FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
mentally) equipped to undergo any training that will put continual stress on the bones and joints. Play time with an adult dog that is gentle is also a great thing for both of them. My stud dog loves to play with his babies. He rolls over on his back, letting them jump all over him. He is a kind and gentle dog, as is one of my adult bitches. They are perfect dogs to teach a pup how to interact with an adult dog. Both are kind, but they won’t put up with any nonsense; they let the pup know when enough is enough. All of this is exercise-related as well as wonderful socialization for a youngster. All such play must be supervised and stopped immediately if it gets too rough or rowdy. Be cautious in your choice of toys. Gentle play is best so that the pup “follows” the toy but doesn’t charge after it, which can result in twists and turns, and damage to the joints. The same holds true for playing tug-of-war. This is fine between siblings, but can be painful if a larger dog or human is on the other end of the toy. Other areas of concern include a pup jump- ing off a bed or other furniture, which may cause fractures. Flooring is important. Until maturity has been reached, heavy carpet or some other sort of padding helps in areas where the pup may try to jump from a distance onto the floor. Stairs (between floors in the house) are another dan- ger to pups if they have to traverse them daily. This can certainly cause chronic stress to their joints. Teach them to go up and down three or four steps on the porch or deck, and also how to go through a doorway (by invitation only)! I do teach my pups how to go up two to three steps on a toddler’s indoor “sliding board” and how to slide down the very short slide as part of their “how to learn” training. Mental train- ing is just as important as physical exercise in a growing pup. The timing of growth plate closure varies from breed to breed and even from dog to dog within a breed, so a discussion with your vet- erinarian will help you better understand the developing bones of your particular breed of dog. The smaller breeds’ growth plates tend to close earlier; the larger the breed, the later they close. If your pup is intended to have a perfor- mance career, you may want to discuss this with your veterinarian and have them take x-rays to confirm growth plate closure before engaging them in training on equipment that may cause stress to the joints. If you have any questions or comments or you would like to schedule a seminar, you may contact me via jimanie@welshcorgi.com.
each day. Soon they know the hunt is going to be on and they enjoy seeking out the bowl. This can be done outside in the yard or inside the house. Just be sure to keep track of the amount of food and deduct it from their last meal of the day or you will have very pudgy pups. If your pup is under 12 weeks of age, don’t take him on long hikes unless you are ready to carry him when he shows he is tired or starts to lag! A good rule of thumb is to let a pup exercise (walks, play time in the yard, etc.) for five minutes for each month of age, twice daily. Therefore, a four-month-old pup can handle 20 minutes of exercise twice in a day. No type of endurance training (especially agility) for any dog under 18 months of age— and even later for larger breeds. Young dogs of any breed are not physically (or
154 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2020
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