How to build muscle and exercise a high-energy dog with weak joints?

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Prev. question answered by Kevin Sanada (thankyou & sorry for the shorthand, ran out of characters. & 4/9..??) Cont.: Leizel is a 2 on the body condition scale-slightly under & was a 2-thin when we adopted her. The limp we took to the vet for disappeared before we added the recommended gluco/msm so I'm skeptical in "early arthritis," Vet. That in mind, I want to put a bit more muscle on her & start strength training. Recommended routine for potentially weak joints but very high energy 1-2yo? Pet's info: Dog | Alsatian | Female | spayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 67 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

OK, yeah, early arthritis is likely just an educated guess, but a good one for German Shepherds, because they do tend to get arthritis more commonly. It could be a soft tissue injury or something else causing the limp. A 2/9 BCS is rather surprising. Usually a shelter would not adopt them out at that low of condition. It's best to have a vet confirm the BCS, because we do this all the time. I've known many German Shepherds that are naturally around a 3-4 and do great. The scientific evidence shows u that skinny dogs live longer and are healthier, so if she is otherwise healthy and getting good nutrition, then I would not worry too much. She should have food that is labeled for adult maintenance at this time. If you want to get some muscle on her, then it's going to get her exercise everyday. Start by walking her for 30 minutes a day. If she does that OK (not limping or sluggish afterwards) over a week's time, then start to do a 1 hour walk. If she's handling that well over a week or two, then you can start slowly adding in running and agility. For agility, you will need to find a course and probably a trainer. For running, you can either run with her or find a way to make her run - like chasing a ball or playing at the dog park. Again, start slow - like 15 minutes, then work your way up to 1-3 hours a day. It all really depends on how much time you have. However, these dogs were born to work/exercise, so the more you do, the better it is for her physically and mentally (bored German Shepherds tend to cause a lot of trouble). If you find that she is not gaining muscle with the exercise and is still very thin, then you can try getting a dog food labeled for athletes. This has a considerable amount more calories and is usually only given to working dogs (military, police, sled dogs).

How to build muscle and exercise a high-energy dog with weak joints?

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