I have a 6 month old female that loves to jump. We recently moved her crate on top of our other dogs crate just to see if she would actually be able to jump in to it from the ground. Its about 24" off the ground and she effortlessly jumps up in to it and back down from it. Its very entertaining to watch, but I'm worried that she might hurt herself. Should we be allowing her to do this given that she is still so young? Is there any risk of her damaging her joints from repetitive jumping at this early of an age? Thanks!
Too much jumping bad for puppies?
- Thread starter hatfielj
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Jill's boxer
Banned
Aside from the possibility that she could hurt herself jumping, I do not think putting her crate on top of the other dog's crate is a good idea.
Yes, it can damage her joints. If she jumps around during play, that's no particular problem, but I wouldn't be encouraging her to jump like that - especially repetitively. Better that her crate goes back on the ground 
The reason that it can be a problem is because she is still growing. And that means her growth plates are still open (probably still visibly open). Growth plates are those soft areas at the ends of all her long bones that allow for growth. But being soft, they're also very vulnerable to injury And the sorts of things that injure are repetitive stresses (you shouldn't take a puppy on runs or extended walks, for example), impacts (jumping) and extreme exertion such as weaving (as in agility).
The growth plates will close and harden somewhere between 14-18 months of age. Obviously, that is when she will be finished growing. From that age onward, it's safe for her to jump, but until that time, I really wouldn't encourage it. What she does herself in play is fine, but it's best that you wait till she's mature before encouraging her to do more than that.
The reason that it can be a problem is because she is still growing. And that means her growth plates are still open (probably still visibly open). Growth plates are those soft areas at the ends of all her long bones that allow for growth. But being soft, they're also very vulnerable to injury
And the sorts of things that injure are repetitive stresses (you shouldn't take a puppy on runs or extended walks, for example), impacts (jumping) and extreme exertion such as weaving (as in agility).The growth plates will close and harden somewhere between 14-18 months of age. Obviously, that is when she will be finished growing. From that age onward, it's safe for her to jump, but until that time, I really wouldn't encourage it. What she does herself in play is fine, but it's best that you wait till she's mature before encouraging her to do more than that.
Yes, you should 
It sounds as though she'd enjoy it!
And if you don't want to wait till she's 18 months, you can actually start earlier (around a year). Just avoid the really stressful agility activities like weaving and jumping till she's closer to the 18 month mark, is all
It sounds as though she'd enjoy it!And if you don't want to wait till she's 18 months, you can actually start earlier (around a year). Just avoid the really stressful agility activities like weaving and jumping till she's closer to the 18 month mark, is all
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