[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Kips momma

I know this much: my little guy trail runs with me 6 days a week..he is still a pup at 9 mos old, but my oh my he thinks he's Tarzan! He jumps up on fallen logs, and is not satisfied to just jump back down...he has to walk the entire length of the log, even if it means ascending to the stars! Then he'll turn around and go back until he feels comfortable jumping back down, many times a distance I'm not comfortable with, but has never yelped or showed any signs of injury! This is my first Yorkie though, so hopefully I'm not just being foolish with little Kip, but my goodness he is just SO FULL OF HIMSELF running in those woods- who a, I to interfere??

Just my .02:

Please check with your vet before allowing that kind of activity out a 9-month-old. I know I probably sound like a know-it-all -- believe me, I do not know it all -- but I did the same thing when my now-9-year-old was young and have always regretted it.

I learned later that dogs have growth plates that can take a year or more to close. For that reason, most agility schools don't allow dogs of any breed to begin training until they are older than 1 year.

I encouraged my first puppy to jump over logs, up on benches, over creeks and took him on vigorous walks up mountains. Is that why he's had surgery on both back legs since? I don't know, but I often wonder.