Recently I wrote about the team approach to K9 Fitness and how collaboration between professionals in the veterinary, rehabilitation and fitness fields are important. Because I refer clients regularly for diagnostics and diagnosis, I receive referrals from those professionals when no discernible problem exists, the dog is released to normal activity or a strength or training issue is discovered. A few months ago, a local veterinarian referred a dog and handler to me for strength and flexibility training. The dog was brought to their veterinary clinic due to poor performance on the agility course - knocking bars, occasionally popping out of weave poles and taking wider right turns especially over jumps. Upon palpation the veterinarian did not find anything remarkable and the owner did not seek further diagnostics because nothing was “broken.” The veterinarian referred the dog to me assuming it was a strength or training issue. When you know your dog is off, and your veterinarian can't find anything medically wrong, a good solution can often be strength and body awareness training so the dog can figure out how to best use his body. For purposes of this blog post, I will call the dog Bodi. Bodi is a five-year-old Border Collie. The owner came to me with the same complaints as listed above and unsure what to do or where to go. The dog is the handler’s beloved agility partner and the thought of not being able to continue training with this dog was overwhelming. We talked about progression of jump training, weaves and turns and I had the handler send me agility video of her dog from before and after the issues started. Based on the information provided, and my own personal agility training, it appeared that she had done all the correct training to achieve proper jumping, turning and weave pole movement necessary to compete in agility. However, there was a definite change in his performance. I also asked the handler if she, personally, had had any physical changes – such as a pulled muscle, tight muscles in her legs, injured toe, increased weight or anything else that would affect her movement. There was nothing that she could think of. There were also no noticeable changes in the handler when reviewing the agility videos. After touching Bodi from head to toe, and observing him move and perform a few exercises, I began to design a plan to improve weight distribution, coordination, flexibility and strength. My program is generally designed to help a dog use it’s body efficiently which typically results in improved performance. The owner was asked by the veterinarian to take a 4-week break from agility (just be safe) and perform very specific strength and flexibility exercises (suggested by me) three to four times a week. Daily, walks were recommended on leash for 30-40 minutes, with 10 minutes of off-leash time without other dogs to chase for the same 4-week period. After 4 weeks if symptoms did not return, Bodi was released to all normal activity and a gradual return to performance. I tend to apply a very cautious approach and ask my clients to spend a bit more time on strength and body awareness before returning to full activity just to make sure that we aren’t pushing too quickly. In this case, the handler and I met every three weeks, reviewed the previous exercise plan and Bodi’s progress then designed a new plan increasing the difficulty of the exercises and off-leash time. Each plan was emailed to the veterinarian for review and approval. After several weeks of fitness training, we worked together to design a plan for a gradual approach to full height agility jumps and obstacles, while continuing the strength and flexibility program. The goal was to progress to full agility courses without hesitation or return of symptoms. After a couple months of helping Bodi to understand his body, improve balance and flexibility, he returned to agility without knocked bars and with fast and efficient weave poles. We are still working on tighter right turns. Even with the wider turns, his yards per second improved and he took 1st place in jumpers and 2nd place in his standard run. Using a cautious approach to K9 Fitness, we worked together to improve body awareness, strength and weight distribution, which improved Bodi’s performance. To say we are both thrilled with his improvements would be an understatement. Bodi has since participated in several agility trials over several months without having his previous symptoms return. We continue to increase the difficulty of his fitness program and regularly work on his flexibility and turning power to the right. Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF Online classes enroll 9/9 at HERE K9FITbone for K9Fitness, K9 Cond II, Performance Dog and Rehab self guided classes. There are so many facets to strength and body awareness training that it is important to use the “team” approach applying information from the dog owner, veterinarian, rehabilitation professionals, physical therapist and fitness instructors. It is important to recognize subtle changes in how the dog moves or performs exercises. As a Fitness Coach, I don't diagnose injury, but with a careful eye on the dog’s movement, it allows me to refer to a qualified professional. Who is the team:
Some situations where a referral is needed:
If a dog has been performing strength and body awareness exercise regularly and does happen to get injured performing their sport or chasing a ball, then dog is already trained to do exercises similar to those recommended by the rehabilitation practitioner. This speeds up recovery because the dog and the handler have an understanding of what is needed and they do not have to go through the initial learning process. A dog that has been performing fitness exercises has been exposed to different pieces of equipment and training any new exercises is much more efficient. Performing a proper evaluation and reviewing a medical history on each dog helps to address what exercises to perform and if a referral needed. The list below addresses key points to consider:
Each client receives a written lesson plan for their dog after each session, detailing how often to do each exercise, instruction for each exercise (including photos and video support) as well as observations or tips to work with the dog. A copy of this lesson plan is sent to the veterinarian or rehabilitation professional, if needed. These records are also saved in a client file for future reference. Perfect dogs for K9 Fitness
Referring clients to a qualified professional when needed improves communication with professionals in the field and fosters a “team” approach to K9 Fitness. Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF pawsitiveperformance@yahoo.com Hmm my mind has been on "puppies" lately, not really sure why. LOL Teaching a puppy body awareness and weight distribution exercises at an early age helps the puppy grow into a confident, well balanced and coordinated dog. I start teaching my clients these types of exercises when their puppies are just 8 -12 weeks old. I adjust duration of exercise or repetitions to the age, ability and attention span of the puppy I am working with and I mix in PLAY as much as possible during the sessions. Body awareness programs for puppies teach them how to learn through shaping and luring. It will also increases the human/dog bond. Many exercises can be shaped as independent movements but some exercises require you to physically maneuver your dog to achieve the correct position. Handling all body parts of your puppy at an early age helps them to be more tolerant of it as they grow older. This is important for nail trimmings, grooming and trips to the vet. I focus on exercises that require balance and coordination but do not over stress the joints at an early age. I am slow and careful with puppies. Puppies get a lot of jumping, pivoting and multi-directional balance in everyday life -- as they run around the back yard and play with pack mates. When performing exercise with puppies, I carefully watch for movements that keep the knees in line with the hips as much as the puppy’s conformation allows. I also watch for good posture, top-line angles and head position. As previously mentioned in a earlier blog, I do not recommend multi-directional wobble boards or balance discs for sustained exercises for puppies because when puppies, and some older dogs, mount these pieces of equipment their rear legs spread wide which can put unnecessary pressure on the joints. My preference is to teach the puppy body awareness and coordination on the flat first. Once the dog can obtain the correct position on the flat, then I add unstable FitPAWS equipment such as rocker boards, peanuts, Fitbones, and paw pods that improve proper weight distribution while keeping the body in alignment. I suggest putting the donut holder under the wobble board which allows it to jiggle but not to rock. When the dog has well developed muscles and bones (at about age 12 months) then add sustained exercises on wobble boards and balance discs. I also like surface training a puppy with a deflated large balance discs put on top of the rocker board so you get unstable and a different surface. Other options would be the deflated Fitpaws balance disc on top of the peanuts, donut, and under caveletti poles. I feel it is very important to watch the amount of repetition done in any routine. Set a time limit and stick to it, and watch your puppy’s posture, topline angle, rear leg and head position to make sure you are encouraging good weight distribution, posture and alignment. Early Puppy Development: Please note: Putting balance discs, and wobble boards in whelping boxes for surface discrimination exposure is perfectly fine. The puppies generally are walking over or laying on these pieces if equipment, they are not doing sustained exercises or holding sustained positions. My concerns are for the puppy after arriving at its forever home. New puppy owners get over excited about having a puppy that they tend to start training tricks right away. Why not, there are so many options these days to help teach your puppy how to learn. Where the problem lies in the repetition involved in training new exercises and positions. We are human and we get excited and 15 min can go by quickly and the number of repetitions that can be done in 5-15 minutes is astounding. Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF Ph. 503-329-1235 Targeted Conditioning Programs for K9 Athletes: Private Lessons, Online Classes, & Workshops Online Classroom Website (NOTE: enrollment 9/9/2014 –New classes will be offered): http://classroom.daisypeel.com/k9-conditioning-rehab-classes/ Website: http://www.pawsitive-performance.com/ I have been thinking a lot lately about “exercises progression”. In the human world, we know that we can’t go to the gym and do the same amount of repetitions with the same weight every time and improve over all strength and body composition. We know that number of repetitions and/or the amount of weight needs to increase to reach your strength or muscles definition goals. The same rules apply to our canine athletes. There needs to be a progression to keep challenging a dog’s muscles. For instance, if you train your dog a folding down on the flat or on an aerobic bench, it teaches the dog to engage their core, hips and rear legs in the movement, which improves body awareness, strength and coordination. Where as if the dog sits then moves to a down, they are really relying only on their shoulders. Now if you were to ask the same dog who now understands how to do a fold down to do it with front feet elevated on a phone book or low stool, then it helps shift more weight to the dogs rear and core muscle group. Some scenarios might include: Down to stand with front feet on a FitPAWS balance disc Down to stand on a FitPAWS wobble board Down to stand on a FitPAWS peanut Down to stand while moving up or down a row of peanuts. Down to stand with a board on two Canine Gym Fitbones You get the idea.
Progression of exercises will help build muscle, coordination, balance and keep your dog mentally and physically challenged. When training new exercises or even old ones with your dog, be aware of what the progression of that exercise might be, have fun with it and make sure your dog is benefiting by focusing on body position. It can be a challenge to design a conditioning program for sprint activities that will enhance performance, keep your dog’s chances of injury to a minimum and target the proper muscles groups. What does Sprint mean: To move rapidly or at top speed for a brief period Sprint athletes rely on anaerobic activities that build on the explosive muscles fibers used for rapid movement. Long distance runners rely on aerobic activities to maintain activity for long periods of time. These same theories apply to our canine athletes. Just for clarification: Endurance is to exert and remain active for a long periods of time (such as sled dog, ski joring, running long distances) K9 Sports that require sprinting are agility, flyball, lure coursing and treibball just to name a few. Sprint athletes require different conditioning programs than endurance athletes. It has been proven that improved strength and weight distribution will improve speed and accuracy in movement. Using the dog’s own body weight as resistance and designing a program using balance equipment and a dog treadmill can make a very comprehensive anaerobic conditioning plan. Using balance training to strengthen the core muscle group is important because a dog with a strong core will use less energy, have support for the spine and will move more efficiently. Short bursts of very high intensity exercises using a DogTread treadmill is an effective way to target specific muscles groups and challenge your dog's muscles to improve strength. The video below gives you a quick idea of what can be done with a treadmill made for dogs. Challenging your dog’s muscles with exercises using FitPAWS balance equipment will improve strength, body awareness and coordination. See photos above and do your research. Get guidance on exercises and body positions that best suit your dog and the sport you are involved in. Body position, duration and degree of challenge should be considered. Keep in mind that human treadmills are not long enough for most dogs over 30 lbs. If purchasing a DogTread treadmill made for dogs consider your dog’s leg and stride length when ordering. I always recommend the longer tread length if there is any question about whether or not the tread is long enough. Make sure you are looking at the TREAD length or RUN SURFACE not the full length of the machine. Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF Pawsitive Performance Sustained trotting is GREAT for dogs that are older than one year old, in good health and not over-weight. If your dog is overweight, care needs to be taken with duration and surface. 90% of extra weight is caused by the food/treats or how much food/treats you are feeding your dog. Adjust calorie intake and increase exercise slowly to minimize the stress on your dog’s joints. Benefits of sustained trotting · increases endurance, · improves physical health, · keeps the lumbar area loose and your dog’s hips rotating independently · lengthens and strengthens the spine · strengthens core muscles · improves gait function · mentally challenges the dog Definition of a Balanced Trot: “This is a rhythmic two-beat gait in which diagonally opposite legs move together i.e., right hind with left front, left hind with right front. Because only two feet are on the ground at a time, the dog must rely on forward momentum for balance. A balanced trot shows an almost imperceptible delay in the diagonal rhythm as the forepaws land gently, minimizing impact as the front assembly absorbs drive from the rear”. Reference: Dog Steps A New Look, by Rachael Page Elliot, Published by Doral Publishing, Inc. (2001) pg. 11 & 31 Definition of Sustained: “maintained at length without interruption or weakening” Reference: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sustained Before starting any type of sustained trot work, I recommend warming up your dog’s major joints as well as feet and toes. After warming up your dog’s joints, I recommend a light trot for 3-5 minutes before starting sustained trot work. Light Trot = slowest trot you can achieve before walking, ambling or pacing. The recommendation is 20 minutes of sustained trotting three times a week. See schedule below for building up slowly over time. Here are some ways you can trot your dog and a planned schedule to build endurance: Treadmill use: If purchasing treadmill, look for the right length of treadmill to accommodate your dog’s stride length. I have found that many dog treadmill manufacturers are recommending the medium size treadmill for the medium sized dog, but the tread length is not always long enough for many of these 40-60 lb. dogs. Please take into consideration your dog’s leg and stride length when ordering. I always recommend the longer tread length if there is any question about whether or not the tread is long enough. Make sure you are looking at the TREAD length or RUN SURFACE not the full length of the machine. Human treadmills are NOT long enough for a 40-50 lb. or bigger dog. Using a human treadmill can shorten your dog’s stride and cause compensations in the neck, back and limbs. If using a treadmill you want to make sure it is long enough so that it will not shorten your dog’s rear stride – this is bad for the lower back and hips and causes compensations that can lend to injury. Generally for a dog over 30 lbs., a treadmill’s running surface needs to be 6 feet long depending on the stride length of the dog. It is important to make sure your dog is not dog trotting near the back or the front of the tread so that the full length of their stride can be achieved. I personally recommend DogTread treadmills. Please see their website for details. Here is a great article on the benefits of treadmill running. Check it out!! https://dogtread.com/benefits-of-treadmill-running-for-dogs/ Human Jogs and Dog Trots: Unless you have a tiny dog, most humans will have to jog or walk really fast to get their dog to a trotting speed. I recommend using a leash with harness that does not restrict forward movement of the front limbs instead of any type of collar. Jogging with your dog is an excellent option because you and your dog are working together. What could be better? Biking: This typically means a slow bike ride for the human in order to keep the dog at a trot. I recommend purchasing a bike attachment to insure you and your dog’s safety while trotting. Most bike attachment have a lead that fixes to the dog harness and I truly recommend also attaching a lead to the dog’s collar or harness that you can hold onto. Teaching your dog directions cues (right and left) so that you can indicate a direction change before the turn is also very handy. This will keep the dog moving smoothly and eliminate any confusion. Use the following schedule to increase trotting time to build up to 20 minutes 3 times a week. This schedule is very conservative. I put this schedule together for my K9 Conditioning clients who are also working on performance, strength training and improved weight distribution. This schedule will work for most healthy active dogs and was designed with all surfaces in mind (treadmill, pavement, dirt, etc). As with any exercise program, it is recommended to consult with your Veterinarian prior to starting endurance, strength or balance exercises. Schedule: Start with 3-5 minute slow trot (slowest speed you can go and still get a trot) to warm up and cool down is needed with each trotting session. So when factoring in the warm up trot, your 5 minute sessions are really closer to 15 minutes, 10 minute sessions are close to 20 minutes etc. This is a very conservative schedule designed so that your dog does not get overly sore and is built up gradually. Step 1: a. Warm up exercises to warm up major joints, feet and toes, each time before trotting b. 3-5 minute slow trot c. 5 minutes sustained trotting d. 3 times a week e. 5 sessions before moving on to Step 2 Step 2: 10 minutes, 3 times a week, for 10 sessions f. Warm up exercises to warm up major joints, feet and toes, each time before trotting g. 3-5 minute slow trot h. 10 minutes sustained trotting i. 3 times a week j. 10 sessions before moving on to Step 3 Step 3: 15 minutes, 3 times a week, for 15 sessions k. Warm up exercises to warm up major joints, feet and toes, each time before trotting l. 3-5 minute slow trot m. 15 minutes sustained trotting n. 3 times a week o. 15 sessions before moving on to 20 minute sessions Work up to 20 minutes 3 times a week (it will take approximately 10 weeks). This schedule will acclimate your dog to the trot speed gradually and for sustained periods of time. It is OK to trot on pavement as long as the dog is over a year old, and you are not trotting longer than 20 min, 3x a week. For most dogs this is 1.5-2 miles. SUSTAINED WALKING OR TROTTING FOR A PUPPY The rule of thumb for walking puppies on hard surfaces for sustained periods of time 5 minutes for every month they are old until their growth plates close. Before growth plates close, if you walk or trot a dog for sustained periods on hard surfaces longer than recommended, you can cause stress fractures in their bones that require surgery and could cause their gait to be off for life. Puppies love to fight, wrestle, and romp around in play and typically puppies are good at self-regulating that behavior and stop and rest when they need to. Sustained walking or trotting is typically maintained by the handler. It is important to learn the signs of fatigue and allow for rest. I feel strongly that exercising a puppy should be both mental and physical so incorporating trick training, play, leash walks, and body awareness exercises is a great way to keep your puppy active. Please let me know if there are comments or questions. See my web link below to sign up for quarterly email updates. Bobbie Lyons Email: pawsitiveperformance@yahoo.com Website: http://www.pawsitive-performance.com/services.html Flyball is a sport that has many physical demands. These dogs need a regular routine of strength, body awareness, flexibility and coordination training to prepare their body for action. Some of the traits needed to compete in Flyball are listed below:
1. SPEED 2. The ability to jump with extension 3. Good strength through the spine and ribcage 4. Turning power 5. Shoulder strength, stability and flexibility In order to decrease the chance of injury, the dog needs to use the “right” muscles and have the proper flexibility. I often hear from handlers that their dog is well muscled. That may be true but is the dog engaging their stabilizer muscles around the joints or are they over using a muscle group that leaves another muscle group weaker? This is a common problem and lends to injury. Developing a warm up strategy for your dog will decrease the chance of injury and improve your dog’s performance. Paying close attention to warming up all major joints starting with toes and feet is good practice. If a dog doesn’t use his feet and toes properly while absorbing the impact at the box, the energy will transfer to the shoulder. Soft tissue shoulder injuries are very difficult to diagnose and rehabilitate. If you are unaware of how to develop a proper warm up routine, seek guidance. ACTIVE stretches are OK but NO static stretches until after activity. Stretching a muscle prior to activity DECREASES the power of the muscle. Best time for static stretches is at home, after a walk when your dog’s muscles are warm and your dog can relax into each stretch. Active stretches = Range of motion but not held more than 1-2 seconds Static Stretches = Slowing increasing range of motion while holding the stretch for 30 seconds. For Flyball dogs, lengthening and strengthening through the spine and ribcage is so important due to the compression that happens when the dog hits the Flyball box. Strengthening the muscles along the spine, lower abdominal muscles and muscle that control the hips (Iliopsoas) will help the dog’s body manage that compression. I recommend cavaletti training to improve stride, lengthen and strengthen through the shoulders, spine, ribcage, core muscle group and hip flexors to many of my performance dog clients. Getting some guidance on spacing between the poles and height of the poles is essential. Remember, you CAN do harm if you are not doing exercises correctly. Lack of body awareness or proper weight distribution is another area of concern. I see many performance dogs every week that have no idea that there is anything beyond their shoulders. Many have done a lot of rear foot targeting, which is GREAT in moderation but rear foot targeting teaches the dog to put 95% of their weight forward on their shoulders. This may mean that your dog knows where his back feet are but it does NOT teach the dog to put weight on those feet. Instead it teaches them to rely solely on their shoulders. For a Flyball dog, this is not ideal. Correctly using inflatable FitPAWS props or other rehab equipment can encourage the dog to shift their weight forward and backward as well as side to side to engage the proper muscle groups that lend to stability and improved performance. Get some guidance from a canine fitness coach, rehabilitation expert or physical therapist to ensure you are encouraging proper muscle engagement and body position to maximize each exercise. Spending 10-15 minutes three times a week on a strength and stretching routine is all that is needed. Remember, you are training an athlete not a couch potato. A side note on weight: By keeping your dog the ideal weight, the dog’s speed and accuracy in movement will be ideal. It is five times the dog’s weight on their shoulders every time they land a jump and I can’t begin to understand the force absorbed by the body at the Flyball box (depends on so many things). For the health of your dog’s joints, it is super important to keep your dog at an ideal performance weight. Bobbie Lyons Cert CF pawsitiveperformance@yahoo.com In the human world the term “cross-training” is used quite often to suggest that doing different types of strength, balance and coordination training helps to improve performance. The canine world works much the same way.
Canine conditioning or cross-training exercises are a great way to keep your dog in shape, encourage weight loss, maintain current weight, keep your dog mentally and physically challenged and reduce the chance of injury through strength, flexibility and weight distribution training. Participating in K9 Conditioning or fitness exercises just 10-15 minutes 2-3 x a week can go a long way to improving your dog’s stability and performance. When you are training and developing a dog’s skills, canine strength training HAS to be part of your program if you are interested in participating in performance sports long term and without injury. Your dog’s structure, confidence on equipment, speed in which they are traveling, awareness of their rear legs, how to efficiently use their core and STRONG supporting muscles around their joints all play a part in keeping your dog in the game. Some of the ways you can participate in “cross training” your canine athlete: · Learning a proper warm up and cool down strategy to improve joint mobility before exercise or performance · The use of FitPAWS inflatable equipment for strength and balance training. Knowing correct body position is important to maximize the benefits of using this type of equipment. · The use of Canine Gym equipment such as the K9FITbone, K9FITVest (weighted or cooling) and the K9FITTug · Trick training for balance and coordination – body position is again very important here. · Using a Dog Tread Treadmill for sustained trotting to build endurance · Cavaletti training – spacing between the poles and height of poles are very specific for improving gait and forelimb and hindlimb reach. · Swimming your dog, straight, and turning in both directions and using all four limbs · Flexibility training - stretching It is our job as handlers to go the “extra mile” and learn how to design a program for our canine athletes. If you are unsure of what to do, seek advice from someone who knows. Check out my online classes (enrolling NOW) to find out more about K9 Conditioning and how I can help you design a program for your dog. I offer in-person private lessons in the Portland, OR area AND ONLINE private lessons through video exchange. Bring K9 conditioning to your town by scheduling a workshop. Contact me today to learn more. Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF pawsitiveperformance@yahoo.com Tossing a ball or Frisbee straight out in front of you can cause injury as the dog “Power Slides” to stop and turn sharply to bring the object back to you. I realize that not all dogs Power Slide but many performance dogs do unless taught a slightly different game. This post is meant to help you realize that there are slightly different games you can play that decrease the chance of injury but still provide the same outlet for our dogs. Power Slide Definition: Dog slides across the ground at speed to catch an object and turns sharply to return the object to you. When your dog is diving for a ball on the ground, it can cause injury to the shoulders, back, knees, and elbows as well as can tear stop pads, toe pads and dewclaws as they slide to grab the ball. (I know many dogs with continued shoulder issues due to ball chasing) When chasing a Frisbee with your dog jumping in the air for the catch, it stresses the back and on the landing, can over-stress to the knees. (I know many dogs that have torn cruciate ligaments this way) To reduce the stress on the joints, tendons and ligaments, teach your dog to catch a ball on a low bounce and toss the Frisbee at nose level. See below for instructions on changing to a safer game. In either case, do not toss straight out in front of you on flat ground. This will cause the dog to drive out straight and increase the chance of injury diving down for the ball or jumping for the Frisbee. The sharp turn to come back for another toss, also increase chances of injury to the shoulders, knees and back. “Power Slides” are not recommended. Food or thought: I teach my dogs and clients dogs to “go around me” (right side) and “switch” (left side). The dog drives around behind me and then out in front of me arcing in a big circle. As the dog drives around me in a big circle I toss the Frisbee right in front of their nose so that they do not leave the ground. The dog catches the Frisbee and completes the circle back to me. If using a ball, my dogs will drive out and turn to look at me for the toss. I then toss the ball right into their mouth or they catch it on a bounce. Steps: 1. First teach your dog to go around you by luring with the ball (or Frisbee). With the ball in your right hand, lure the dog while reaching behind you with your left hand to grab the ball from your right. As the dog is following the ball (now in your left hand) coming around your left leg, switch hands again so you can toss the ball into their mouth. (if right handed) 2. Once the dog is following the ball reliably, put it on cue “around” (or whatever makes sense to you) 3. Then repeat starting the dog on your left side, ball in left hand, lure dog behind you, switch ball to right hand, toss. When reliable, put it on cue “switch” (again you can use whatever cure works for you) 4. Then teach your dog to go around a cone (colorful bowl, kids toy, whatever you have handy). Stand next to the cone and ask your dog to go around it. You can lure or even better “shape” it. 5. Make sure to teach the dog to go around the cone in both directions. 6. Put it together. Set the cone out in front of you about 2 feet, ask the dog to “go around” (step#1), indicate the cone (or not if shaping) and toss the ball in his mouth. 7. Repeat at the same distance with “switch” (step #3) 8. Move the cone out 2 feet and repeat until you can get the dog to drive out up 30’, 60’, and 90’ away from you. If need be, as you move the cone away from you, add a couple more cones to keep the dog making a wide circle instead of wrapping around the cone. My dogs have been trained to drive out away from me half a football field. :-) Excellent Strength Exercise Tossing ball/Frisbee UPHILL is an excellent strengthening workout as the dog lengthens and uses their whole body to propel up the hill. The flip side is that it is a great workout for the handler as well. I recommend tossing the ball or Frisbee uphill, then meeting your dog half way on the decent. This way your dog is not barreling down a hill, putting unnecessary stress on their shoulders and back. You can walk with your dog at your side back to the starting point and start again. In this case, when tossing on a steeper incline you can toss so the dog is driving straight because as the dog goes up the incline they are less likely to “power slide” or “jump” due to the upward terrain. Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF email: pawsitiveperformance@yahoo.com http://www.pawsitive-performance.com/blog Question: How do I fit 10-15 minutes of conditioning/fitness exercises with my dog, three to four times a week with trialing, training, and life’s crazy schedule. Answer: IT IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE Let’s looks at a few scenarios: Scenario No 1: Handler has one dog and is involved in 1-2 different canine sports and works a full time job. In this case, find time immediately after a walk in the am or pm to do your strength routine. This is a great time because your dog’s muscles are already warm. If you attend class 2 x a week, fit your strength work in on the opposite days. If it is a trial week, take a day off before and after the trial for mental and physical recover. On trial weeks you may only get in TWO strength days. Scenario No 2: Handler has two or more dogs and is involved in 1-2 different canine sports and works a full time job. Same scenario as above only work with 2 dogs per day after an am or pm walk (to make sure muscles are warm). This is a great time because your dog’s muscles are already warm. I have 4 dogs and I work 2 dogs daily for a total of 20-30 minutes (10-15 min per dog). In this scenario you will get the most bang for your time if work one dog until their entire workout is complete before switching to another dog. If doing your dog’s fitness routine after a walk, the second dog will still be warm when it is their turn. Again try to do strength opposite a performance class day. If it is not possible to do strength opposite a performance practice day, keep the routine shorter (5 or so minutes) so soreness does not occur. I always subscribe to one day off before and after a trial for mental and physical recovery. This is good for both you and your dog. Strength routines can be twice a week when trialing. Scenario No 3: Handler has a high level of commitments (family, kids, a job) and does 1-2 canine sports with 1-4 or more dogs. This one is ME. Often times my dogs get their workouts between 9-10pm at night after my kids are in bed and life has calmed down. I do have to warm up their muscles prior to working on strength exercises so it takes me 5-10 minutes longer to complete their routine. I warm up 2 dogs, and tag team them through exercises. Both dogs will do stability work, then two to three a strength exercises. This way I can keep both dogs warm and complete their routine. There is also times when I can complete their workouts at dinner time after an evening walk. This is truly ideal as then they are not getting more calories. These are just a few scenarios to give you an idea of how it might work. If you do 10 minute trainers that is not the same as the mental and physical commitment of a weekly class. You can pair your strength workout with 10 minute trainers. If you have questions about how to fit in K9 Conditioning/Fitness into your life, please comment below or contact me. I would be very happy to help. Low Impact Exercise that can be done most any time: These low impact exercises can be done as part of your daily routine in life to keep your dog more aware of their body: · Backing up (I back my dogs up down the hallway on a regular basis) · Backing up over objects (UH, my kids leave stuff in the way and my dogs will back up over whatever is there. If nothing is there, I will toss a dog bed out for them to back over) · Holding a square sit on a stool (while dinner is being prepared) · Holding a sphinx down position (while dinner is being prepared) · Go to mat and mat to mat and back up to mat · Perfecting your warm up routine – all low impact active joint and muscle movements. A proper warm up is one of the single most important thing you can do for injury prevention. As you can see there is plenty that can be done on the FLY to remind your dog of their body and remind them to efficiently engage their muscles and if you work out a basic schedule and believe it is a priority, conditioning and strength training can and should fit into your schedule. Bobbie Lyons Bobbie Lyons, Cert CF Email: pawsitiveperformance@yahoo.com Website: http://www.pawsitive-performance.com/schedule.html |
AuthorBobbie Lyons, CCFT, KPA CPT Archives
April 2019
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