Hip dysplasia

Hello fellow staffy owners I had a concern. I live in a house that has a second floor and our puppy sometimes goes up and down the steps. Does this make the puppy susceptible to damage to his hips?

To be honest, I don't think there is a clear answer. Traditionally it is believed that you shouldn't let puppies go up and down stairs but there are many vets, including specialists, who now say that they don't believe it does cause hip or other joint problems.

Hip dysplasia is most commonly inherited, which is why it is important if you are buying a puppy to check that both parents have had their hips checked. You can, though, get damage through over-exercise of puppies and my guess is that repeatedly going up and down stairs wouldn't be good. I personally would think that the odd time here and there wouldn't be a problem but that you'd need to make sure a pup doesn't fall.

To play on the safe side, it's probably a good idea to get a baby gate for the bottom on the stairs that you can use for the first few months to limit access to a few times when you are there to supervise.

Does this mean you've found a puppy?

I bought a puppy and I was checking through other sources and trying toform an opinion. He is 6 mos now and he started he started sleeping with us upstairs and still does when he was 3.5 mos

I would agree with Liz's post to be honest.