We love our dogs and want them to live long and healthy lives. Providing physical activities to your dog’s daily life and keeping your dog active provides tremendous benefits, keeping it mentally engaged and physically fit. Regular activities also go a long way to curb behavior issues, as many common unwanted behaviors in today’s pet dogs result from boredom. Let’s face it – our dogs are captive animals, and with strict leash laws in most areas preventing them from moving about in ways that allow them autonomy of movement and decision-making, most pet dogs do not get many opportunities to “just be a dog” out in the natural world.
If you are interested in a new and fun way to keep your dog active and physically fit while building your bond together, Canine Fitness training may be of interest. With a few basic targeting behaviors, such as teaching your dog to put its front and rear feet on something, as well as teaching your dog a simple chin rest and nose touch, you can increase your dog’s body awareness and proprioception to decrease the chance of it getting injured while playing fetch or enjoying a romp over uneven or slippery terrain. Fun exercises that can improve your dog’s body condition include stride work over cavaletti’s, figure 8’s around cones, or crawling under and hopping over things for flexion and extension of the joints. Exercises such as stand-down-stand or stand with weight shifting, first on flat surfaces and as your dog learns the proper form, on balance equipment, will build your dog’s muscle strength while improving its balance and flexibility. Teaching your dog to back up, side step, and turn circles both right and left – there are so many exercises involved in Canine Fitness training that you and your dog will never get bored while having fun learning something new together!
Best of all, canine fitness and conditioning does not need to take much time or require much space! You can do many exercises in the comfort of your home with household items such as couch cushions, plastic containers and step stools. Dogs love it because it involves a high rate of reinforcement, which not only builds your relationship but also builds your dog’s confidence.
As important members of our family, we want to ensure our dogs are happy and healthy and live long lives free of injuries. If you’re not already incorporating some of these things into your dog’s life, maybe it’s time to start!
Wendy Taylor is a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, Certified Behavior Consultant for Canines, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Certified Family Dog Mediator and Fear Free Animal Trainer. She lives in Louisville, KY with her Border Collie Azure and Calico cat Ayla.
We encourage you to invest in us, for the life you and your dog deserve to have together. That’s what we call The Life of Riley. Contact us for dog training prices.