The Orthopedically Sound German Shepherd

Everyone who owns a German Shepherd has some level of concern regarding hips.  Most vets like to “palpate” the hips and “feel for looseness”.  This is misleading.  It is also misleading that if your puppy sits sideways or "bunny hops" while running that they have dysplasia.  This is simply NOT true.  Puppy hips are loose when they are young and they tighten up as they get older.  If you have any concerns at all, the ONLY way to know the hip status is to X-RAY the hips.  There is NO need for the dog to be put under anesthesia for this procedure.  All of my adults and young puppies are x-rayed fully awake.  If your vet has a concern about the x-rays, send them to OFA for their opinion.  Bad positioning can give you a false result so make sure your vet is fully qualified to take and read x-rays.  It is important to understand that there is a possibility that a puppy from my kennel or any other kennel can develop hip dysplasia, even though every dog we breed has had it's hips x-rayed and has good hips. In fact every dog in the last 10+ generations of our breeding stock has certified hips. I wish that I could say that a pup from my program will never have bad hips. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Because of the nature of the breed (and other factors listed below), there is still a small risk that a dog from my kennel can have a bad hip.  Breed average is around 19% dysplastic based upon x-rays submitted to the OFA.  Our average over the past 10 years has been .04% based upon information we have received from our owners and our own x-rays.  Our selective breeding and new owner education seems to have really paid off.

Hip dysplasia has four major causes: * genetics  *nutrition   * over feeding   *excessive exercise at a young age

New owners need to also be very careful of over exercising a pup.  The German Shepherd breed grows and develops very rapidly and by 14 months of age your puppy should be it’s full adult size.  However, your puppy will continue to fill out and become more mature looking until 3-5 years of age.  It is VERY important to your new puppy for the first 6 months of your puppy’s life NOT to let it go up and down stairs on a regular basis.  If you have stairs in your home you will need to carry your puppy.  Puppies have bones that fuse in their elbows and growth plates in their hips.  Going up and down stairs can cause a lot of pressure and stress on them.  It CAN cause future problems if these are not fused and closed properly.  We also recommend that for the first YEAR you do NOT let your puppy jump in and out of anything higher than 24 inches off of the ground.  This includes pick up trucks, high porches, etc.  Once again, this causes a lot of stress on young developing elbows and hips.  You should assist your puppy in and out of such vehicles until a year of age.  Also in regard to developing bones and joints, we DO NOT recommend any type of forced exercise or road work prior to 12 months of age.  Just every day normal puppy play is enough to keep your pup fit until its body is done fusing bones and closing growth plates.  After a year of age your puppy, if fit, can easily join you on a 12 mile run or bike ride.  Just give them the time to grow up first!  Their hips and elbows will thank you for it  :)

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