Posted by Melanie on August 11, 2008, 5:21 pm, in reply to "nurture over nature"
We strictly require that any of our new owners adhere to a signed agreement of a certain amount of exercise. No matter what you are using them for, they need lots of exercise...especially our kind of dogs.
I think the bone density/mass would come more from proper nutrition and genetics, but muscle and toneness would come from proper exercise. The preservation/protection of the bones comes from the muscle and agility.
Another thing we have learned is that if a big dog (such as yours and ours) grow quicker than their muscles, tendons, etc., they can show a limp or it can seem like they have the "hip problem". If it is because of the growth rate, this "hip problem" will go away within 2 months. We actually experienced this and thank goodness we have a very knowledgeable vet who was able to put us at ease and the dog was fine in about a month.
Also, it's going to depend on the purpose of your dog and the new owners personal preference of look. The smaller boned dogs seem to make for faster running and more flexible agility; as to where the big boned dogs seem to do better with the heavy tasks such as work dogs used for pulling, carrying and the heavier weight factor type activities.
If, for any reason, we don't feel that our puppies are going to get proper treatment, we simply won't give that person a puppy.
As far as socialization goes, we let that be up to the owners. We do specify that if they are kept at home and not socialized...they are more likely to not accept animals or other people. And, even if they are trained and socialized, they are still good watch dogs as far as defending/protecting their home and family.
53 
Message Thread:
« Back to thread