Fit As A Butcher’s Dog – Fitness Tips For Dogs.
Optimizing physical fitness and maintaining overall physical well-being is the goal of many people. Plenty of us will be familiar with improving our fitness and mobility levels by attending a gym, or exercise class. But – our pets can also benefit from a structured fitness programme to improve physical health and there are plenty of tools to help. An added bonus to setting up a home gym for your dog, is that it also provides mental stimulation. For tips on how you can do this at home – plus, suggestions for suitable safe equipment – dive into our Holidays4Dogs article.
My dog is already fit – how can they benefit from fitness exercises?
Just like people, dogs can benefit from a stretching and strength exercises. Not only do fitness exercises improve muscle function, they also improve body coordination and awareness. While keep-fit provides physical exercise, it also gives the dog a mental workout too.
Dogs involved in canine sports such as agility can really benefit from structured fitness exercises. Indeed, it is common practice for many owners of agility dogs to provide their dogs with fitness exercises to improve performance. The Police also put their dogs through physical fitness and strength exercises to develop and maintain, stamina and agility. Older dogs too, can benefit from gentle fitness exercises, to maintain mobility.
Important Note: Before you begin on fitness training with your dog – make sure your dog has had a thorough veterinary examination. Certain exercise may not be beneficial for senior dogs suffering from specific health conditions, such as arthritis. In addition, puppies must refrain from jumping, or extended balancing, until their bones have finished developing.
What are dog fitness/conditioning exercises?
Dog fitness exercises involve strength training, balance and cardio. Cardio is important, as this is the warm-up part of the exercises. This warms up the muscles, so they receive sufficient oxygen levels. This gets them ready for more targeted fitness exercises.
Strength exercises should be carried out slowly as this assists in optimizing muscle improvement as well as reducing the risk of muscle strain. Balance is important in every animal and focusing on this improves joint and muscle strength as well as body awareness and coordination.
Can canine fitness be done at home?
We recommend owners attend a canine fitness course, or classes. Some professional dog trainers offer specific fitness classes and training. In addition, if you are concerned about your dog’s physical health, it is important to discuss this with your vet.
If your dog is suffering from certain health conditions, or injuries, these need to be evaluated by a trained veterinary professional, with possible referral to a canine physiotherapist.
However, there are some gentle conditioning exercises for fitness that you can do at home with your dog. All you need are some basic props and a lots of tasty treats! Read on for some fitness tips for dogs.
Push-up pups.
This is a super simple exercise for any dog and involves getting your dog into a sit, then a down, then up into a sit again. You can also get your dog to move from the down position, to a stand. It’s ideal for puppies, as it has the added benefit of teaching basic behaviours.
A good stretch.
We all know how nice it is to have a good stretch in the morning. Dogs do it too and they really stretch out those muscles after a good nap. You can teach your dog to do this on cue, by marking with a clicker each time they do it.
Soon, you’ll be able to get your dog to stretch out on cue. You can also use a target stick (and clicker) to teach your dog to stretch their head up (using treats). You could even then use the target stick to direct your dog to turn their head left and right.
Figure of eights.
Walking in a figure of eight pattern is a good way to stretch your dog’s spine out. All you need is some cones, or other markers. Place the marker several feet apart and then walk around, using a treat to lure your dog in the correct direction. To make the turns tighter, simply move the objects closer together. You can also teach your dog to weave through your legs.
Balance exercises.
Teaching dogs to balance on various surfaces is both good for physical health and fitness, but for mental fitness too. It is essential that you begin using a solid surface for balance training.
It doesn’t need to be very high off the floor – the aim is to teach your dog to sit, or stand, on an object. You could use a piece of wood, or a balance pad – this is a good one from PRO 11 WELLBEING. It’s a human fitness gadget, but would work great for dogs.
Pro 11 Wellbeing Balance Mat.
Make sure anything you choose can support your dog’s weight and doesn’t rock around. Once your dog is comfortable standing still on the object, you can move to something that is a little unsteady underfoot, so your dog has to balance.
This could be a large well-stuffed sofa cushion for example. Alternatively you can buy inflatable balance discs like this one from PELETON.
Step to it.
You can use a little step stool to teach your dog to put their front paws up on. You could also use a 2 or 3 heavy books, taped together, to make a sturdy surface.
This stretches the spine out and helps your dog with rear awareness. Dogs don’t really have great awareness about what their back ends are doing! Where the front end goes, the rear end follows – it’s often as simple as that to them. This exercise really helps dogs to think about what their back feet are doing – gets the old brain ticking, as well as building physical fitness.
Final thoughts on dog fitness tips.
Fitness training and conditioning isn’t just good for physical health, but dogs find it fun and engaging too. So, its a win -win situation for all.
The two main key points are:
Consider consulting with your vet before embarking on fitness training for your dog. This is very important, especially if you think your dog maybe suffering from a health condition, or injury.
Always choose objects that are safe and won’t cause injury, or accident. If your dog feels too unsafe, particularly at the beginning of training, they will likely find this off-putting and scary.
