How to find a dog breed that will not suffer hip issues due to slippery floors and steep staircases and the like?

Question

I know that some dog breeds are more prone for hip issues than others, and those can be aggravated by them having to climb stairs or walking on slippery floors.

When selecting a dog breed, what can I do to make sure that I chose one that will not develop long-term skeletal or joint damage from such an environment?

Is that possible at all?

Answer 1

As important as selecting a dog breed is to select the breeder or the place you buy it. And while it is not a direct answer to your question, keep in mind that if you buy some puppy from a breed with less HD risk on some street corner, you do not buy a breed or race, but an individual dog. So it is just important to know the HD status of the parents.

A good breeder:

1. Will welcome you to watch his kennel, without implying that you must buy.
2. Will show you documents about the health status of the parent (and grand-parent) dogs, including, but not limited to, HD status.
3. Will invite you to visit young mother along with her puppies when they are about 3 weeks old.
4. Will not give away the dog too early (when they still need the mother, and their brothers/sisters) or too late (after the embossing phase is over). 12 weeks is common.
5. Will have the puppy checked and vaccinated by a veteranian according to the laws in your country.
6. Will have a clause in the contract that says that he will take back the dog if it should turn out later that its health is not ok due to his fault.