DISCLAIMER: I am not a veterinarian, please consult your veterinarian before starting any new exercise program. I am trainer and lover of dogs.
Since July 2011 I have been using FitPAWS Canine Conditioning Equipment with my dogs & with client dogs. In 2012 I was fortunate enough to attend the first Instructors Canine Fitness Course presented by FitPAWS. So for the next six weeks I wanted to devote my FitDog Friday to some of my favorite products from FitPAWS.
You may already know that it is important for us to maintain our core muscle groups strong we can stay strong, healthy and less prone to injury. The same goes for our canine companions. Core muscle groups for dogs include the back, stomach, shoulders & rear end. In past canine core strength training was very often overlooked & unfortunately for some dogs this can meant the inability to walk in their later years. But not anymore! We are learning everyday the importance of adding cross training and conditioning programs to our dogs exercise program.
As with any human conditioning training program, it is important not to over do it in the beginning. Just like us, a dog can end up sore the next couple of days if they are pushed to hard and too fast. If your dog has any previous surgeries, ACL, Petallar Luxation, etc please consult your veterinarian before beginning a conditioning program. In the beginning, start with a few exercises, short durations (5-10 seconds), and fewer reps making sure you rest between reps. In the beginning your dog can get a good little workout with 3-5 minutes of conditioning. Over time you will be able to build up to more exercises, more reps and slightly longer durations (15-20 seconds).
Today I would like to introduce the FitPAWS Balance Disc. The disc that I am using today is the 22 inch disc which I love as I can easily use it for the little dogs & the big dogs. As you can see from the pics, once introduced to the equipment, all the dogs are eager to participate! If this is your first time working with conditioning equipment, or you don’t have conditioning equipment, please see my previous post Perch Work, for an introduction on at home exercises with your dog.
Here Riley is demonstrating several basic exercises. A Stand, a Sit and a Down. In the beginning I ask her to only hold the position for a maximum of 5 seconds each. The subtle movements she makes causes her to shift her body weight to maintain balance, thereby engaging and strengthening her muscles.
Low calorie yummy treats are always used when training to create a fun, positive activity with your pet. Never use force while working with the equipment as you want your dog to get excited when the balance disc comes out of the closet!
When starting out, incorporate your new conditioning program into your workouts every other day. And be sure to provide proper canine stretching and massage to your routine. My favorite stretching book is The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog: A Physical Therapy Approach
As your dog becomes more accustomed to the Balance Disc and stronger, exercises can be linked and combined.
Once a dog has mastered the basic skills, along with creating a strong core, they can move on to more advanced moves like a Sit Pretty, as demonstrated by Chicky, or Bow Stretches like Riley.
Though you may find similar pieces of equipment made for humans, I would highly suggest buying FitPAWS equipment. The FitPAWS equipment has been specifically designed to be used by dogs. Please remember that these are not toys and should never be left alone for a dog to play with. Please watch this video about the FitPAWS equipment and how to use the Giant Balance Disc.
Disclaimer: FitPAWS did not provide the above equipment nor did we receive any monetary compensation for our post.
We are happy to be joining FitDog Friday, hosted by SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love .
I have a human balance disc but have only used it a little bit with our beagle Cricket. But she seemed very interested in it. It’s good to have these basic ideas so I know where to start when I work more with her this winter. If she really does take to it, I will definitely look into the specialized dog equipment. Looking forward to learning more in your future posts!
Jan K recently posted…FitDog Friday – Hike to Welton Falls
Jan you can still use your disc, just make sure to have nails trimmed when you use it 🙂 but should be fine with that disc… I’ll be highlighting other cool core conditioning equipment in the upcoming weeks.
Chester and Gretel have always had pretty strong cores. I am convinced that climbing mountains over uneven terrain has so much more benefits for them than just walking. A strong core is especially important for Dachshunds because it help support their fragile spines. We just got a k9 FITbone and plan to practicing balancing at home through the winter. I think they will need to graduate to one of those half round ones at some point though. This one has a comparatively flat surface so I assume it is less challenging.
Jessica@YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner recently posted…Perfect Day For a Hike
We loved the k9 Fitbone!! We tried it in Vegas and loved that it was so cute 🙂 You’ll have a lot of fun with it and you’ll get a lot out of it 🙂
Hi Jessica – adjusting the air in the K9FITbone and any balance product will change the level of difficulty from a Level 1 to a Level 3. Also moving the bone platform slightly while your dog is on it will change the center of gravity and challenge additional muscles required for stability. Let us know if you have any other questions!
This is really great! I can’t wait to get one for Kayo – for some reason I see it being a little disastrous but we’ll see! ;0)
BoingyDog recently posted…Get In the Groove With PetsMove
Oh you will have so much fun they are easy to use and the dogs know it’s a fun work out time…we’ll they really don’t know they are working out, they just know they are getting yummy treats.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m actually planning on doing an exercise test on one of my dogs, Rocco, to see if muscle-targeting therapy can be used to reduce the symptoms of slipping patellas. My vet gave me a go for using exercise to strengthen the muscles. I’m wondering if this tool will help do that. Any thoughts?
Andrea recently posted…Ultimate Pug Slim Down, Week 1
I think these would be great for Rocco. Riley also has patellar luxation in both rear knees and these really help strengthen the surrounding muscles. There are a bunch of great videos on YouTube, just make sure you subscribe to the FitPAWS channel 🙂
Those are very cool training tools! We used to have a tripawd, and I knew a lot of other 3 legged dog owners who had those to help their pups build their core strength. I think Rita would be afraid of them, but maybe we’ll try it some day. Great way to stay fit and work on training in general!
Jackie Bouchard recently posted…K9 Kamp: Are You and Your Pup Keeping Up?
My mom would love to attend their Canine Fitness Program. We have a “human” version n have used it for balancing purposes. It’s bait small so this might be an option. Great Demos. Happy FitDog Friday. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
One of my upcoming posts will be about combining equipment. I am hoping they will have another fitness training soon… I will definitely be there when they do 🙂
That looks great, and fun too.
You would love it Roxy… and they store easily when not in use! Just deflate 🙂
I’ve had the opportunity to work Gizmo on some of the FitPaws equipment and I’m a fan…the only thing holding me back is the cost…but we’re joining a doggy gym class where the equipment is available so we’ll get a chance to work with it more
GizmoGeodog recently posted…The Veterinarian Is In But Are You Counting on an Apple a Day?
They are worth every penny and they last forever!! But I am sure you are going to have a great time in the doggy gym class… that sounds like so much fun!!
Interesting product 🙂 Been hearing a lot about conditioning lately, will have to look into it. Thanks!
Nailah Bone recently posted…Geocaching In The City
They are super cool, and it’s amazing to see muscle development.
Wow – great post! I love seeing your guys on this equipment and they did such a great job. It’s funny how much the dogs enjoy things like this – both Jack & Maggie get excited when we bring the equipment out…I tell myself it’s not the treats they get, they just like to workout, but I’m not sure 😉 Thanks for joining the Hop!
SlimDoggy recently posted…Tips for Keeping Your Dog Fit and Slim: Infographic #2
I almost had to beat them off with a stick… lol … they try to get on the equipment at the same time which can lead to little scruffs if we are not careful. Thats how much they love the workout… well I’m sure the treats have something to do with that.
Its interesting to see how well the dogs master these fitballs/cushion discs. You must make the training really fun for them. I’m not sure my big mutt would last long on them but I’m impressed at how well your dogs are doing in the pics….
PawsandPedals (Kate and Scooter) recently posted…Dog Training Games – 3 Cool Dog Tricks
I’ll be throwing my “big” dogs in for the upcoming weeks for a different perspective… they love it too!!
looks like a really cool product
urban hounds
You would so love these… I will be showing some cool small products in the upcoming weeks that are designed for “littles” and that are easily stored, especially for Urban Living 🙂
What kind of treats do you use? Mr. N doesn’t like most fruits/vegetables/hard treats so the ones I use are usually not low-calorie.
Tenacious Little Terrier recently posted…FitDog Friday #10 – It’s a Beautiful Week in the Neighborhood
For this session we used the new Fruitables, grilled bison. They loved these and they are only 3.5 calories per treat… I usually break it up into 2 or 3 parts. I will have a review of these next week for Tasty Tuesday!