Hey,

So I read in earlier posts that husky puppies shouldn't really be running because it's bad on their joints. Kyra is just shy of 9 weeks and she has such a huge urge to run already. Every time we go for a walk she starts to jog, i'll pull her back to stop but she will just start up again, she pulls to run a straight line, if she sees a hill, she tries to run up it, and every time we hit a certain spot outside on our way in, she will sprint it to the door! I usually always have her on a short leash, the odd time I will allow her off leash in a secure area, my boyfriend has her off leash a lot more than I do. I'm worried about her joints this young when she's trying so hard to run. Any suggestions? or is it not as bad as i'm thinking?

Ideally they shouldn't run yet; It doesn't mean they won't 100% of the time but the idea is to limit it as much as possible.

On a walk unless wanted you should never allow an impromptu run when they want. It's fine now as she probably weights nothing, but when they get to 40 or 50 pounds and know how to kick it into gear all you need is to be on a patch of ice and you'll take a nice tumble.

This is something, especially on walks, you should be trying to hinder as much as possible at this early and influential age.


If she starts to pull Stop all forward motion. Wait until she gives up and try and get her to come back to you and in an acceptable position. The idea you're trying to get across is when the lead gets tight we stop moving.


Another thing you can try that works very well is starting to change directions at random times. If she starts to get in front of you and looks like she is ready to pull or "forget" her leach manners make a sharp right turn. You can even do a full square and get back on course.


The younger you start to in still leash manners the better in the end. Just don't be forceful and instead try and be smart about it. Eventually either stopping all forward motion or showing you are the one who should be watched for sudden changes in direction should sink in. This SHOULD limit the about of time your pup runs off.


Another good tool you can use is starting to say a command word when you allow your little girl to be at the full extend of your leash (We use FREE). We still won't allow pulling at this time but it lets them know they can go all out and explore a bit more then walking beside us on the street. If you keep using it and the trigger is Freedom, to an extend, they tend to pick up on that as well.

best of luck,
~Chris~


ETA - Been a long drive in due to a snow storm.

Just wanted to add fast if Kyra is only 9 weeks you can also for the time being limit the amount of actual walks.

Mental stimulation will exhausted her so much more right now and has the added benefit of being safe on the her joints and help the bounding process.

Create a game you can play inside, or learn some commands or tricks. Get one of those treat puzzle and let her have at it.

The current snow will be much much safer on her joints then cement, but you can achieve so much more by just staying home for the time being and bonding and training.

She's a puppy with lots of energy, of course she wants to run and play. And she can do all the free play and running she wants in the yard, but not on a structured walk. At 9 weeks old she's too young to even take on a walk of any significance anyway. Let her get all her running out in the yard and inside the house if you choose to allow it, but not on structured walks.

Generally the rule is +5 minutes to EACH walk per month after her last set of shots. IMO, she's much too young to go out in public. Puppies can easily a lot of diseases (some adult dogs aren't vaccinated), when they are out and about like that...weak immune systems and all.

In the meantime, you can tire her out by playing with her in the yard, as well as training her. Mental stimulation, especially with puppies, is a great way to tire them out...in addition to the obvious benefits of actually training them!

My Suka most likely developed his arthritis (diagnosed at only 4 years old - way too young!) because he was exercised too much as a puppy. It's very painful for him, some days he struggles to even stand up, and expensive for us...daily joint supplements alone cost us $60 a month, and pain meds are more than twice that.
It's also sad. I mean, when he's on his pain meds, the pain is completely gone...and I see a completely different dog. He's all playful, interested in everything, and he acts his age - usually he acts like he's 13 years old and barely hanging on...he'd rather sleep all day than exercise because it bothers him so much.

The only reason why he isn't on pain meds all the time, is because it makes his joints worse because he stresses them and doesn't 'take it easy'. Doc said I should only use the pain meds for when he gets flare-ups so he doesn't unintentionally make things worse.

So yeah...moral of the story, don't mess around when it comes to your dog's health. Don't take chances. If I ever met Suka's first owners, I would kick them in the nuts for causing him this much pain!! (Even though they probably did it unintentionally!)