Practical guide — Puppies

Guide to the healthy growth
of your little athlete.

How not to ruin a Labrador in 12 months — Integrated Costa-Aldana protocol.

Your puppy is not a fully-formed dog in "mini" format. It is an open building site, an architectural project where the cement is still fresh. If you decide to ignore these rules, know that your dog's joints will have the stability of a house of cards in a fan.
1

The invisible building site:
what happens inside him.

At birth, and for the first months, the puppy's joints are not formed. Where you expect to find solid bone, there is soft cartilage.

Wisdom pill: If you think that "making him climb stairs will strengthen him", know that you are only hammering his growth plates. These plates are the soft zones at the ends of the long bones: if you damage them now with jumps or excessive effort, the bone will grow crooked. Game over.
2

The trinity of supplements:
Vitamin C, Glucosamine, Chondroitin.

They are not magic potions, but the building blocks of the site.

Vitamin C

Fundamental for collagen synthesis. Think of it as the "glue" that holds connective tissue together. Without quality collagen, tendons and ligaments are cotton thread in a building site that requires steel.

Glucosamine & Chondroitin

They are the lubricants and shock absorbers of the joints. They help keep cartilage elastic and hydrated.

Many owners spend a fortune on these supplements but then let the puppy do "parkour" from the sofa. It is like putting the best engine oil in a car without brakes.

3

Slow Growth Protocol:
grow slowly to live long.

Labradors have one flaw: they would eat the owner too if well seasoned. But a fat puppy is a condemned puppy.

The silhouette test: If you cannot feel the ribs by touch, your dog is not "healthy" — it is overweight. The dog should look a little "slim" throughout the first year. Better slim today than lame at five years.

Making a Labrador grow too quickly to boast to friends about how "big" it is is the fastest way to secure a lifetime subscription at the orthopaedist.

4

Orthopaedic management:
the house is not a ring.

Biomechanics does not forgive. Three rules that Dr. Aldana does not negotiate.

🧻
The invisible enemy
War on slippery floors

If the puppy "skates" on your marble tiles, its hips are suffering micro-traumas every second. Put down rugs. The aesthetics of your home can wait; its legs cannot.

⏱
Walks, not marathons
The 5-minute rule

5 minutes on the lead per month of age, twice a day. Have a 3-month-old puppy? 15 minutes is enough. If you want a companion for 4-hour hikes, wait until it is 18 months old.

🚗
The destructive impact
No jumping from the boot

When the dog lands on its front legs from a height, all the weight falls on the still-immature elbows. Pick it up. Your back hurts? Better yours than its.

5'
The 5-minute rule in practice: 2 months = 10 min · 3 months = 15 min · 4 months = 20 min · 6 months = 30 min · 12 months = 60 min · 18 months = all clear.

Many owners say: "But my neighbour's dog jumped like a cricket and never had anything!"

Great reasoning. There are also people who smoke two packets a day and reach ninety, but that does not make it a "healthy lifestyle". Do you want to gamble on your dog's health or guarantee it?

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