Is it safe for my growing puppy to use stairs, or should I carry him?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can start doing this at anytime. It is all about not over doing it so perhaps keeps this limited to once daily. Also, I would consider relying more on walks (perhaps longer walks) than using the stairs at least until his bones are more developed (at least after 1 year of age). Good luck and have a nice day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In general, I'm not concerned about an otherwise healthy puppy doing stairs and small jumps. If the couch is particularly high, try to discourage this but otherwise I'm not terribly worried. That being said, I do occasionally see puppies who land too hard from a jump and are now limping with an apparent strain or sprain. Usually, a few days of rest and pain medication is all that is needed but it can still be scary. Of course, if there is an underlying problem, Coco would need to be more careful. Hope this sets your mind at ease. Best of luck to you and Coco!

I don't see any reason why she can't go up and down the stairs. As long as she is not falling when she's doing it. I am not worried about her hips. She should be just fine. IF the stairs are slippery and don't have good traction and the fact she is a puppy, I would just watch and make sure she's not being too crazy going as fast as she can. Then I would worry she could slip and hurt herself but not necessarily her hips. have fun with your new little girl!!

Small, long bodied dogs like Luna may be prone to more back and knee issues. Generally stairs are fine. Try to limit the jumping though. Try to train them to use doggie stairs to get on the furniture. Sometimes this is easier said than done :) Big things are to make sure they don't get heavy and to have them examined regularly for any signs of joint disease. Eventually they will likely go on a joint supplement as well to support good health. Hope this answers you question!

The biggest concern we have with puppies is repetitive pounding on concrete, so I don't recommend any running on concrete until their growth plates are closed (around 12-18 monhts). Walks are fine on any surface, so you can walk Pharah for as long as she is able to walk as she is growing without any concerns. And running on soft grassy areas is fine. I have not seen any studies on stairs with growing puppies, but it certainly can't hurt to train her to go down the stairs slowly to minimize the repetitive pounding on her joints as she goes down the stairs. I wouldn't worry about going up the stairs, or jumping off the couch or out of the car. We don't know if any of these things affect hips, but we do know that keeping a dog lean is very protective of hip problems, so keep Pharah thin. Congrats on your new baby! I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. I am so glad that you are considering adopting Bucephalus. You do not indicate his age, but I would not expect a young(er) & healthy dog like this to have any difficulties with the stairs. As he ages, arthritis might limit his ability to climb 4 stories, but this could be the case with about any other breed of dog. If you manage his weight so he does not get obese, & make sure he gets regular exercise to prevent early onset of arthritis, he should do just fine. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Hip dysplasia is a genetic disease. Some dogs are born with that problem and they are prone to show discomfort or difficulties to walk even from young age. Walking up and down the stairs does not cause dysplasia, but dogs with dysplastic hips should avoid stairs.