Will doing agility with my Shepherd increase the chance that he can develop hip dysplasia?
well its actually good for him cause it gives him good exericise and sometimes dogs get that form lack of exercise u should do it but only when his bones are fully developed like u said but if u choose to do it make sure the agility training isnt to how hard like that puts too much pressure on the bones but ya u should definetly try it but always ask the vet if its ok for him to do it just for safety:)
The answer is no it is not really bad…the exercise will be really great for the dog. The more exercise the less chance of your GS having hip dysplasia. But know your dog’s limits. We have a GS and found out her breeder has dogs with that problem and am worried about it too. But our dog loves water and alll exercises in water. I think you just need to gauge your dog’s ability and go with it. Keep up with vet visits and learn to watch your GS’s movements. Since Kodak is that young you have time to consider the options.
Agility IS a stress on joints and connective tissue and bones, as is any jumping/pounding/twisting movements. BUT if you keep the level of shock down until the dog is fairly developed in connective tissue and joint/bone, usually around 18 months to two years of age, then it usually doesn’t cause much in the way of issues IF the dog is not already predisposed to bone/joint issues. It cannot CAUSE hip dysplasia but it can exacerbate issues with a dyspalstic dog – I know dogs that have done some pretty extensive training and trialing in a variety of venues that have HD but they were not stressed too young and the degree of stressors were kept minimal when it wasn’t necessary to make them higher – i.e. jump heights minimal for general training, landing surfaces not hard (grass fields are nice), etc.. If you overdo it when the dog is still developing, it can indeed cause issues with the joints but if you simply train without excess then it shouldn’t produce a problem that doesn’t already ex
