Why Canine Fitness Matters
Did you know that your dog is an athlete? Well, they are!
Think back to when you opened your back door to let them outside and they spotted a squirrel or some other critter. They accelerated from a standstill to a furry blur! This requires our dogs to activate a series of muscles, ligaments and tendons to allow for this explosion of sudden activity. In other words, a level of fitness.
However, if our dogs are not in shape or happen to slip, trip or otherwise tumble as they are chasing said creature, they can injure themselves.
The same applies when we are playing fetch, disc, going for a walk or a hike with our dog. All of these activities require a baseline level of fitness and if that is lacking, there is a higher likelihood our dogs can injure themselves.
Is your pup leaping onto and off the furniture all day long? Perhaps you have slick laminate or hardwood floors. These repetitive motions with uncertain footing can spell disaster for our dog’s joints, especially if they do not have the muscle tone to have proper form.
Are you training or competing in any dog sport? Then implementing a canine fitness program is even more essential. This is not only reserved for high-octane sports such as agility, dock diving, flyball and lure coursing/FastCAT, the same applies to all dog sports. Think of competition obedience. Your dog is expected to maintain a precise position, whether it be heeling at your side, tight fronts and sits, downs, coming when called, retrieving at a distance and so on. Each and every behavior has an intense physical element to it. If you are struggling, could it be that your dog finds a given exercise or behavior physically challenging or even physically impossible?
No matter what we do with our dogs, we should take steps to ensure they are physically fit and thus will be less likely to incur injuries or find their training session, playing with us or competing in various dog sports challenging.
Thus, incorporating a canine fitness program into our routine is a-must.
Fortunately, doing so is achievable thanks to the resources available through our Canine Fitness Program:
- Fitness Exercises for Your Puppy Webinar with Donna Morgan Murray
- Fitness for the Life of Your Dog Webinar with Donna Morgan Murray
- Keeping Your Senior Dog Fit to Work and Play Webinar with Donna Morgan Murray
- Canine Conditioning Foundations Course with Kathy Childers
- Beginning Canine Conditioning Course with Kathy Childers
Get started today, your dog will thank you.
Happy Training!
Dianna has been training dogs professionally since 2011. She has done everything from teaching group training classes and private lessons, to specializing in working with fearful, reactive and aggressive dogs, to being a trial official and competition organization staff member.
Following a serious neck and back injury, Dianna was forced to retire from in-person dog training. But she was not ready to give up her passion! So, she created Pet Dog U and Scent Work University to provide outstanding online dog training to as many dog handlers, owners and trainers possible…regardless of where they live! Dianna is incredibly grateful to the amazingly talented group of instructors who have joined PDU and SWU and she looks forward to the continued growth of PDU and SWU and increased learning opportunities all of these online dog training platforms can provide.
In June 2021, Dianna and her business partner, Sean McMurray launched Cyber Scent Work, Inc., an organization that operates in the gray space between training and trialing in Scent Work. With Cyber Scent Work, Inc., handlers have the opportunity to earn Qs, titles and ribbons while also receiving helpful training advice regardless of whether they qualify or not! Be sure to check out Cyber Scent Work, Inc., you will be happy you did!
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