Nelly is so clumsy and has no fear. She jumps up and falls on her back ALOT. I can't stop her being excited and I'm not a super human with super speed to catch her in time. I just took her outside for a wee and she jumped up at the door and then fell on her back on to the edge of the concrete step!!! Ahhhhh! It was awful! She yelped and it shocked her but she seems to be fine now. It scares me so much and she makes me so paranoid. She will trip up and catch her leg or twist her leg a bit and then I can't stop watching the way she walks and I almost think I'm looking for something to be wrong with her all the time. One minute I think she's limping and then all I can do is watch her so carefully but it's obsessive and I get so worried that I think I'm making it up that she's limping! Is this just puppies or does she sound particularly bad? Do pups just not have boundaries and don't understand that they'll hurt themselves? Again, I think I just need reassurance.
I was the same - puppies are clumsy and no we are not superhuman. I used to stand on Bailey's paws A LOT when he was tiny and forever around my feet. Usually when I was carrying something so I couldn't see him. The yell he used to let out made my blood run cold and I felt sick - he would whine and limp for a few steps. I would then rush to pick him up, cuddle him, soothe him, apologise, cry etc etc etc - until my OH pointed out that as soon as I picked Bailey up he was wagging his tail and body in joy! That said we had only had Bailey two weeks and he was running around like a lunatic inside and he went around a corner too fast - we heard a yelp and he was limping badly and crying with each step. Emergency call to the vet who said bring him in but in two hours time, in the meantime keep him still and quiet - yeah right! Anyway after the two hours rest, he was a lot better and when the vet saw him she said he had probably just tweaked a muscle. Since that day although he has had no recurring issue with the leg, I still watch just to make sure if he's been running around. I think puppies don't know boundaries and no they definitely do not know they can hurt themselves! But the good thing is they are pretty robust little things and I am sure buried somewhere deep within their puppy brain is a sense of self preservation! Do what you can but don't sweat it too much - much can be trained but it takes time to accomplish this in the meantime we do the best we can!
You sound just like me! I am constantly watching Snowie for any sign of discomfort, spending most of my time in a state of anxiety worrying about his wellbeing. And he's FIVE years old! But he has a slipped lumbar disc and, when on sea sand, you can see drag marks where he doesn't properly place his back left foot (nerve damage?). I don't know what one can do. He is super-confident and has such a joie de vivre that he inevitably hurts himself. We went away for two weeks to a beach house. On the first morning I took him for a walk on a lovely path above rock pools. We've done that walk tons of times (we go there every year), but this year he raced around, and he limped for an ENTIRE week after that! He had hurt the insides of his paws (between the pads), licked them raw, and limped. Of course I was worried he'd slipped a disc in his neck cos this was a front foot limp. But on closer inspection I discovered the raw skin and plied it with antibiotic gel and then Vaseline to create a barrier, cos he limped worse on the sand. So, for a week I was in a state of anxiety on what was meant to be a lovely relaxing time. When all was healed and he stopped limping, I could enjoy myself! Oh boy... I suppose I just need to change my attitude cos it doesn't look like Snowie is going to stop his excitement (which I do love, I must confess!). This is after dislocating his paw on a mountain path cos he was racing up and down with a doggy friend (Dec), abrading his cornea while playing with a younger, bigger dog (also Dec), and now the raw paws and limping (Jan). What next??
That's one adventurous pup! If only they knew what they do to us! Hang in there at least he's having fun I guess!!
When Pongo was little I swear he was a complete kami-kaze pilot. It terrified me. But he always seemed to bounce.
Same...the number of times my puppy would skid across the floor and clonk his head against the wall at full speed :O No worse for it though! Except for maybe my blood pressure at the time...
We have a big garden on a 1 in 3 slope. Pongo would launch himself from the top, hurl himself down the (near vertical) terraces, take a flying leap off the 4 foot wall at the bottom and land in a heap at our feet at the bottom. Then he'd pelt all the way up the hill to do it again. I think it's their equivalent of a white-knuckle fairground ride. Meanwhile I was reading on this forum how important it is to limit a young pup's exercise, try to carry him up steps to save his delicate joints, not let him jump too much til fully grown....
OMG it is so good to read of another crazy pup! My girl is the same, throwing herself about, leaping, jumping, hurling herself hither and thither! All the while I am thinking about the 'limit your pup's activity' comments. When she first came home she spent a day being nervous of the garden steps and then next thing she's jumping up and down them like a gambolling lamb!
Shadow was the same. Willow was always pretty sensible, but Shadow was such a "boy". Throwing himself down hills without any consideration, leaping things without looking. He would (and still does) jump onto the back of the sofa and then off onto the floor. When he grew a bit, he could actually jump from the floor at the front of the sofa, over it and land behind it. He's insane! You can limit it as much as possible, but with dogs like that, I think you just have to get used to the heart-in-mouth moments.
I think Bailey was reading this thread earlier as today he saw someone he loves, who always makes a great big fuss of him, lets him jump up for cuddles (despite me asking them not to let him but they really are so sweet on each other) - well Bailey spotted him and went running over, went to jump up (as Norman bent down to catch him, as they always do), Bailey's back feet slipped on some mud and he slipped over, managing to land smack on his back on concrete . All afternoon and this evening I keep running my hand down his back to check for bruising, broken bones, and anything else my vivid imagination can come up with. Bailey loving the attention but still running around like a loon and no ill effects, he really can not understand why mum keeps looking closely at his back, but if she would like to scratch that bit....no that bit just there!
