Yes, I strongly emphasize my new puppy owners do not encourage puppies to play and run on slippery floors, this can lead to fatal nonreversible situations! I think it is a problem for his development, particularly in regards to Joint problems and hip dysplasia.
There are thought to be two main contributing factors to hip dysplasia - hip shape and hip laxity. If a hip is malformed, such as being too shallow, the odds are high that it will become dysplastic. If a hip is lax, or in other words, if the femoral head is allowed to move around in the socket due to "loose" connective tissues that are supposed to hold the hip in place, the odds are high that it will become anywhere from mildly to severely dysplastic.
Outside of traumatic injury, the entirety of damage that is going to be done to a dog's hips, either developmentally or through things like stairs, improper exercise, repeated slipping on hard floors, is going to be done by the age of two. This is why OFA results are only accepted on dogs who are two years of age or older - before then, results are preliminary.
So, all of that leads up to your question. Is your puppy slipping and not able to get traction potentially doing damage? And the answer is yes, particularly if he has genetically lax hips, but even if he doesn't. If he has lax hips, every single time he slips, the femoral head is moving around in his hip joint and is causing damage. Even if he doesn't have lax hips, repeated slipping can cause damage that will later result in dysplasia.
I would strongly recommend that you cover all flooring he's allowed on with cheap area rugs that minimize slippage, especially during zoomies.
As well we recommend that puppies should have the opportunity to run and play in areas where there is lots of traction and grip, if you see that your puppy is full of energy and is in the mood to play and run, take him immediately outside to an area where he does has the grip to be able to run, turn, swing and do all the maneuvers his energy is calling for! , Once he is already worn out, then bring him in the house where he can be more passive and share some time in an easy, calm mood and can stay by your side or in his "Place"!
Pay attention to his energy levels and take charge of the situation when you can see he is ready for exercise, do not allow him to run in the house, to jump into sofas, to climb stairs, all of this can really create problems in his hips which are not matured t its fullest.
As well puppies that are kept locked up or in restrained areas do tend to create a debilitating condition in the rears and sometimes this can be confused for Hip Dysplasia or even DM (which is rarely seen in young puppies, it is an old dog condition) Many times you see puppies that grow in awkward stages and have long legs, long hocks and barely can control their rears, this is the
Daddy Long leg stags, seen very frequently in German Shepherds that come from certain lines that grow in different ways, but this does not mean these puppies are going to stay like that, it's just a growing stage, and they need to have ample room to exercise and strengthen their muscles and ligaments. On the other hand, if these puppies come to this stage and you do not take the adequate precautions of allowing daily exercise and freedom were to run and strengthening their muscles, it will definitely stay as a debilitating condition caused by the lack of free roam exercise!
it's your responsibility to provide proper exercise, balanced nutrition, care, and training to be able to achieve a great performance Dog! Wishing as always you find a wagging tail when you arrive home who brings the best smile from you!!
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