01/04/2026
To all the new puppy parents: I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!
When you finally welcome your 8 week-old puppies, please keep this image in mind. Them bones ain’t even touching yet. They walk so beautifully with big, flexible legs and backward movements because their joints are made up entirely of cartilages, muscles, tendons and ligaments covered in skin. Nothing is properly tuned or has any real grip yet.
When you overrun them or don't limit their exercise to stop them from overdoing during that time, you're not giving them a chance to grow properly. Every great, bouncy, exciting jump or race causes ripples between the bones.
In reasonable quantities, it's not a problem and normal wear and tear that will operate.
But when you let the puppy jump off the couch or bed, take him for long walks, you damage that joint in training. When you let the puppy move on slippery tiles, you damage the joint.
You only get to make them grow up once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent upbringing and good upbringing. BOTH, not just one.
Once you're an adult, you'll have the rest of your life to spend playing and engaging in high-impact exercises. So keep him quiet while he's still little and give him the gift that can only be given once.
