lead walks
- Long hikes
- Climbing up and down stairs
A 2012 study found that “puppies walking on stairs from birth to 3 months of age had an increased risk of developing hip dysplasia”. These findings don’t indicate that puppies must avoid stairs until growth plate closure, but consideration needs to be applied, especially to puppies under 4 months of age.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀?
Exercise is super important for young dogs. It helps them develop body awareness, stay healthy and an important part of their development.
Some activities that are beneficial to puppies are:
- Self- directed play
- Proprioception exercises like walking on different surfaces
- Off lead play with dogs that aren’t too rough
- Soft games of tug play
- Training
- Mental stimulation
- Free play for short periods of time
- Digging
𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸?
Generally speaking, the guide for street walking is around 5 minutes of walking per month of age. So, if your puppy is 4 months old, a 20 minute street walk is an adequate amount.
For a more comprehensive guide of Puppy Exercise Guidelines, check out Dr Chris Zinc’s guide from Avidog Zinc Ventures here
https://www.avidog.com/.../puppy_exercise_guidelines...
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲?
The question is, why even care about growth plates? Sometimes it can seem all a bit excessive.
When we aspire to Be Better we change what we have previously done to achieve better results and in turn we create better longevity for our dogs. Being knowledgeable about growth plate development helps set our dogs up for better joint mobility in the future.
Got your puppy home?
When you get your 8/10 week old puppy, please keep this image in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons, ligaments with skin covering. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.
Once grown you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise. So keep it calm while they're still little baby puppies and give the gift that can only be given once
