Dachshunds exercising - an oxymoron or conundrum?

[Doxherding Karen]

 :scratch:  I have been very fortunate that Guinness sprained his back only once in the last eight years.  As he has aged, he no longer jumps up on my bed, but uses the stairs.  He is very agile and sprite.

When Merlin and Beau came here almost two years ago, Beau had just come off four weeks of crate rest for a back episode, with strict instructions to have ramps everywhere and no jumping.  So I installed my outside ramp and for the most part he uses it, but he has access to the stairs as well and often takes them.  About two months ago he started jumping up in the air with excitement when it was mealtime.  Yesterday, he jumped up on my bed for the first time, and did it again today!

I guess my observation is that as my doxies have options and have continued to exercise, their back issues seem to have resolved.  I took to heart the advice that once my back stopped hurting, I needed to exercise to build muscle strength and avoid future problems.  Anyone think that exercise for a  former down-in-the-back pupper would be a good thing?

Auntie Karen :thinik:

[David C.]

Yes.   By strengthening the muscles in the back through exercize, it helps to prevent injuries.   I used to do all kinds of crazy things with Rudy & Max.  I had a hillclimb challenge where I would get them to charge up steep hills, and "negatives" where they had to go down that same hill.  I spent a lot of time walking them.   Neither had back problems.   

Even though I am a hooman, I suffered a back injury about six years ago, suffering compression fractures of two vertebrae.   For about two years after the injury, I would wake up with my back in pain.   I started an excersize program to not only work on the injured area, but to strengthen the areas around the injured area, such as legs, upper body, abs, etc., I figured the stronger the areas surrounding the injury, the less likely the affected area would be subject to injury.   Three and half years later, I can say it worked.   I'm still exercising, doing a combination of bicycling and upper body workouts.   I feel great.   

[Kari]

Before Penny's surgery we really exercised a lot and after her surgery we had to build back up. Now that it has been 1 and a 1/2 years she is back walking 3 miles a day with me. I do have to say she is a little slower than she use to be, but I really think that it so important to keep her agile and her muscles strong.

[TerriL]

I've actually been thinking about this a lot since Toby-Man has gone to the bridge.  I've been over it and over it in my mind.  We have ramps to the big bed, ramps to the sofa and love seat and other than a tiny little short step into our screen room, no steps at all.  Oscy and Buelah are biological siblings from different litters.  We know the families of both parents and none of the parents, or grandparents, or pups of either have had serious back issues. With Beatrice we were able to meet both parents and we know that neither they, nor any of their pups have had issues.  Toby-Man had been badly abused so he could very well have had a back injury previously that we did not know about. That and the fact that we have no idea of his parentage make it impossible to know what really happened to him.   I do know that we spend a LOT of time playing with the furkids and that Baby Bea and Toby-Man were very close and played regularly....and sometimes pretty hard.  Fun...but hard play.    Toby-May was pretty much the poster child for DHADD and was constantly on the move and Baby Bea is coming in a close second!  I am worried now that maybe it has more to do with how they play than the DNA....  I watch her like a hawk worrying that the way she runs and jumps might cause her back to have problems....even if she does use the ramps.  Now all of this worry is most likely attributed to losing Toby-Man, but that knowing that doesn't make me worry any less.  I have to believe though, at least to a point, that a lot of exercise has to be good for them.  I suppose the most important thing is that they have happy lives.  I think all three of mine would be really sad if we stopped playing run and fetch and such.

[Dee Dee and Hallie]

With doxies it's everything in moderation. I too believe that exercise is good for their muscle tone and keeping their backs strong as long as it is the right kind of exercise. Walking/trotting/and some running on a flat surface in as straight a line as possible. I used to walk Hallie 30 min a day on a flexi, at the school or park on flat ground so basically going in a sort of straight line. No twisting, sharp turns, tug of war, especially no jumping, etc. I have a ramp down the back stairs for her so she can go out to her yard without being carried down steps but I don't use ramps anywhere else in the house or out, I just couldn't risk her jumping off the side of a ramp. I have trained her instead to never jump on furniture by herself she waits for me to put her on or off, and for the rare times I leave her home alone I put a 48" tall xpen across the sofa so she couldnt' get up there if she wanted to which I seriously doubt she would but again taking no chances. I had a window put in at ground level so she can lay on her bed and look outside. I am neurotic about keeping her weight down, have always lifted her correctly, supplemented her with cosequin, etc. She rides in a strapped down crate in the car.

Having said that...Hallie has had back problems although in her case most likely not dachshund related. If she has not had an disc involvement I don't know how much my being so careful with her has helped or not. I believe each individual doxie is either prone to disc problems or not (and at differing degrees) so in many cases, if it's going to happen...it's going to happen. I think in those cases, being careful with them will go a long way in the severity of it though.

I did the same precautions though with my last doxie, Jessie, my beautiful red standard longhaired girl. Yet at age 4 she had to have back surgery and had problems on and off the rest of her life. She came from a very good show line without, reportedly, any major back problems.

In contrast, I grew up with a wonderful mini wild boar recessive smooth mini wiener named Sam. We kids would put him on the back of the sofa (the tall top part!) and call him to jump down into our laps on the floor. Over and over. He loved it. *I think*  He jumped on and off anything he wanted, all his life. We fed him those horrible nasty plasticky gainsburgers all of his life. He got into more junk food...once an entire plate of chocolate rice krispie cookies, minus the very last one because it just wouldn't fit (this while we were gone and had left the plate on a coffee table). He was never more than a bit overweight and never had one back or health problem in his life. He lived to be 17.

Go figure! Apparently Sam was not very prone to disc problems. And did well in spite of us.

I think it would be crazy though, as bad as back problems are, to not do every single thing we possibly can to try to avoid them. Hallie would love to be much more wild than I let her be, especially with other dogs, but I never ever let her play with other dogs, my Jessie had a back episode twice after playing with a friends schnauzer. It's just not worth the risk.

Exercise is one big piece of the pie in trying to keep them safe, not just for their backs but for all the same reasons as with hoomans, their weight, circulation, heart, etc plus I think it's so important to get them out most days to give them a full life. Since Hallie's back problems this year we have cut waaaay back on our walks, we are working our way back up now but I watch her and if she seems to slow down I will carry her back to the car. She is of course catching on to this little game now and sometimes wants a ride back regardless.  But usually she will run ahead and snoop and roll in bird crap and enjoy herself. If she wants to snoop I wait and let her until she's done it's her walk after all. And I love watching her have a good time. We usually sit on a bench or on the grass somewhere afterwards and cuddle and watch the world go by.

Most of this has nothing to do with your initial question LOL. Hallie is snoozing across my arms right now I think I'll wake her little tootie up and take her for a walk right now, after what we have been through this year any day we're both able to walk we treasure and go for it. It's also overcast and in the 60s woot!

[papbouv]

Their is a Professional Pet sitter that lives at the end of the block where I live, she has done Greyhound rescue for many years. I finely got my Pedicure she came over to show me how to hold Patches to do her nails. She also did Buddy's nail with him standing up something I do not think I could ever do, so she is coming back to do Buddy's nails. As she was leaving Patches was doing her sitting up like a Meerkat thing Debbie the sitter told me she had been to a seminar.At this seminar they had a Pet Chiropractor say sitting up like that really strengthened the Dachshunds backs???
Patches Mom

[Dee Dee and Hallie]

You're lucky to have a pet sitter at the end of your block and one that does nails to boot! That is interesting about the sitting up, I have always been told that is bad for doxie backs but things are being proved wrong all the time that's for sure. I'd like to hear more about that.

[papbouv]

Its like everything even with us humans eat eggs oh no do not eat eggs no one knows anything 100% so do not know about the sitting up thing. I do know Debbie the sitter goes to seminars on about everything pet related she has to keep up on things I would think in her line of work.Patches knew the sitting up thing before I got her I think the kids in the family she came from taught her to do that. I gave up on her sitting up,jumping on furiture and doing all the things she is not suppose to do the way it looks if she has back problems she will have them no matter what I do. I do not want her too but if it is in the cards it is in the cards.It is the same with life if your number is up its up.
Papbouv