The Puppy MOT — A Vet Physio's Home Assessment Guide | Canine Movement | Puppy Health

The Puppy MOT: A Vet Physio's Guide to Checking Your Puppy's Movement at Home

Most puppy problems do not happen suddenly. They build slowly, quietly — while owners assume everything is fine because their puppy is not limping.

This guide gives you the framework I use in every first puppy assessment. Written by a veterinary physiotherapist with over a decade of experience working with horses and dogs, it walks you through exactly what I look for — and how you can start doing it yourself.

What is inside (15 pages + printable quick reference card):



• The five history questions I ask every owner at a first assessment — and why the answers matter
• A complete home environment check — flooring, feeding setup, rest space, stairs and jumping
• How to observe your puppy's movement from a distance — gait, posture, sitting, head placement
• What to feel for during a hands-on check — heat, muscle asymmetry, and the subtle signals most owners miss
• Movement tests you can do at home — walk, trot, sit to stand, circles, surface confidence
• The science behind sniffing, licking, and why lickimats work — explained properly, not simplified away
• A clear guide to when to seek help — and what kind
• Your first 12 weeks movement overview — what to expect at each stage
• Breed risk overview — which breeds need more careful monitoring and why
• A fillable observation worksheet to take to any vet or physio appointment
• A printable one-page quick reference card for the fridge

This guide is for you if:

You are a first-time puppy owner who wants to get it right from the start. Or you have been here before and you are determined not to repeat the same mistakes. Or you have noticed something that does not quite look right and you want to understand what you are seeing before your next vet appointment.

What makes this different:

This is not a generic puppy guide. It is a clinical assessment framework made accessible — the kind of information that usually only reaches owners after something has already gone wrong.

The knowledge exists. It should reach you before you need it.

Mel Brown BSc Hons MIRVAP — Canine Veterinary Physiotherapist, Browns Vet Physio

brownsvetphysio.co.uk