3 minute read
FITNESS & CONDITIONING
Every dog can benefit from some conditioning work, it’s not just for athletes!
A couple of the most basic things you can do to help your dog stay in good shape are to make sure that your dog is a proper weight and that their nails aren’t too long. This is very important and something easy to do that can help their muscles, joints and ligaments. Keeping their nails trimmed and their Body Condition Score (BCS) at an ideal level means that there aren’t any additional stresses being placed on their body.
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Active Stretching
Active stretching means that the dog is doing the work, so if it’s difficult or too sore, they won’t stretch too far. There are some easy active stretches that can be used to help stretch but also to test Range of Motion (ROM) to see where your dog might be tight or sore.
A couple examples of active stretching are Play Bows and Cookie Stretches.
Play bow stretches are when the dog’s elbows are on the floor but their rear end is still up in the air. This is helpful for strengthening muscles and stretches both the front and hind legs.
Cookie stretches are when you use a treat to lure the dogs head to move from side to side. In this exercise we try to get their back end to stay stationary and we slowly get them to follow a treat so their head moves to their shoulder and back to their hip on each side.
Conditioning
Fitness and conditioning don’t need to be flashy or expensive. Easy movements, like sit to stands and down to stands, when done correctly, are great conditioning exercises.
Pivots around a stool or overturned dish with front paws slightly elevated, depending on size of dog, are also wonderful exercises to get started on your conditioning journey.
You really want to make sure your dog is starting off their conditioning pain-free. If they are sore or injured to start, then you need a rehab plan from a professional before you start conditioning excercises.
Signs That Your Dog Might Be Sore
Your dog might be sore if you see twitching when they stretch or move. This is most often seen in their back!
If your dog is suddenly resistant to do something that is normally easy for them such as going up or down stairs, jumping on or off of furniture or in and out of the vehicle, sitting, laying down, or anything that they can’t do anymore, it is a good indication that something might be wrong.
They also might be lame, which is either limping or even just looking like they have a hitch in their gait (movement).
CASSANDRA ZDANOWSKI, CCBW, CCFT, High 5 Dog Training Academy
