A question which gets asked a lot on our trailrunners facebook group is how old does my puppy need to be before I can start CaniSports.
The short answer is, once they are fully grown (at least 12 months old) but the detailed answer is in the growth plates so we thought we would share this fantastic bit of research from Dirsko J. F. von Pfeil, Dr.med.vet, DVM, DACVS, DECVS Veterinary Specialists of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska and Charles DeCamp, DVM, MS, DACVS Michigan State University.
By looking after our dogs at an early age and waiting until your dog is fully grown (at least 12 months old) to start any form of running or CaniSports training, they will be able to continue to enjoy CaniSports and lead a healthy life for a lot longer.
There are other things you can do with your lovely puppy to ensure they are ready for CaniSports when they are fully grown such as teaching them directional cues or slowly introducing them to new surfaces to improve their proprioception and body balance.