# Puppies aren't fragile



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I keep reading about people carrying puppies down 2 steps, severely limiting activity, worrying about over exercise, no tug until a certain age, etc...

Puppies are tough. They need to learn resiliency. They need to learn that sometimes you fall down, but getting back up and tackling the problem is rewarding. They need to learn how to navigate obstacles. They need proprioception. They need exposure to slippery, wet, hot, fluffy, hard, sharp, stinky, cold, unstable... Everything. 

They need to fall down and go boom, and then suck it up and carry on. They need to get a correction and quickly get back to fun. Raise the dog you want to live with.

I'm not suggesting you allow your 10 week old pup to repeatedly launch themselves off a tall bed. I'm not suggesting forced exercise, particularly on pavement. I'm not advocating forced anything. When puppy gets tired, let them rest. 

Valor, 11 weeks, was just today climbing up playground equipment, with expanded metal grating surfaces, and sliding down slides all on his own. I was just observing. I also put him up on a spring rocking dinosaur and he could, eventually, balance by himself. He slid off a couple times and right back up he went. He was into it so I let him try again until he got it. Lots of treats when he got it.

Fama, at 4 years old, was searching a semi trailer. It was so tall that my vertically challenged self couldn't see the deck of the trailer. There was a container that was about 15 foot from the rear that I wanted her to search. I got a hand on her harness, said up, and threw her up into what I thought was a solid floor.

I was wrong.

There was no floor.

She went right over the back, between the frame rails, and right down onto her head. She popped right out from under the trailer, gave me a look like "REALLY DAD?!?!" and went right back to work.

Video of cute puppy exercise and socialization. There is also some drive building here which I don't necessarily do.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

David Winners said:


> I keep reading about people carrying puppies down 2 steps, severely limiting activity, worrying about over exercise, no tug until a certain age, etc...
> 
> Puppies are tough. They need to learn resiliency. They need to learn that sometimes you fall down, but getting back up and tackling the problem is rewarding. They need to learn how to navigate obstacles. They need proprioception. They need exposure to slippery, wet, hot, fluffy, hard, sharp, stinky, cold, unstable... Everything.
> 
> ...


Do you not drive build at all? Or at that age? Or in that style?

Stonnie Dennis has a video for everything:


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Do you not drive build at all? Or at that age? Or in that style?
> 
> Stonnie Dennis has a video for everything:


Yes he does lol.

I'll build drive with specific exercises if it isn't there. I would say that my tug style builds drive, or taps into to it if you will. I start including misses pretty early on if it doesn't frustrate the pup to the point of quitting.

I also always have a mentor dog around that steals stuff and runs away, plays tug, chase etc... 

Depends on the dog really


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Mentor dogs! Now that's a top in itself! Allomimetic behavior! I use it all of the time. So does Stonnie! LOL


----------



## JunoVonNarnia (Apr 8, 2020)

thank you, good to know; my breeder cautioned me against stairs and playing too rough on hardwood floors.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I'm just a dumb military grunt with an opinion. I'm not suggesting you disregard what your breeder told you. I'm suggesting you do your own research.


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I totally agree. I’ve always been baffled by the trend to physically baby a puppy. They’re pretty sturdy. At the breeders, all my puppies have dashed up and down her deck stairs. Dive bombing off the deck onto each other. We would take them to the woods behind her house, and they would climb on logs and get into everything. 

The last time I carried a dog down some steps was when my very dramatic Dobe got spayed, and she was convinced she couldn’t walk down them (she could).


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

David Winners said:


> I'm just a dumb military grunt with an opinion.


 Yeahhhhh, understatement of the millennium. 😂🤣


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> Yeahhhhh, understatement of the millennium. 😂🤣


Hahaha... Rub some dirt on it and drink water. Words to live by


----------



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

My front door had three small steps leading up to it. For a week I would watch Shadow try and try. She whined and howled in broken hearted defeat. Either me or Sabs would eventually step in and give her a boost. I never carried her. And she was tiny! She would jump, miss, tumble and try again! It was a bit heart wrenching.
But then she made the first step, and then the second. And finally she made it to the door. The wiggle and wag exhibition told me that she was very pleased with herself. I think it is vital to let them conquer things. It teaches them to try. I could have just carried her, but then I am enabling a lack of confidence. 
Those steps defeated a lot of pups on the first go. But they all made it, and not one got broken trying.


----------



## Shefali (Aug 12, 2020)

dogfaeries said:


> I totally agree. I’ve always been baffled by the trend to physically baby a puppy. They’re pretty sturdy. At the breeders, all my puppies have dashed up and down her deck stairs. Dive bombing off the deck onto each other. We would take them to the woods behind her house, and they would climb on logs and get into everything.
> 
> The last time I carried a dog down some steps was when my very dramatic Dobe got spayed, and she was convinced she couldn’t walk down them (she could).


Actually, nowadays people do the same with kids. When I was growing up I would go off exploring on my own, sometimes I'd come home with a skinned knee or a bruise... I think both kids and puppies need the freedom to test limits.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

During zoomies last night, Valor made this leap. I immediately took them outside to burn off some energy lol.


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

David Winners said:


> During zoomies last night, Valor made this leap. I immediately took them outside to burn off some energy


LOL, that reminds me of when my couch was in the flight path of the dog door. Carly and Sage would jump the couch like it was an agility obstacle and fly through the dog door in one smooth move.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

"Flight path"


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

David Winners said:


> "Flight path"


It was even more fun if you were sitting on the couch at the time, lol.


----------



## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

By the time Eska was 5 months old, she wasn't just jumping DOWN the 5 steps from the kitchen to the front hallway, she was jumping UP them!!


----------



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

I thought couch vaulting was an event in the evening zoomies exhibition. Even Big Fat aka Sabi was a gold medalist.


----------



## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

When Nads was 7 months old she was trying to reach me as I was on top a stack of hay bales about 8 feet tall she tried and tried and finally basically RAN UP THE HAYSTACK!! I was so shocked but she got lots of pets when she made it to the top. I helped her down though since that’s a bit of a fall for a young dogs joints.


----------



## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

I've always looked at those puppy carrying posts with a skeptical eye. We let our pups do what they can do, and didn't push them. Although once when Tess was a year old we threw her ball over an 8 foot beach overhang on Lake Superior. We assumed she would take the path, wrong she leaped and brought the ball back.😉


----------



## SDB666 (Jan 26, 2020)

I agree, to a degree...or should I say I agree in a perfect world. 

The GSD is the 2nd most popular breed in the US, this has obviously led to a proliferation of owners and breeders who have no business doing either. A lot of the problems and 'protective measures' come from genetically messed up dogs who are prone to all kinds of issues...I'm looking at BYB and showlines (I'm sorry, don't get mad at me). 

In a true to the original, well bred, WL GSD I think the baby gloves are grossly emphasized and can do more harm than good in the long run when trying to keep you and your dog sane. 

I have an 8 month old CZ/DE WL male laying behind me who let me know very quickly I was keeping him too cooped up and he required more. I gave him more...and hes turning out to be the best dog I've ever owned. Aside from that random play mouthing that he just won't seem to stop when his excitement is at 10....I'm his favorite toy it seems.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

SDB666 said:


> I agree, to a degree...or should I say I agree in a perfect world.
> 
> The GSD is the 2nd most popular breed in the US, this has obviously led to a proliferation of owners and breeders who have no business doing either. A lot of the problems and 'protective measures' come from genetically messed up dogs who are prone to all kinds of issues...I'm looking at BYB and showlines (I'm sorry, don't get mad at me).
> 
> ...


When his excitement hits 10, grab a tug and head out for training time!

I'll agree that not all GSDs are built as sturdily as a well bred WL dog. This CarmsPack / Fraserglen litter are all built like tanks.


----------



## SDB666 (Jan 26, 2020)

David Winners said:


> When his excitement hits 10, grab a tug and head out for training time!
> 
> I'll agree that not all GSDs are built as sturdily as a well bred WL dog. This CarmsPack / Fraserglen litter are all built like tanks.
> View attachment 563611


Just got back from a little 20 min session of fetch, obedience, and tug games on my lunch break. 

Good looking pup, heres my landshark....


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

He's 4-1/2 months. 50 pounds. His front legs are the same diameter as the 2 year old, 80 pound ASL I watch. His thighs are actually thicker. And it's not a difference in activity. They both get a ton of exercise.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

SDB666 said:


> Just got back from a little 20 min session of fetch, obedience, and tug games on my lunch break.
> 
> Good looking pup, heres my landshark....
> 
> View attachment 563614


Handsome boy


----------



## SDB666 (Jan 26, 2020)

David Winners said:


> He's 4-1/2 months. 50 pounds. His front legs are the same diameter as the 2 year old, 80 pound ASL I watch. His thighs are actually thicker. And it's not a difference in activity. They both get a ton of exercise.
> 
> View attachment 563616


Very cool, you're going to have a couple of big boys there in a few months. 

My guy had massive paws at that age too. Now he's in that gangly, can't put weight on phase and looks very awkward.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

This is dad. CarmsPack Gus. He's a substantial dog.


----------



## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

David Winners said:


> He's 4-1/2 months. 50 pounds. His front legs are the same diameter as the 2 year old, 80 pound ASL I watch. His thighs are actually thicker. And it's not a difference in activity. They both get a ton of exercise.
> 
> View attachment 563616


I've noticed that, too. My ASL/GSL female has much bigger bone than my working line female, which was one of the reasons I picked her to buy when she was a pup, but the muscles and tendons are much...softer? Eska's Achilles tendon feels like a steel cable and her thigh muscles are hard as rocks!


----------

