Whether it’s a human baby, a puppy, a kitten, or a baby elephant, all creatures have certain physical limits up to a certain age. It takes time after birth for a young’s bones, muscles, and cartilage to grow sturdy enough to support physical strain outside of the necessary work. Puppies are no exception.

A lot of people get a working breed such as a Belgian Malinois or Border Collie with the goal of doing agility. What is less commonly known is that having your puppy perform agility exercises before they mature at one year old is not good for them. This will cause damage to the puppy’s growth plates, destroying their probability of ever succeeding in the agility world.

Growth plate issues can be fixed, although their functionality can never be entirely restored. The series of surgeries and equipment needed to correct this preventable issue costs thousands of dollars and needs to be performed by a certified orthopedic veterinary surgeon.

Excessively having your puppy run up stairs and jump in and out of a car, or if you have a jumper, can be dangerous. Instead of jumping straight to the agility exercises, you could start obedience training at eight weeks old so that your puppy will be well-behaved when it comes time to show them the agility equipment.

Be careful and have fun with your working puppy.