0 – Exercising your dog – Winter is No Excuse

I look out the window as I type and see an inch of snow on the ground. More snow is predicted for tonight. I decided a column on exercising your dog would be appropriate. Exercise? At this time of the year? Yes!

Our dogs, just like their owners, can get out of condition quite easily when the temperatures drop. Many of us enjoy the warmth of the fireplace, a good book, and a cup of hot chocolate while the thermometer reads 23 degrees. Our dogs curl up on their beds, all snug and warm, and dream of chasing rabbits. Then Spring arrives. We try to get out and garden or run with our dogs. It becomes painfully clear that all that sitting did neither of us any good. We end up buying all the Icy Hot patches available for our aching backs and our dogs end up limping into the vet’s office.

Of course, the standard warning applies here: if you haven’t had a checkup lately, please get one before beginning an exercise program. Likewise, a trip to the vet for the dog’s “all clear” signal will be wise. There really is no need to throw caution to the wind. You’re starting early, so you have extra time to achieve your goals.

Dr. Christine Zink is a veterinarian who specializes in sports medicine. The author of many popular books including Peak Performance: Coaching the Canine Athlete and Dog Health and Nutrition for Dummies, Dr. Zink approaches canine exercise from the perspective of a sports competitor, yet formats her ideas for the owner who just wants to keep the dog happy and healthy. Her exercises do not require special equipment, just a little time and creativity on your part.

At her seminar last November in Huntsville, AL, Dr. Zink covered the five types of exercise she considers vital to maintaining a healthy dog. The five types were stretching, strengthening, endurance, skills, and proprioception (body awareness). The great part about all of these is most are taught using play and many can be done indoors.

Any competitive athlete will tell you stretching is the first thing you should do before beginning to exert yourself. The same holds true for your dog. Stretching helps reduce the chance of strains and improves performance. Teaching your dog to spin in both directions is not only a great trick, it also allows your dog to stretch her spine and muscles along the ribcage. Teaching a bow (we call it “bravo”) will allow muscles in the front legs and chest to warm up. A slow walk will increase blood flow. Allow your dog to jump over a low bar several times. Massage his feet and flex his toes.

Proprioception is a term that has recently become popular in the athletic world. It simply means providing exercises which will increase your dog’s awareness of his body and his sense of balance. A great exercise is to slowly walk your dog over a ladder placed flat on the ground. At first, as the dog becomes aware of her foot placement, you may hear her toenails hitting the rungs of the ladder. As the dog becomes more aware of her feet, you will hear less of that. For balance, use a tippy board or buja boards. Be patient as the dog experiences movement under her feet for the first time.

You can practice strength training using play and tricks. Strength training can involve the game of tug (you must follow the rules of tug), roll over, catch, low crawl, begging, and catch, just to name a few. One of Zink’s favorite exercises is to have the dog sit in a “beg” position, then have the dog go straight into a stand on rear legs, followed by a return to the beg position. It is a very difficult exercise for most dogs and one that will take some time to train. It improves the dog’s core strength as well as that in the rear legs.

Endurance training is what most folks think of when we talk about exercising your dog. It is also the most difficult to achieve at this time of the year. Endurance exercises involve distance and time – roadwork such as running or perhaps mushing or skijoring. The treadmill is an option for many folks, but you must acclimate your dog to the machine and you must be present at all times while your dog is on it. As the weather warms, more options can include swimming for more than 10 minutes and trotting or jogging at least three times a week for 20 minutes per session.

Skills training is the final form of exercise needed by your dog. You don’t have to compete in a sport for this training to be an important part of your routine. Skills training not only exercises the body, but also incorporates the dog’s mind as well. There are so many fun activities that allow the dog to be conditioned while you both have fun: agility, flyball, rally-o, carting, lure coursing, scent work – the list of enjoyable activities is astounding for owners and dogs of all shapes and sizes.

So while we wait out the snow and cold, start your shape up program with your dog. You’ll be running rings around your neighbors come spring!