Training with HD

[jonesjoyful]

Ok..as you may have read..I have a newly dx pup with bilateral mod-severe HD..We did puppy kindergarten and are enrolled for basic obedience beginning april 8...she has just recently started limping and showing no interest in daily walks..we are attempting to find the right med for her (so far rimadyl has offered the only "immediate" relief)...should i force her to do this class..she really needs it for manners but would I be pushing her too much..I feel like she needs to get some exercise and socialization with other dogs...thanks for all your input!

[rencook]

Definitely get her into class-just make sure the trainer is aware of her condition-I've trained many dogs w/HD-I do not force them to hold sits for long periods, and the owners know when they are tired-and take more frequent breaks. A class will help tire her out mentally, and also learn new things!

[poohbearsmom]

You can teach manners without straining her rear end that much. If one position is too uncomfortable for her; sit, for instance, have her down instead.

Teach her by luring her with the reward, rather than forcing her butt down with your hands.

Basically, you need to understand that she's probably going to live with discomfort. Once she's done growing, this may subside a bit. Decide what "level" of discomfort is acceptable, and just keep her within those parameters. Do not spoil her simply because she's got physical issues, but do keep in mind her discomfort when asking things of her (!!!).

Depending upon the severity of her hip dysplasia, you may want to talk to your veterinarian about options (surgery vs no surgery, etc...), keeping in mind your financial abilities to cope with everything.
As well, talk to your veterinarian about pain management, swimming, etc... Keep her thin!

We opted not to perform surgery on our Attila. He has moderate CHD in both hips (was dx at 6-7mos with fair/moderate). This disease will get worse with wear and tear and arthritic changes, but, Attila will be 6yo this year, and is still going pretty strong. We are lucky. Attila has a marvelous time "hunting" for toys in the backyard, etc.... this keeps him from overdoing it by chasing the ball, and he can trot around the yard looking for his treasures instead (brain tired and body tired = good dog). Hope this helps.

Good luck.

[EmmysMom]

Emmy has also grown up w/bi-lateral HD and I also chose to not have surgery. She will be 6 on tax day and has been in training all of her life. We go every Monday and she loves it. We also just control the pain and I just keep an eye on her and not overdue. I let sit "lazy" because it is more comfortable. She also lays w/her hips to the left because that is her "better" hip of the two. I have shortened the distances that she does her recalls and her retrieves because she has two speed, stop and fast, fast, fast! It can be done and your little one will enjoy getting out and learning! Good luck!

[jonesjoyful]

thanks you guys...i do hope roxy will live a good life..she is limping pretty bad today..i just went in the yard with her and walked around with her...otherwise, she is content with lying around...

[jonesjoyful]

well, roxy had an injury this past tuesday..it appears as if she just "tweeked" her leg as she is back to normal now...she starts obedience class this tuesday..it is suppose to rain a lot here the next couple of days and she tends to do worse with that type of weather (with her HD)...i hope all goes well as she has a stubborn behaviour i need help with!!! (she lays down some during walks or when coming in the house while on leash and refuses to get up!!!!! she only does this with me, not my hubby)

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by jonesjoyful

well, roxy had an injury this past tuesday..it appears as if she just "tweeked" her leg as she is back to normal now...she starts obedience class this tuesday..it is suppose to rain a lot here the next couple of days and she tends to do worse with that type of weather (with her HD)...i hope all goes well as she has a stubborn behaviour i need help with!!! (she lays down some during walks or when coming in the house while on leash and refuses to get up!!!!! she only does this with me, not my hubby)

When they're in heavy growth period, the pain can be bad I think; the body is going through so much change.

Attila seemed to present pain much more between the ages of 7 months and say 1 1/2 years.... and then things calmed down for him once he grew into himself, and his growth plates closed.

Keep this in mind when you're trying to decide if your pup is being stubborn because she doesn't "want" to do something, or if she's being stubborn because of pain.

Right before I learned that Attila had CHD, I thought he was simply being a doody-head for not wanting to jump in the van (he'd done it for months, and suddenly didn't want to)..... it wasn't that he didn't want to, it hurt him, so I cut him some slack for a while. He's 6yo now, and will hop into the van, the SUV, and onto the picnic table in the backyard, and he's loves to play vigorously.

Perhaps your walks are too long for her at this time, perhaps she is in pain, or perhaps she believes "papa" means what he says more. This is something you'll have to figure out.

[jonesjoyful]

thanks poohbearsmama..i kept saying it was because she was being stubborn at first..then we learned she had HD...so i blamed it on that...but now i am really questioning because she NEVER does it with my mom or husband...and it can be simply taking her outside for a potty break ( we were leashing her to even do that when she had her injury)...i let her back in from outside just a bit and told her "kennel" and she immediately laid down..she also gets this "weird " look in her eyes also, like a mad dog or something....i will be glad to get her in class tuesday...

ps..i LOVE the name attila...if we had gotten a male like my husband wanted, i would have named him atticus...

[jonesjoyful]

well, we went to our first obedience class tuesday....roxy was wonderful...there were about 13 dogs..all different sizes..i was SO proud of my girl as she was absolutely the most well behaved..however, i did have a lady with some hunting dog that was wild tell her dog to stay away from mine...people are SO prejudice against rotts...this was the second incidence i have experienced...and her dog was totally out of control...i just told my roxy, no you stay away from that unmannered dog..:)

[Terri Lambert]

I have a six year old dog with moderate-severe HD and she gets around just great. She does have some bad days when I give her Rimadyl. She is very active in obedience,rally,herding and sometimes agility. I give her Glucosamine daily twice a day (cosequin and missing link plus with glucosamine). I feed her Eagle Pack original and she does very well. I also swim her when the weather is warm which also helps. She also runs daily with my two year old and definitely keeps up with her running and jumping in the yard. She also enjoys chasing the four wheelers at full speed. Years ago I had a golden retriever that had HD also and we did limit her activity (and she was much more painful). So let your puppy do what she wants if she feels she can and as long as you keep the muscles built up in her she should do well. Working at a vet I know dogs have different pain tolerances and some are more painful then others. Good luck with your dog.

[poohbearsdad]

Terri
Nice to hear someone has a hip dysplasic dog who is so active. I thought that herding, agility, schutzhund would be too hard on a dog with this condition. My Poohbear is 9 now, but, I'm thinking about getting her involved in tracking. Agility might be too rough on her hips - she can't run like she used to. I figure tracking won't be as hard on her hips but will stimulate her mind. Hope your gal will be around for many years to come.

[Terri Lambert]

I have friends that can't believe my dog is dysplasic, but we got the report from OFA(at 24 months old that she is). She was shown in conformation and when we stopped showing her people could not believe that she did not get a OFA #. I have friends that see her who also have rotties and they can't believe how she can jump and act just like a normal dog. I believe it helps them if you can keep them active so they have muscle to hold them together. I would even say even though she is getting older you really can't tell she has a problem on a daily basis.

[jonesjoyful]

that is great to hear terri...we were really bummed when we got the dx (she was just 6 months at that time...7 months now). she does show trouble getting up and down at times and sometimes walks with a slight limp...the rimadyl really has helped her..she gets a glucosamine/chrondroitin supplement twice a day also...i hope she does as well as your dog!!!