what r the best ways to prevent hip displacia occuring, as its as much to do with nuture as it is nature (hereditary)?
what shud i be doing with my golden retriever pup to minimise the risk?

I have been told that puppy food can be bad as it is so high in protein(>20%) that it encourages weight gain and or rapid growth that is deterimental to soft growing bones.

Also i have heard that before 1yr-18mths pup should be exercised on the flat and go no further than a mile-is this a bit over cautious?

any advice greatfully accepted

1 only buy a puppy from two low hip scored parents
2 exercise for 5 minutes per day per month of life
3 it is not the protein content per se but the overall calorific intake (if you just ate protein you would not put on as much weight as you would eating fats and carbohydrates would you; the same goes for dogs; have no idea why people think the "rules" are different