Jumping for Puppies - Go Pitbull .com

dan'sgrizz · 11-20-2008, 05:37 PM

I recently made a flirt pole out of a buggy whip and a rag. Grizz loves to chase it around but he wont jump for it i asked my good friend "the breeder" about this and he said "puppies will know when they can start jumping his bones are to weak right now and he might get hurt, and he knows it." This seemed like good advice to me but i was wondering if anyone else had some incite for me? Thanks in advance.

BedlamBully · 11-20-2008, 05:41 PM

yeah...........

You will want to be careful using a flirt pole with a young puppy. It can stress their little joint and be hard on their teeth. Sometimes it can even yank their teeth out. Having them chase it on the ground is fine, just be gentle pulling back when they tug. I wouldn't try lifting him by his teeth or anything until his adult teeth come in. He will still jump for it, regardless of hurting himself or not.

Using a buggy whip is a good idea though, I think I have one in my garage.

trutildeath360 · 11-20-2008, 09:24 PM

yeah i had the same experience with my boy...i had a flirt pole for him since he was very young about 2 to 3 months...he would love chasing it but would never jump for it..slowly he started to but when he did it he looked real awkward doing it and would sometimes not land right.. but slowly as he started getting older his jumping got better sort of like he was figuring it out for himself which in reality he was...now hes like 10 months old and jumping his a## off...
he can jump very high now about 3 to 4 feet or more off the ground and has no problem landing....your boy will surely get better as he gets older i would suggest letting him do it a little at a time with a lot of encouragement and a lot of praise when he does to help build his confidence....and in a few months hell be suprising you with how high he can jump im sure..

http://www.myspace.com/absolution360

dan'sgrizz · 11-21-2008, 05:48 PM

Awesome. Thanks for the advice guys. Yah the buggy whip works great its kinda rugged and springy so he doesnt tear it up. I stay pretty careful about his little teeth he doesnt tug on it much. I use it for his agility he can turn corners on a dime and it has realy helped with his acceleration. I think his quik reflex muscles really get a good work out. After about 5 or 10 minutes of play his legs are YACKED! hahaha i love his little puppy muscles.

Jblondie813 · 12-07-2008, 03:44 PM

I need to make a flirt pole. My pup is 12 wks and he tries so hard to jump for anything. He's crazy. He's still working on his landing haha

dan'sgrizz · 12-07-2008, 05:46 PM

Ive known pups to jump from the top of staircases to get to something they want. You really have to watch certain pups to keep them safe...its like kidslol. just because they want to do a back flip out of a swing doesnt mean its not gonna break there arm. damn that seemed like a good idea at the time....play ground legend to this day.

Jblondie813 · 12-07-2008, 06:20 PM

Oh yeah. I don't push him and its only for toys. I'm definitely not stupid about it. I only put it just a little above his head just to make him get his front legs up. I don't necessarily want him jumping in the air yet. He's a little wabble walker! lol he falls on his face so much just by a little nudge.
Thats something I really want to get into with my pup. The agility training I need all the info I can get cuz I want him to eventually chill and play on a spring pole.

haha I take it that was you that wanted to to a backflip off of a swing?!
...Ouch! lol
when I was 8 I only liked to ride bikes out infront of cars..by accident
haha and slip and fall in the mud and break my wrist.
Oh to be young and dumb again! lol

Patch-O-Pits · 12-07-2008, 06:26 PM

My two cents....

Just because they can jump doesn't mean it should be something encouraged or overdone at that young of an young age.

I don't let pups make their own choices LOL. So I don't agree that they know when they are ready or not to do something. A drivey pup doesn't know anything about his bones; all he knwos is he wants to play with the toy.
Heck I have adult dogs that would play until they pass out if I let them see the point I'm making?

Strenuous exercises and too much jumping can cause injuries and too much stress on growing joints and connective tissue which is asking for a problem in my opinion.

Of course they will jump and play naturally as they are learning and developing... they do not however need to be encouraged or enticed to do so on a regular basis.
There is plenty of tie for that when they have matured and many other things you could be working on with the pup.

As for using a flirt or spring pole, there is nothing wrong with using them but I'd suggest having the pup keep all four on the floor.

dan'sgrizz · 12-07-2008, 06:46 PM

Great post patch O pits. Well said.