09/11/2025
Puppy ownership can feel like drinking from a fire hose — there’s so much information and no clear starting point.
When I got my first puppy, Rollo, at the start of my animal physiotherapy post-grad, I was overwhelmed by what to do and what not to do. Years of study, hands-on work, and collaborating with great trainers changed everything — especially with my next pup, Ember.
This series, “Things I Wish I Knew the First Time Around,” is for anyone wanting to raise a healthy, confident dog without the chaos.
🎥 Episode 1: When play turns into chaos — it’s not cute, it’s stress.
Puppy play should build confidence, not push them past their limits. Monitor play intensity, style, and recovery. Learn your dog’s social limits and notice when they’re getting tired — physically and mentally.
Forget the old “5 minutes per month of age” rule — your dog’s activity should be guided by fatigue, not a formula. Puppies’ joints are still mostly cartilage, which means everything is wobbly and unstable. Overdoing it now can cause injury and increase the risk of osteoarthritis later in life.
And just as important — pushing a puppy past their social limits can have lasting effects too. When a dog feels overwhelmed and their subtle cues are missed, they’re more likely to escalate in behaviour to communicate their need for space.
Our job is to set them up for success — strong, stable, and confident, both physically and emotionally. 💪🐶
