[LondonnZack]

Hey guys ive been taking zack on walks lately, not far and he whines when we get to about a mile (he whines alot but alot of it is him talking to me), i sit with him and we stop and continue on. He seems okay with running, no bunny hopping etc. I dont see many signs of hip problems with him but im just worried. Im going to get him checked when i get his final shots (money has been tight and i havent had the money) some unexpected things came up very recently.

Im just a little worried about him, i dont let him jump down off things but he wobbles in the back side when he walks and kinda walks crooked it looks like his back legs are catching up with his front ones lol. Sometimes does a little limping every now and then. Maybe im just being paranoid. Does anyone have a video of a 3-4 month old pup walking/playing etc?

Hes very slender so i guess it makes me scared. I hope he doesnt have HD. He plays hard, could he have ran into something or put to much pressure on those back hips? I dont free feed him but i do feed him often, i went through what seems like a bajillion different kinds of food trying to find one he would eat, I got him beneful i hope this is okay. I tried BB but he wouldnt have it.



Im just curious if im the only one that is a little paranoid about this? lol I dont wanna seem like the overprotective mother but i see little signs of trouble with his walking and im not sure if hes just clumsy and awkward right now or what, i couldnt find any vids of them this age just walking around. It would help a great deal, thanks! :help:

Are they just awkward at this age, he doesnt fall and will try to jump up on the bed in the jeep etc on his own now but still cant reach. I looked all over to see if i could get examples of how pups at this age run and play to compare but i cannot find any

 

[Chicagocanine]

Long walks, running or other forced exercise is not recommended with puppies. It is better to allow puppies to do self limiting exercise such as running around off leash, playing with other dogs or you(not TOO rough though), that sort of thing, where they can have short bursts of exercise and then rest in between.

In fact some breeders even include that as a stipulation in their health guarantee (no forced exercise before x months or that sort of thing.)

 

[1sttimeforgsd]

You may try you tube. Go to your search engine and type in 3.5 mo old gsd puppy playing. That is where I used to go to compare my pup to others. I would first go to Youtube and then type that in the search. Hope it helps you out.

 

[JudynRich]

I would wait on the walks...until all shots and maybe slowly work up to that mile.

 

[LondonnZack]

K thanks you guys, i did look on youtube i was just curious if anyone here could tell me if a 3.75 month old gangly pup is suppose to be so clumsy lol

I went kinda overboard with the explination but i was just curious if anyone else was paranoid because of the bad coordination of their pups at this age.

 

[jakeandrenee]

Jake was a riot at that age. Sometimes he would trip over his own two feet. It was like his body and brain didn't connect. Now at 9 months he's much better but still looks puppyish.

 

[LondonnZack]

Jake was a riot at that age. Sometimes he would trip over his own two feet. It was like his body and brain didn't connect. Now at 9 months he's much better but still looks puppyish.

ahh! awesome this is what i was asking lol!

I was looking around the web and read so much about HD and that puppies age were suppose to be more stable on their feet. Its like his back legs and front do two completely different things sometimes, i just got really worried lol

far to much misinformation out there about this stuff its scary! I am going to get the vet to check his hips when i got i just wasnt sure because of his gait (sp?) His back end seems to be filling in more hes just so skinny! not underfed at all but hes hyper as all get out and can just be walking and BOOF falls over lol he doesnt seem to be in any pain i just dont wanna over work the poor fella.:wub:

 

[jakeandrenee]

O my, I wouldn't worry to much, he's a baby! There were so many times Jake would try to run and wipe out.....tripping, falling and sometimes sliding in on his chin trying to chase a toy. He'd have grass and mud under his chin.
He'd bunny hop, skip, jump and all sorts of stuff. Even today he acted like a big goof of lead on a hike. He got tickled over something and started galloping but wasn't paying attention and wiped out. LOL

 

[LondonnZack]

O my, I wouldn't worry to much, he's a baby! There were so many times Jake would try to run and wipe out.....tripping, falling and sometimes sliding in on his chin trying to chase a toy. He'd have grass and mud under his chin.
He'd bunny hop, skip, jump and all sorts of stuff. Even today he acted like a big goof of lead on a hike. He got tickled over something and started galloping but wasn't paying attention and wiped out. LOL

lol thats how he does exactly! so many faceplants to count. I love it when its raining and he hurries out to go to the bathroom and runs in and hits the kitchen floor and slides to the carpet. I just am scared he might hurt his hips or something, the last thing i wanna do is make it worse >>

Is there anything i can do to help his hips develop more? ive been reading up on glucosamine(sp?) he already takes calcium daily and gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

He has learned from 8 weeks to now
Sit
Down
Spin
Up
Focus
His name
Easy
Shake/other paw
high five (he jumps up and double shakes both hands)
working on stay

smart little boogers, to smart sometimes >> goes out and comes in like two mins later and goes and waits for me to give him a treat. Does that constantly lol Its hard to get him to focus sometimes he gets so excited and just starts offering tricks or just lays down focuses on me and waits. Having alot of problems getting him to heel he wants to just sit in front of me and show me everything he can do already haha

 

[Stosh]

It could be the surface he's walking on- my pups run and play on dirt and grass, but when I started taking them to a paved walking path they began limping a bit. So I walked next to the path and only walked a short time on the paved pathways. My friend who's a runner said 'duh- it's hard'.

 

[jakeandrenee]

Careful with the calcium too much isn't good for his bones while he is growing....if you are feeding a good kibble you don't need to give him supplements. JMO

Swimming is a great way to strengthen the hips without impact. Keep him on a long line and toss a floating water toy...I use a long piece of ski rope because it floats and doesn't get tangled...

 

[LondonnZack]

Careful with the calcium too much isn't good for his bones while he is growing....if you are feeding a good kibble you don't need to give him supplements. JMO

Swimming is a great way to strengthen the hips without impact. Keep him on a long line and toss a floating water toy...I use a long piece of ski rope because it floats and doesn't get tangled...

oh i didnt know that! the vet gave it to me to give to him to help with his ears? lol But since his ears are up i will stop giving it to him.

 

[selzer]

I agree, you are being a bit paranoid about the hips. Checking them at the next vet check up is probably not the thing to do. The ONLY way to diagnose HD is through hip x-rays, you really need someone who will position the pup properly and then have it read by some organization that does that.

What this means is that the dog will need to be a certain number of months old even for preliminary x-rays and then they may not be the final answer. Furthermore, only some vets will do this without anesthetic and still get good shots. I would not subject my puppy to the anesthesia unless they were x-rays that could be certified.

Puppies are growing and clumsy and tire quickly. Let him run and jump and play all he wants. Do not force him to go any distances. Do not supplement with calcium, that can negatively effect the joints. Do not let him become overweight, that can cause problems as well. Do not neuter him before the growth plates close, that can cause problems too.

 

[LondonnZack]

I agree, you are being a bit paranoid about the hips. Checking them at the next vet check up is probably not the thing to do. The ONLY way to diagnose HD is through hip x-rays, you really need someone who will position the pup properly and then have it read by some organization that does that.

What this means is that the dog will need to be a certain number of months old even for preliminary x-rays and then they may not be the final answer. Furthermore, only some vets will do this without anesthetic and still get good shots. I would not subject my puppy to the anesthesia unless they were x-rays that could be certified.

Puppies are growing and clumsy and tire quickly. Let him run and jump and play all he wants. Do not force him to go any distances. Do not supplement with calcium, that can negatively effect the joints. Do not let him become overweight, that can cause problems as well. Do not neuter him before the growth plates close, that can cause problems too.

There is just such a mix of info out there, i had read that if there were hip problems finding out before 16 weeks was best. I guess that was wrong? I know about the OFA stuff i read all of the info i could find on it, i wouldnt subject him to that, i just wanted the vet to check and see if he hurt himself playing, maybe i am being a bit paranoid but im only looking out for my pup I dont force him to do anything when we walk we take it easy and it isnt on pavement. I take him to the water when i can but its so cold lately thats not always easy. I was told by my vet to give him the calcium, I was not told til now that he could hurt him and im not giving him anymore. I do not plan on neutering him period. If i do it will be much much later in life. He isnt overweight, he is actually very slender because he is so active, i just dont want him underweight either. Id rather be overly cautious than not care at all and let him make an injury worse by jumping and playing if there is indeed something wrong. I dont think theres anything wrong with that

 

[LondonnZack]

It could be the surface he's walking on- my pups run and play on dirt and grass, but when I started taking them to a paved walking path they began limping a bit. So I walked next to the path and only walked a short time on the paved pathways. My friend who's a runner said 'duh- it's hard'.

I missed this post, the issue is where i work i take him everyday. Its all wood floors and very slippery. He was running through the house and i noticed him slam into a piano. Its why i started getting concerned after reading that these types of floors arent very good for them. Im glad i have this place and people like you guys to help. I just worry about his safety and wanna make sure im doing right by him, thats my only goal.

 

[selzer]

There is just such a mix of info out there, i had read that if there were hip problems finding out before 16 weeks was best. I guess that was wrong? I know about the OFA stuff i read all of the info i could find on it, i wouldnt subject him to that, i just wanted the vet to check and see if he hurt himself playing, maybe i am being a bit paranoid but im only looking out for my pup I dont force him to do anything when we walk we take it easy and it isnt on pavement. I take him to the water when i can but its so cold lately thats not always easy. I was told by my vet to give him the calcium, I was not told til now that he could hurt him and im not giving him anymore. I do not plan on neutering him period. If i do it will be much much later in life. He isnt overweight, he is actually very slender because he is so active, i just dont want him underweight either. Id rather be overly cautious than not care at all and let him make an injury worse by jumping and playing if there is indeed something wrong. I dont think theres anything wrong with that

Look up pano as well. Because pano can cause limping. It generally goes away on its own, it is from growing quickly and the film on the long bones becomes inflamed and hurt -- growing pains. It is self-limiting and usually does not cause any problems.

I gave some advice about hip/joint health. Wasn't attacking you, just saying. Another big thing is what you are feeding him. If you are feeding him puppy food, that can actually make a difference as well. The problem is, we get sucked in by the marketing and seeing these huge names on TV, and think we are feeding awesome food, but the foods not only are not premium, they can actually cause problems in our puppies.

There is a lot of information here about the best foods to feed puppies.

If a dog DOES have hip dysplasia, one of the worst things to do is to restrict exercise. No, we do not want a puppy to have an injury longer because we did not take action, but we also do not want to restrict our puppy from doing natural puppy stuff, because he is growing and developing, he should run and jump and play.

 

[KZoppa]

i dunno if these will help. this is Shasta when she was about 4.5 months old.

 

[Chicagocanine]

Is there anything i can do to help his hips develop more? ive been reading up on glucosamine(sp?) he already takes calcium daily and gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

Yes, skip the long walks or other forced exercise (meaning any exercise where the dog is not 'calling the shots' such as leashed walks/runs, biking, treadmills, etc.) Limit jumping and avoid slippery surfaces.
Running and playing are good exercise as long as the surface is not slippery.

Over supplementation can be harmful too. Too much calcium can lead to skeletal growth problems. The diet can also play a role, what are you feeding?

You can read more about this here:
https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm

 

[LondonnZack]

Thanks again you guys

I have been feeding him beneful i had switched him off puppyfood from the breeder. I know now that beneful(original) is bad after looking at everything on it today, im going to switch him off of it. Im not sure to what atm, When he came home from the breeder i put him on BB. He hated it and it gave him very very loose HORRIBLY smelling stools which was during the potty training time so yea>> not very good lol. Im not sure what to switch him to tbh, I am limited by what i can get here because im in rural mississippi.

I cannot afford to raw feed him which is what i was looking into because my god thats expensive as much as id love to give him the very best of everything i have to set limits because i have other rescue animals as well and im not rich by any means. I have went to numerous websites and tried to locate a local vendor or supplier for the better foods listed but still decently priced foods but havent had much luck.

I went to petco about 30 mins from me for most of his supplies treats etc But havent been back yet, thats pretty much the only place i can get him food besides the co-op.

I could go by there and see what brands they have and post them here and see if any of them are good? Would that work? Again I wasnt angry I just dont want people to think im freaking out over nothing, I wasnt aware of pano, he dreams a ton and hes getting big so fast that would be a much better explanation of what it could be. It really could be nothing. I just wanted to see the general opinion on how these guys grow and things that might freak a new owner like myself out after reading stuff online. HD is serious and if another owner is worried and finds this thread later and it helps then yay!

Question though to ChicagoCanine, is it okay if i take him on hikes and stuff? Ive watched maggies vids and basically take him on stuff like she does with her pups. Ill let him chill out awhile, any suggestions on when it would be okay to start taking him on walks?

 

[LondonnZack]

i dunno if these will help. this is Shasta when she was about 4.5 months old.

& ty Zoppa, those were very good vids, he walks like your pup with his back legs kinda turned inwards, hes a straight back so tyvm again and again you guys have def. put my mind at ease Ive seriously been worried about this since i read it before i got him and was ignorant to alot of stuff when i got him. Bad mistake i know but i hadnt planned on ever finding a white GSD breeder anywhere near me, when i finally found one i got so lucky that she had a litter and i got to pick the first one I love him to death, hes the best dog ive ever owned.