Hi, I have an 18 week old golden retriever puppy. He is totally gorgeouse. However I am a little worried as he seems to occasionaly seem to limp on his back right leg. also I sometimes, when stroking him, think I can feel movement in his back right hip. My wife says I am fussing too much as he is so young. Perhaps I am but I thought I might ask. Especially as I watched a tv 'celebs with their dogs' programme lately (wish I hadn't now) when the trainer said one should be aware when a dog sits down and leans heavy to one side as this can indicate hip problems and also if the back fur has a ridge in the middle this is also an indication. Now these things are in my mind I feel worried and somewhat paranoid. Should I go to the vet or perhaps a specialist?...thanks..Paul

hi, i think if you are worried then you can ask the vet to do an xray, he may have been jumping about to much and has caused a little injury which is tender,but if in doubt ask the vet.

That is an old wives tail Paul. A puppy sitting to one side is a quite normal "Puppy sit". My Labrador Anna sits this way more often than not because it is the most relaxed way for her to sit. Being a working dog she often has to sit and stay for anything up to an hour. She has been hip scored and is a 4 (2/2) so I know her hips are fine.

As far as limping is concerned, obviously a puppy should not limp! If you know how the limp was caused, a knock for instance, then there is no real need for concern but if there is no underlying cause then it needs checking out by a vet. As a thought, how much exercise are you giving her? As a rule of thumb, I would recommend approximately 5 minutes for each month of age. One day of a little more will not do any harm but consistent over exercise can cause long term problems.

Regards, John

hi, thanks for the advice. I wish I had never watched the Celebs and their dogs now. I am not aware of any little accident so I have gone to the vet. He spent a lot of time with Sam and is sure he is ok and will x-ray at about 9 months just to be sure. It has been decided that I have been walking too much. i was doing about 30 min walks. So now i am able to sort that out at least. Both his parents had very good scores so i hope all is ok....many thanks..Paul

Paul, I agree with John about the Labrador 'slouch' (and they'll lean on you if given half a chance!), but its not just with labs. In my experience, a lot of the Gundog breeds tend to slouch, especially if asked to sit for a long period of time.
Let us know what happens
Good luck with your pup
Ali :)

Young puppies of any breed should not be over exercised or allowed to jump too much etc at an early age in order to protect their growing bones.

Many breeds, in fact, I would say all puppies sit in a sloppy fashion at an early age.

As for the ridge in the coat down the middle of the back.....in a Golden Retriever (and many other breeds, if not all) it is most likely the new adult coat coming through.

hi don't worry about it slouching, both daisy and milo do it and they have superb hip scores, and amber is doing it too and she's 7 months so i don'y know her hip score but i'm not concerned about it!!!as for the ridge of fur story....i've never heard that:)