Laurie's Blogs.

So my friend, Dr. David Lane, asked me this question:

Have you formulated a policy about the age at which dogs should begin dock diving, and what training should look like? A client has posed that inquiry to me.  The facility seems more concerned with the impact of running, but I'm concerned more about the repeated exertion of maximal effort jumping (if dog is not fit enough to do so). Anyway, I thought I would solicit for your $0.02CDN.

And the dock-diving facility had told his client that the biggest impact occurred with running on the dock.  So they start beginners on a shorter dock (20 - 30 feet instead of the typical 40 feet).  They continued to say that if a puppy is healthy, they start training at 4-months of age and allow competition at 6 months due to the lows stress.

I say hmmmmm.

So what I got back to David with was this:

"No, I've not come up with a policy, but it's not the running on the platform I'd be worried about either!

In addition to your concerns, I'd be additionally concerned about the water impact - in particular the affect on the neck.

I had one dog in the past that I think cause himself a ventral disc lesion due to water impact.  (Surgeons here told her it was biceps tendon... but thats a different story!  suffice to say I continued to tread the painful C7 and the dog got better.)

So likely waiting for about a year is smartest... given that the initial modelling of facet joints (neck or lumbar spine or the 'transition at T9 - 11')) takes place during the first year of life... 

The concern with the the maximal jumping, I've not wrapped my head around the trouble... maybe pulling on not fully united growth plates?  (Perhaps this could cause such conditions like 'Osgood Schlatters' - issue with the growth plate at the tibial tuberosity???)"

David replied:

My jumping concern wasn't growth plate related per se - more about repetitive stress of jumping as far as possible (ie: maximal effort) on muscles that may not be fully conditioned on a dog that may not yet have full co-ordination yet. Perhaps I'm being over cautious.

And well, that takes us to you!  All of you reading this...

I asked David if I could share this correspondence and then set up a survey (just 4 short questions) to ask you about YOUR thoughts about dock-diving.  Perhaps we can come up with a rational grouping of thoughts!

PLEASE  have fun by simply THINKING about this issue!

Here's the survey link:

http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/fourleg/dock-diving-puppies-dogs/

And when I get enough compiled, I look forward to sharing the answers with everyone!

Cheers,

Laurie