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| CP Caruso and brother Wicket get lots of
healthy exercise playing fetch! |
"Walking is great exercise for you and your
dog, requires no fancy equipment, and can be done anywhere, anytime." Suzanne Clothier
Fitness In Your Back
Yard
Exercise has benefits for dogs too! Some simple ideas for
keeping your couch potato in
reasonable shape.
Canine
athlete. Do those two words make you
think of dogs that can perform amazing feats? While it's fun to watch highly trained canine
athletes take dogs sports to the extreme, your own dog hardly qualifies as a
canine athlete. Or does he?
The Canine Sports Medicine Association newsletter (April, 1997) puts canine
athletes in four categories: "elite, amateur, professional, and
recreational." Unless you're headed
for competition, chances are your dog is a recreational athlete and keeping him
reasonably fit doesn't require expensive equipment or membership in a doggy
gym. With your coaching, your dog can walk, jump, and play his way into
better shape. First stop? Your veterinarian's office for a complete
physical and a discussion about appropriate exercise levels.
"All dogs benefit from exercise, but the trick is to find the right
exercise program for each dog," cautions chiropractic veterinarian Sue Ann
Lesser DVM. With a roving practice that
covers five states, the South
Huntington NY based
doctor spends her days helping concerned owners keep their dogs in great shape.
"Every dog is different. Daily walks might be perfect for one dog, but
another dog could need more intense workouts. You need to think about the individual
dog."
Age, breed, and personality, along with health problems, such as hip dysplasia,
obesity, arthritis, even some medications, can affect your dog's exercise
tolerance. Physical characteristics such
as short muzzles or heavy coats may also need special consideration. Although exercise helps shed unwanted pounds,
ask your veterinarian for ways to safely reduce your dog's caloric intake. New
Hampshire veterinarian Dr. Geoffrey Clark reminds
owners that "An overweight dog will need a transition period while it
loses weight and regains fitness, so take it easy at the outset."
Is your dog closer to champion couch potato than award winning athlete? No need to despair, says dog lover Karen
Koenig of Woodbine, Maryland.
"My oldest American Eskimo, 'Mama
Dog' was putting on weight and she had stopped being a part of the family. I began a regular exercise program developed
for me by a trainer who specializes in this. We do daily stretches and walks, and have
reached a point where 'Mama Dog' is actually running again. It's been great fun watching her
re-emerge."
Dr. Clark, who is also the editor of Canine Sports Medicine Update, is an
advocate of a varied exercise program. "Varying the training routine with
different activities will make things more interesting for both you and your
dog. This form of 'canine cross
training' can include a combination of walking, running, swimming and
retrieving."
Walking is great exercise for you and
your dog, requires no fancy equipment and can be done anywhere, anytime. Brisk is the key word to fitness walking. Allow your dog some sniffing time, and then
start moving! A mature dog in good shape
should be able to keep up with you easily. With puppies, older dogs, and dogs who are
overweight or who have physical problems, you’ll need to be cautious. For all dogs, stay alert for the first clue of
tiring: a change in speed or the rhythm of the dog’s gait. He may even feel a bit heavy on the lead. Immediately slow down and head for home to
avoid overdoing it.
Keep track of how far you've walked - measure by blocks or with your car's
speedometer. If your dog has shown signs
of tiring, do about 1/3 less on your next walk. Your goal is a dog who can comfortably make
the round trip at a brisk walk, with no signs of tiring. Increase distances very gradually as your dog
becomes more fit. Decrease distances if
your dog's age or physical problems begin to affect him more.
While your dog may already jump for joy, you can encourage him to jump for
fitness. While jumping strengthens both
back and belly muscles, it can be damaging to young bones (under a year old)
and too much for dogs with physical problems. You can create jumps from anything that will
break away or give if the dog makes a mistake: cardboard boxes (try tissue
boxes or milk cartons for little guys), a broomstick balanced on coffee cans,
or even open brown paper bags. Be sure
to set up the jumps on good footing.
For basic toning, use a row of three jumps set no higher than the dog's elbow
(higher jumps require special training and conditioning). With the dog off-leash, call him over the
jumps to you. Never jump a dog on leash
- you can throw off his balance and hurt him. Begin with 2 runs down the row, and gradually
over 6-8 weeks increase to maximum of 10 runs down the row. Stop if your dog hits the jumps or refuses -
it's his way of telling you his muscles are tired. And no matter how fit he is, three times a
week is enough jumping for any dog.
"When I brought home a younger dog, I suddenly realized my husky mix Logan was moving like an old man," says Lynn Sipe of Severna Park, MD.
"I knew exercise was important for
human senior citizens, so I wanted exercises that could help Logan stay healthy and active." With help from trainers Debbie Hutchinson and
Terry Wright of Pasadena MD,
Lynn began a program of regular exercise that
included low jumps to tone Logan's
muscles. "Logan is now a very vigorous old fellow who
definitely enjoys his exercises, especially his jumps," states Sipe. "And his veterinarian is delighted with Logan's continued
suppleness and flexibility."
For dogs who like to retrieve, a game of
fetch is healthy fun. You can add
intensity to the workout in several ways. Use rope handled balls or bumpers, or put an
old tennis racket to work to send the toy as far as possible. Build excitement and speed by throwing the toy
but holding the dog back for 10-30 seconds before letting him fly after it. If there's a moderate slope available, send
the dog uphill for the retrieve. For
dogs who prefer treats to retrieving, apply the same techniques to making the
dog work hard for a low calorie treat.
Your job as a coach is to protect your
dog. He does not understand the long
term effects of overdoing it or recognize the possibility of injury. Dr. Clark points out that "it's much
easier to prevent an injury than it is to rehabilitate a dog following an
injury." Be sure he gets proper
warm ups (5-10 minutes of brisk walking) and cool downs (another 5-10 minutes
of quiet walking), some stretches and even massage after a big workout. Whatever the activity, watch for signs that
he's tiring, and switch to something less demanding, give him a rest or stop
altogether.
Never assume that a dog is fit for one exercise because he's conditioned for
another. Muscles become accustomed only
to regular activities. Your dog may be
an old hand at swimming but that doesn't mean he's prepared for hiking in the
mountains. Adding something new? Dr. Clark cautions, "It's important to
begin new activities at a moderate level and increase gradually. The risk of serious injury to your dog during
strenuous activity can be diminished by entering into a training program at a
reasonable pace."
A dog's enthusiasm for an activity does
not equal fitness. Even though he
may want to continue, you may have to set safe limits for him. Commit to regular exercise throughout the week
to avoid the dreaded "weekend warrior" syndrome (active mostly on
weekends and prone to injury.)
For those struggling with canine behavior problems, it's good to remember that
exercise (along with training, proper
nutrition and clear leadership) goes a long way to help resolve these
problems. A tired dog is almost always a good dog!
"Sometimes, I can't remember which class I'm teaching - dogs or
people?" laughs Linda Caplan, a busy dog trainer and aerobics instructor. "When I'm talking about exercise, it
doesn't matter. Dogs get the same
benefits we do - reduced stress levels and weight control. Exercise also gives the dog something to do
which is not only fun, but good for them."
The Essex, Vermont
trainer spends much of her time helping people sort out canine behavior
problems. "In the initial interview,
I always ask how much regular exercise the dog gets. Usually, the answer is 'not much.' It's amazing how many behavior problems can
be helped by giving the dog a half-hour to an hour of serious exercise
everyday."
Exercise can also give both the dog and owner a positive outcome, says Caplan. "One of my clients had an 8 month old
puppy who wasn't getting enough exercise. The pup spent a lot of the evening racing
around the house, grabbing things, and generally ruining their quiet family
time. Together, we created an exercise
program that fit the owner's busy schedule but gave the pup what he
needed."
Caplan laughs about the client's report a week later, "She told me about
her wonderful, tired puppy who was now a happy part of quiet family time. That's the magic of regular exercise. When
you think how many dogs are killed in shelters because of behavior problems, I
wish more people knew that tired dogs are not only happy dogs, they're good
dogs."
Just how much exercise is enough? A
quick and easy way to evaluate whether your dog has gotten enough exercise (or not!) is to take the TV test: Settle
down to watch your favorite show. Is
your dog stretched out dead asleep beside you or quietly chewing on a toy or
bone? If so, he's probably had enough
exercise that day. If you have to
struggle to see the TV over a dog who's standing in front of the set with a toy
in his mouth and a hopeful look on his face, he hasn't had enough exercise.
The benefits of regular exercise can
carry over well into the golden years. "I'd swim Daisy every day in the summer,
and we had long daily walks followed by stretches the rest of the year,"
remembers Nancy Beach, a Labrador lover from Danbury, CT.
"A regular fitness program helped
keep her weight down and her joints limber despite several bouts of Lyme
disease. Daisy literally bounced into
old age - still active at age 14!"
A fitness program for your dog is part
of responsible ownership, and can help keep your dog feeling and looking
his best. Love and attention keep the
gleam in your dog's eye. Good nutrition
and grooming keep the shine in his coat. And your careful attention to his exercise
needs can help keep the spring in his step.
Want to Know More About the Canine
Athlete?
When it comes to the canine athlete, there's good news and bad news. The bad news - Much of canine sports medicine
research focuses on important but specialized details. The good news is that veterinarians and other
professionals recognize the need for practical information, and are working
diligently on behalf of our dogs. These
organizations offer newsletters that focus on the canine athlete and report the
latest findings:
Sports Medicine Program
College of Veterinary Medicine
Auburn University, Alabama 36849
Newsletter,
no charge - sponsored by The Iams Company
American Canine Sports Medicine Association
P.O. Box 82433
Baton Rouge, LA 70884
For Further Information
see these Flying Dog Press publications, available through our catalog:
Physical Therapy for the Canine Athlete by Sue Ann Lesser DVM & Suzanne
Clothier
Your Athletic Dog: A Functional Approach by Suzanne Clothier Video & 110
page workbook. Combines detailed gait analysis with veterinarian recommended
exercises.
"Copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Clothier. Used
by permission of Suzanne Clothier. All rights reserved. For more information
about Suzanne please visit SuzanneClothier.com"
Read More Training
Tips from Suzanne Clothier:
