#dog exercises

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Tried them both on actual weight today. Need to tighten up some straps I see.

Thyme has a trick where he jumps to get momentum and movement. Clever, but doesn’t teach him how to actually pull 😂

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When you are puffed out but don’t want to let go of toy 🐶

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This company designs “agility” equipment for dog parks - not agility as in competition standard but as in building up dog’s body awareness with similar style obstacles fashioned after the sport.

I like seeing things like these in dog parks to have the average owner introduce their dogs to this kind of body awareness and confidence building.

But also I am considering making a SMALL one of these for my yard so the dogs can do some climbing without risk of Thistle using it as a launch point out of the yard:

But maybe I can just buy one off them idk. I’d like a tunnel and climbing type object (frame or ramp).

The brochure is very informative too.

and some other resources I’m intrigued to read

  Dog Parks - Free Resources                

Four  Legs Four Walls – Design Guidelines. A comprehensive guide to housing design  with pets in mind (Pias,  2011). [Download]                    

Should I Share My Apartment with a Dog; A Guide to Apartment Living  For You and Your Dog (RSPCA)   [Download]

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Some of Thyme’s exercises from the rehab and conditioning vet

His focus is on body awareness, balance and flexibility. Also on improving the posture of his sit and drops 

1.  Flexibility - Pretzel puppy 

In a drop or sit drop treats under and around your dog and under their fur so they have to stretch and bend to find the treat while not standing up. This should involve using the front limbs to brace

2. Walking sideways - Whole body work out that improves proprioception 

Set up your dog standing in front of you, facing to the left, so that you are at their side. Take three or four steps forward so that your dog steps to the side.  Repeat with your dog facing to the right. Your dog should be stepping directly to the side, not trying to walk forward. 

3.  Stretch hips-back-neck and build core strength

Raise your dogs front legs to a surface approximately shoulder height. Lure them up and forward to make them stretch up, up and away. Reward when their back feet are still and not shuffling.

4. Pelvis rocking (weightpull prep exercise): To stretch and challenge the psoas minor muscle as it slows down the extension of the lumbar spine and pelvis tilting forward. 

Put your dog in a sphinx drop. Use a treat to push them back so their lower back is all squashed up. Lure them forward with the treat to create as much spine extension as they are capable. Ask them to perform this slowly but continuously 4 times. Hold in the extended position for 15-30 seconds to finish.

Levels 1 Perform with your dogs nose pointing slightly up an incline. 2 Perform on the flat. 3 Perform with your dogs nose pointing down an incline.

5.  Messy Cavaletti's - build body awareness, range of motion and an assessment/ early warning of minor injuries. 

Gather a variable number of poles (min 4) and throw them on the ground. Ask your dog to slowly walk through them. You can stick objects under the poles to raise them. Slower is physically harder than faster. 

Levels 1 Few poles spread far apart. 2 More poles and closer together 3  Add height to poles. 4 Perform on unstable surfaces and on hills/variable terrain

6. Rock back sit on unstable surface - to sit up straight and tall, build rear muscle strength.

Have an unstable surface. Lure your dog to rock back into a sit with limbs square. Ask them to perform this slowly but continuously 4 times. Hold in the extended position for 15-30 seconds to finish. 

7. Crouch-crawl -  Whole body work out, Strengthen muscles supporting joints,  Practice appropriate muscle patterns,  Proprioception 

Ask your dog to walk under an obstacle. Once you have taught this behaviour slowly reduce the height to ask your dog to drop their neck. Then drop it further so they have to crouch. You may ask them to do up to a meter like this. 

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Some of Thistle’s exercises from the rehab and conditioning vet

For Thistle - focus is on strengthening for weightpull and structural strength building 

1.  Stifle exercise - Improves range of motion, helps weight shifting,  single leg raises and posture reinforcement 

With your dog in a square stand place one back foot on a raised target. Get them weight bearing happily like this. Once they are confident slide the foot on the ground back and lift it in the air. Your dog should stand up on the raised leg. Gently draw the foot in your hand forward and place on the ground. Repeat this 4 times. Added balance, lift the diagonal opposing leg.

2. Back extension - improves core muscle strength - Iliopsoas stretch eccentric contraction 

Restrain your dog’s back legs by placing your arm or hands in front of their back legs and encourage them to lean forward. Stop when the back feet start lifting and moving. Ask them to perform this slowly but continuously 4 times. Hold in the extended position for 15-30 seconds to finish.

3 and 4.  Pelvis rocking (weightpull prep exercise): 

To stretch and challenge the psoas minor muscle as it slows down the extension of the lumbar spine and pelvis tilting forward. 

Put your dog in a sphinx drop. Use a treat to push them back so their lower back is all squashed up (3).

Lure them forward with the treat to create as much spine extension as they are capable (4). Ask them to perform this slowly but continuously 4 times. Hold in the extended position for 15-30 seconds to finish.

Levels 1 Perform with your dogs nose pointing slightly up an incline. 2 Perform on the flat. 3 Perform with your dogs nose pointing down an incline.

5. Flexibility: Pretzel puppy - In a drop or sit drop treats under and around your dog and under their fur so they have to stretch and bend to find the treat while not standing up. This should involve using the front limbs to brace. 

6.  Massage - relax muscles  

Give your dog a gentle massage beginning at the hind legs and slowly moving toward the head. You should take about one minute for each lap. It should feel like a gentle massage from a really good hairdresser. The dog should relax into the feeling.  You should not be massaging with fast motions or lots of pressure. Do five laps each session, may be done every evening. Should be done after a big day of competition or work 

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Collared Scholar Fitness Challenge Day 3 “Working the Core”

You know these games have come at a good time! It’s simply too hot for our usual run abouts and fetch games, so exercising their body in other ways is working out for me. 

K9 Cavalettis - another one that overlaps with out sports vet! I like the tip about putting the kibble down into the obstacle to slow the dog down and have them think more about the obstacle.

I know we have actual cavalettis but i used the ladder for this as it’s more solid for ol’ clumsy. Thyme is at 2:35 and he actually did pretty well with them! The trick for the slower speed helps.

Weaves -  fun though. i’ve been wanting to do this one since i saw @bigpointyears video with logan of adorable. Thyme at 5:41 for this

Figure 8 - stationary weaves!  thyme had no idea what i wanted! he was so enthusiastic it was a struggle to lure him! thistle picked it up pretty quickly which was fun. also two dogs mobbing me lol. tossed treats to keep one distracted. hard to do downstay when im bending over to give food to another dog :O

Note 7:13, Thistle trying to get my attention with tricks on the cavalettis that i didn’t see at all because SHES BEHIND ME.

Exercise instructions under the cut:

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Collared Scholar Fitness Challenge Day 1 “Warm up" 

This was a three part challenge. The tasks were a song length of "Follow me", a song length of "Can't catch me" and a song length of  "the treat toss". 

The purpose is to warm your dog up before an activity, get them lightly panting.

Being it is the middle of summer, I am recording the temperature as well. The dogs were panting before we even started, as it was 28c. I used the warm up for a short 15 minutes of fetch, then everybody in the pool. 

I like using follow me to build the engagement as well as warm up. I can see it as more use for getting thyme to move with me - noticeable he crosses in front of me a lot, and I trip over him at one point. 

 Same for can't catch me, with the sharp turns. 

With the treat toss, I just used some of their kibble. Both dogs are food resource guarders where other dogs are concerned. I've worked on it a lot though, that I can toss treats for one of them and have the other leave it alone. But this is another reason I was using "boring" kibble, as low enough value they are easily called off or not likely to guard over it. Also why I say names for this exercise, so each dog knows who is getting which treat.

I noticed Thistle was reluctant to go between my legs. She's always been a bit uncertain about new activities that require close proximity to people. This would be a good confident booster for her.

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Collared Scholar Fitness Challenge Day 2 “Stretching”

This was a four part challenge. I notice two of them match the flexibility exercises our sports vet gave us. The tasks were “The Neck Stretch” (one of ours already), “The Side Stretch” (this one too!), “Tight spins” (right/left spins) and “The Sprints” (neither dog knows this one, so starting from scratch!).

First up we do the warm up exercises from the previous day, equal to the length of a song. So I don’t start this challenge until 4 minutes in.

Thyme Exercises 1 through to 3: 4:06

Thistle Exercises 1 through to 3: 6:08

Both dogs with introduction to “sprints”: 8:48

We stop the warm ups/stretches and start fetch instead: 11:36

Then the neck stretch, side stretch and spins while other dog is in place command. We don’t get to panting level, because even though it is a bit wet it is still 20c and I do not want to overwork them.

You’ll notice Thyme breaks a lot when it’s Thistle’s turn. That’s my bad, I need to reward him more frequently for staying in position because having Thistle do such active things with food rewards in close proximity to him is a much higher criteria than I usually give him.

The final exercise with the “sprints” is a bit of chaos as neither dog knows it, it starts raining and we all get in each other’s way. regardless, we do get our 5 goes each and I can see potential to use it in our rebound trick (which we are not working on today because it is wet and slippery).

Here are the exercises in detail, for those home rehab types!