Tag Archive for: canine physical fitness

Dogs and humans have been working side by side for centuries. How about a gym workout to build stronger bodies and dog human bond together?   

Human performing squat with dog giving high five.
Let’s back up.

In 2007 I was infected with West Nile Virus neuroinvasive and it has been a long road to healing.  In 2016 I found a fitness trainer to help strengthen my core and nervous system that ultimately helped me get my body back.  In early 2018 I found my mind and spirit again.  What a feeling to be whole in body, mind and spirit!!!  It is a journey learning how to listen and work with each part.  Last week I was getting ready for the MS 150 bike ride and nursing an injury 2 weeks prior.  As I was on the spin bike my body said ‘it did not want to give up the life it got back’.  My spirit said ‘you will not lose that life but you need to rest’.  My whole body shifted, I wanted to cry as I had listened to my inner child and held her. 

This is what I have been doing for dogs since 2012. I listen to their inner spirit and help them work with their body challenges to live a great life, as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. They did daily exercises to heal their injuries from back, knee, and neck pain. K9 Fitness Works grew out of a passion to help dogs be stronger before injury.

One more piece of this creation. 

Tina was my girl 2002-2013.  She was by my side during WNV and she knew a relapse was coming before I did.  We learned to work together so we both could enjoy life. She taught me how to communicate with dogs on a spiritual and body level.  Dogs are drawn to my energy of healing and compassion for them by trying to cross the road to get to me. 

Tina and Jenn on the beach

Now I am combining all of these into a class to create stronger dogs and stronger humans through physical fitness creating a stronger bond.  It is so beautiful! 

We start with a warm up routine that can be done any time before your favorite activity.  Then circuit 1 of exercises to strengthen up the core, legs, and bond.  A 5 minute rest to pee and sniff.  Then circuit 2 to continue flexibility and proprioception.  Finish with a cool down to rest the body, mind, and spirit connection.

That sounds like good fun!  I also teach Basic Dog Fitness class so you can feel confident what to do with your dog when you are in Fuzzy Gym Buddy Class.

Check out our class times at our service page or register here.

 

Self-stabilization, Proprioception, What is it?

Do you remember a time your dog jumped on the bed and missed?  Or you tripped on a crack in the cement?  Your dog or you had a deficient proprioceptive or self-stabilizing system in the moment.

unstable beach terrain

Puppies are sensitive to the environment around them and are able to respond quickly to every little change.  Dogs have evolved to be deeply aware of their surroundings and adjust to changes for survival.  Their bodies are sensitive receivers taking in new information that translates to body movement.  As dogs are becoming more sedentary their body awareness is decreasing causing more injuries on hikes, work, or in competition.

In scientific terms.

Proprioception is the awareness of the body in space through mechanoreceptors and neuro sensing cells in the skin, receptive to the environment around us.  In English, the dog’s feet have neuro sensing cells that send messages of the ground they walk on to the brain.  These cells also monitor joint position and movement during daily activities. 

Another way to say it. 

This is the dynamic system of self-stabilization.   When your dog or you are on an uneven surface like a pebble road or the side of a mountain the nervous system is receiving input to adjust muscles for stabilizing so you both don’t fall down.  Not only muscles, also tendons, ligaments, and joint compression are modifying how they respond to the environment.  A pretty intricate system when you think about it.

Our dog gets hurt when there is less body awareness to compensate for the change in environment.  All day long they are lying on the couch with an occasional squirrel window chase or outside sound arousal.   After we get done with work we take our dog on a hike, work them, or practice for a weekend competition.   They have not had practice using their body on unstable surfaces during the day so there is decreased body awareness as they are walking over rocky terrain or jumping over an agility pole.  Their body is slower to respond to the change in environment which causes muscles, tendons, and ligaments to adjust slower potentially causing a muscle strain.

How do we improve this to limit injury?

A very simple change in routine can save you and your puppy a lot of pain later. Here are a few simple tips you can do at home or on a walk to improve body awareness then preventing injury.

  1. Walk over different terrain on your daily walks after work.  Stepping over rocks, curbs, mulch, sand, recycled rubber at play grounds, sticks, and grass can improve the input to the mechanoreceptors in their feet.  That input improves body awareness.
Different terrain
  1. 2. Placing poles, broom sticks, or sticks in a path they walk daily to encourage knowing where their feet are in space. In a hallway, outside the door, or after the patio steps. You can use expandable curtain rods in the hallway, don’t leave them up at night. Go to the dollar store and buy 2 laundry baskets with holes and stake them in the yard upside down. Then place poles in them. Be creative with your exercises.
step overs

These simple steps can improve your dog’s body awareness to react quicker to an obstacle helping preventing injury.  You can do the same exercises with them to help your proprioception while creating a stronger bond with your dog.

Leave us a comment or photo of your dog’s proprioceptive exercises.

K9 Fitness Works is creating stronger dog human bonds through canine physical fitness. We are proud to help owners feel more confident in the quality of life for their pawer pup!

Expert Canine Fitness Trainer

K9 Fitness Works is focused on educating the community on healthy dogs through our blog and soon to be membership site with videos on how to create a stronger core and more in your dog.  We enjoy speaking at club events to share personal dog knowledge to decrease knee and spine injuries in dogs.

K9 Fitness tutorial and knowledgebase articles

Fitness is easy to do daily and is natural to humans and dogs.  Over the centuries we have gotten lazy! Humans and dogs have sat on the couch more then hiking the mountains, unless you live in Colorado.  Even those in Colorado sit at a desk most of the day and the dog sit on the couch most of the day leaving them both susceptible to injury when on a hike up the mountain.  There are simple daily exercises you can both do to decrease injury and create a stronger bond together.

What are your most pressing questions?

Let K9 Fitness Works know what you are looking for in the health of your pet.  What are your concern’s when it comes to the quality of life for your dog?  What do you want to achieve in competition?  Comment below so we can share our knowledge to help you and your dog grow stronger for a better community!