Repetitive jumping bad for dogs?

[Scott M]

I was with an old dog trainer the other day and when we loaded up my lab, I put the endgate down and let her hop up. He said I should be lifting the dog into the truck, something about it being hard on her joints or bones. What got me thinking is my dog is always jumping up a set of stairs in the garage into the house, she skips the stairs entirely. The jump is about the same height as the truck endgate. Is this a bunch of b.s. or will it really wear the dog down? Maybe it's something that's more important when she's older? Right now she's about a month from turning 3 (Or 21 in dog years, no power hour for her though )

[French Spaniel]

I'm one of those old dog trainers . I have a kennel and I tell my clients the same thing. I think the repetitive damage is worse from jumping off the tailgate. I also tell our clients who are joggers not to do any serious running with the pup until they mature. After the pup quits growing longer runs on hard surfaces are not quite so hard on their joints.

[bottomdweller]

I let my dogs jump in and help them down, as previous stated its harder on them jumping down than up.

[pureinsanity]

I have a ramp we built for an old dog that wouldn't jump. My dog refuses to use it and just jumps. When he gets let out of his kennel he becomes part kangaroo until you let him out. Sure it can be bad, I think its more about the breeds genes more than anything. Amount of running and jumping he does he should have no joints left.

[charliepete]

x3 on the lift them down but let them jump up.

[Jmnhunter]

they say to be stingy the 1st year on any jumping, which I'm alittle worried about as i have a pen for the pup while i'm at work and hes climbed out of it 6 times now and ends up landing on the concrete about a 3ft drop after climbeing out; i finally got to avoid him from climbing out now

[Shack]

I have stopped the jump in. Mainly because as your dog gets older they give you that look before you give them the command. When does the jump in occur? After they have been working which I assume with muscle tissue is not the best time to give it a last push.

Dogs are just not like cats. There is a reason a cougar goes up in the tree and the dogs stay at the bottom.

[hunterpete]

this is something ive never thought about, my 4 yr old lab, jumps all the time, off the deck, in and out of the truck, while hunting. would be hard to stop him. i can tell when he's worn out from a long day, then i'll lift him in the truck. i will have to do this all the time.

[gman2002]

the guy who trained my dog also said to lift him in and out. he said it was really hard on them