This is so easy to do yet so beneficial for dogs (and especially puppies) because it slows them down and really gets them to pay attention to how they navigate obstacles. That develops their proprioception and balance – abilities they will very soon need when they become adolescents.
Dogs mature physically much faster than mentally, and in adolescence, they tend to have more speed than sense. This is because the neurons that create excitement (the gas) develop at a faster pace than the inhibitory ones (the brakes).
When they get to that age, it’s crucially important that they have well-rounded muscles and that they’ve developed the balance and proprioception to compensate for the stupid decisions they will inevitably make. Many spaniels get injured in that time between puppyhood and up until 18/24 months for this reason – or potentially not injured in a way that shows up immediately, just weaken parts of the body that will then become problems later on.
This is also why I strongly recommend having a spaniel puppy checked by a physiotherapist every 6 months of their first 2 years – hopefully, you find nothing, but it’s better to catch problems early. Grace had a small issue (tension in the upper back) once when she was maybe 9 months old, and nothing since then.
However, I know of other spaniels who had a small injury, like falling off a chair, which wasn’t checked by a physiotherapist, and it snowballed into a bigger issue when the dog started to compensate. Ultimately, in all cases, I know it resulted in some kind of behavioural issues that could be traced back to the injury.
Of course, just doing this will not solve everything – you also need varied terrain, swimming, nutritional supplements like Omega-3 for joints etc. But every little helps!
BusyDoggie 