fitpaws – Carolyn Close – Canine Fitness for Life

Is it really “just a down”?

Published on April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

“Down. Stay. OK!”

Dogs lie down and stand up so many times a day, but that simple movement can be adapted to efficiently work many areas of the body.

Picture a dog lying down from a sitting position. First, they move the rear part of their body down to the ground and then they use their forelimbs to walk the front of the body down towards the floor. There are not many muscle groups engaged during this movement…basically, the shoulders are working as they move down and in pushing themselves back up into a stand.

Now imagine the action of a “folding down”. This is when the dog lies down in the “sphinx” position with the knees and feet track forward while the hips are tucked in close to the body.

The dog starts from a standing position with the rear feet a natural distance from the front feet. The back is flat with no arch (if that is the dog’s natural topline) and the head is in a neutral position. As the dog moves into the down position, there is no movement of the front and rear feet. When moving back into the standing position, all four feet stay in place. No movement. Check out this video of a folding down in slow motion…

Throughout their lives, dogs carry most of their weight on their front ends. While the folding down/stand is a great exercise for all dogs, it is especially valuable as dogs reach their senior years. By utilizing the folding down and stand, the core and spinal muscles are strengthened while we are encouraging the dog to efficiently use their shoulders and hips. This type of down/stand not only strengthens the smaller muscle groups but it also teaches the dog to push themselves up with their rear legs.

When sets and repetitions are added in, the folding down/stand is a strength training exercise on its own. It can also be made more challenging, for example, if we raise the front or rear feet, add instability equipment, or other changes such as holding one foot as the dog moves into position.

Once this skill is taught it can easily be added in throughout your day. Try asking for 3-5 down/stands before a meal. How about asking for one or two before you throw their favorite toy? Or maybe pause during a walk or hike and ask for a couple. While this exercise is only part of a fitness plan, before you know it, you’ve worked them into your day without looking for any “extra” time for fitness training…HURRAY!

Luring VS Hand Targeting

Published on January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 by carolynclose2 Comments

Picture this: I am walking from my car into a store. As I walk I am browsing through my email or searching a website for a coupon. I may walk a crooked line, stumble, narrowly avoid getting hit by a car, or a number of other scenarios. This is because I am not paying attention to what I am doing and focusing on something else; my phone. If I put the phone away I can almost guarantee that none of those things are likely going to happen.

The situation is similar to what happens when we stick a treat in front of a dog’s nose to lure them into the position we would like them in. They blindly follow that treat and pay little or no attention to what the rest of their body is doing. Like us, they stumble and misstep. In the case of fitness training it can take them longer to *really* learn the proper position or body movements we are striving for.

Notice the differences in the body awareness and foot placement of the dog in the video below when using a treat to lure compared to using a hand target.

Luring can be helpful and I am not saying we should never lure. When teaching a new behavior I often use luring too, but in a different way. If you take the short amount of time it takes to teach a nose touch, a hold or a chin rest, you can use that to obtain the position you are looking for with ease. Just like any other foundation behavior, it makes future training easier to teach.

I was recently asking my young dog to target her rear feet, which she did easily (foundation behavior), however she likes to do things fast and move on. She repositioned her feet and wiggled back and forth continuously.

I put out my hand and asked for a nose touch and was able to have her step forward and move into the correct position. I asked for a “hold” and her feet stopped moving and she held the position perfectly. (See how this works with a chin target too. )

Previously I had used a treat that kept her dancing as she continued to try to figure out what I wanted. (Surely, just standing with two feet on this thing could not be “it”!)

So while employing the aid of a treat to lure the correct position can be used, why not try engaging your dog’s brain along with their body to get what you want and then use the treat as a reward marker. Thinking + Getting fit + Increasing the bond between you and your dog= WIN!

Seniors- Fit for life

Published on August 13, 2018 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

None of us like to admit that our dogs are getting older, but suddenly you are observing subtle changes in your senior dog’s day to day living. Are they gaining weight easier than in the past? Maybe they seem to be losing interest in playing or slowing down on your walks or their stamina is less than it was previously. Getting up on a couch or bed may be more challenging, or it no longer even exists in your dog’s daily repertoire. Perhaps you’ve noticed them hopping up or down the stairs when they used to move each leg independently and maybe you’ve started carrying them because you are concerned for their ability and/or safety. You are even noticing they are slower getting up from a down or a sit. When did this happen!?!

Any or all of these things happen eventually as our canine companions age, along with vision and hearing loss, balance issues, urinary issues … and these are just some of physical things we see. There are a variety of diseases that can occur as they age too. UGH!

We love our dogs as members of our family and it is often very difficult for us to watch these changes happen. If your dog has led an active life over the years than we’d like to see them continue that activity level as long as possible. If they’ve been rather sedentary much of their adult life, we cannot expect to bring them up to a peak fitness level but what we can hope for in either scenario is to slow down the effects of the aging process a bit, maintain activity, decrease muscle atrophy, and encourage a good quality of life into their golden years. Fitness exercises can help keep your dog mentally and physically active as you keep your dog thinking and moving. On top of all of this, it gives you some extra quality time with them. What are you waiting for? 😉

Some of the things to keep in mind while exercising your older pet :
• Be careful about over treating a dog that may already be gaining weight – use some of their meal in place of a “treat” while doing your exercises or do some reps of one or two exercises before serving them their meal (ex: do 3-5 down/stands and/or a 5 second sit)
• Don’t over do it- exercise for short periods, keep down the number of sets and reps, and progress slowly

Muscles that may need strengthening :
Many older dogs have a hard time using the rear and gluteal muscles to lift their back end up after laying down and will use their front limbs to pull themselves up. Therefore, strengthening both the front and rear muscles will benefit them in their day to day living. Another characteristic you might see in some dogs (young and old) is a sloped back, which means they could use some core strengthening too.

Some suggestions for exercising senior dogs :

Keep them moving…

Walking

– shorten your walk, split it up into multiple walks throughout the day if possible (ex. 2-3 ten minute walks) and slow down if needed
– Depending on your dog’s fitness level while walking- limit hills and increase flat surfaces
OR walk back and forth in a zig zag path up/down an incline

Strengthening

• Sit to stand
• Folding down to a stand

Body awareness and balance
• Curb walking
• Weight shifting
• Cavalettis
In this video, my 13 year old sheltie demonstrates some of the exercises mentioned above. Note: in the curb walking portion I’ve added in cones to help with flexibility and allow for some movement through the spine. I’ve used donut holders in place of cavalettis (with a smaller or less fit/capable dog, I would use cavalettis in order to provide something lower to step over)

As always, watch your dog for signs of Fatigue but keep in mind with our senior friends, refusal to do an exercise may mean they are in pain and not just just tired. Modify your sessions for the dog in front of you each day. For instance, the day I made the video for this post, Jive was having difficulty standing as I walked around him during the weight shifting exercises. He kept putting himself in a sit position. At first, I thought he just did not know what I wanted (even though he has done this exercise before). I let him sit and proceeded with the exercise so that he understood. When I tried the stand again, he was able to do maintain the position for a couple of reps, but then sat again. This was how we continued (and I decreased his number of reps) because this told me he could not handle the standing exercise on this particular day.

Like all seniors, taking on new challenges can bring some life to their world. Just as they have enriched our lives over the years, let’s continue to improve theirs.

Tips and Tricks

Published on July 31, 2017 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

SirPrize recently passed his Novice and Intermediate Trick Dog Tests, and although I didn’t train these tricks specifically for these tests it got me thinking, many of the tricks he knows are because of the fitness training we do!

Often times people who train with me will ask, ” Why do you want to know if “Rex” can nose touch or shake a paw?”

Simply because we can USE these tricks in our conditioning training! With a trick such as the nose touch, you can get your dog to shift his weight on his own without having to do it manually by applying pressure to his body. The same unassisted weight shifting also occurs when we ask the dog to perform “shake/paw” trick while on balance equipment. Not only that, but it gets your dog thinking more and a thinking dog is getting the added benefit of getting a mental workout and not just a physical one. In addition, the bond that comes with this training time grows stronger between the handler and the dog. Put all of this together and you get a happy, mentally stimulated, pooped pooch!

Along with these two tricks, you can increase the difficulty in the weight shifting exercise by teaching your dog to “wave” or “high five”. The added independent motion of the dog having to balance himself with greater instability will make this once-simple core exercise more advanced. Want to add more motion? Find your dog’s favorite ball or toy and teach them how to catch it. Catching is a skill in itself, but add it to a balance prop and the benefits are compounded. (Keep in mind this is an advanced skill. Your dog has to be strong enough to find his balance and hold it with the other ‘tricks’ before adding this to your routine.)

Can your dog turn a circle right and left on the flat? Doing it on a piece of balance equipment makes this an advanced exercise too. It takes core strength, body awareness and control.

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The list of tricks that can be used in some form or another goes on and on! Some can be used as part of a warm up routine, some can be used as an exercise in itself, and others make an exercise more advanced. Here are some additional examples:

Crawl
Leg weave
Rollover
Sit Pretty
Paws Up
Target
Back up
Jump

So while trick training to some may just be cute or a fun bonding experience with your dog I say, use what you’ve trained (or train some new tricks) and apply them to your fitness training routine to keep it interesting for you and your dog.

happy training

Progress

Published on July 12, 2017 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

Eight weeks of class training. Five runs in USDAA in April + 3 runs at AKC Nationals + 1 day at a local AKC show = 10 runs.

All of the hard work paid off.

Bolt (and Meg), have made the AKC United States World Team for the second time. And while that was one of the goals in getting Bolt back in shape, it is actually the icing on the cake. The ultimate goal is keeping him in top condition. When they had gone to tryouts, Bolt had only been back to agility for 2 months. Yet when he stepped into that ring, he was physically ready to go.

Even though he had an injury to a front limb (toe), it was important to give him a balanced plan and not just work the front assembly. Being on rest for so long would not only cause his front end to weaken, but also his entire body. It was vital not to overwork the one weaker area, as tempting as that may seem, as it can cause an imbalance in the body.

As you may remember, after veterinarian clearance, we began exercising Bolt as if he were just beginning fitness training (Find it here: Onward!). During the months leading up to tryouts, we added on various exercises that would strengthen and challenge all of Bolt’s body parts : core, front, rear, and back.

Initially, we did this exercise standing on a stable platform and progressed to the K9FITbone. Among other things, I had Meg ask Bolt to look right and left and watch her as she walked a circle around him. These variations caused him to shift his weight in all directions while working the small stabilizer muscles in his core.

One of the exercises we did for the shoulders, chest, carpals and toes was to stand with the rear feet on the K9FITbone with the front feet on two pods. We included some variations using this same set up in order to challenge these muscles groups in various ways.

Many exercises will work more than one part of the body but often they will have a primary focus.

For example, although this exercise has a main focus on the rear, it also works the core (as we are asking for a tuck sit and kick back stand) and front since Bolt is targeting his front feet on an unstable object.

Even though Meg has been working with me for a while, we reviewed what she needed to watch for to insure proper form not only for safety sake, but also in order to get the most out the exercises.

This is only a snapshot of what Bolt did to get back to his old self. By having a variety of exercises to work from, we were able to challenge his muscles in a multitude of ways by changing the exercises and also giving his brain a mental workout at the same time.

Meg’s goal was met but the journey is not over. Today it’s a trip to the Czech Republic on the World Team; tomorrow, life. Canine conditioning is not just for the World Team competitor. The benefits are endless for our companions as we travel with them into their golden years.

PS: If you want to continue to follow Meg and Bolt’s journey, visit them at Unstoppable dogs

Onward!

Published on April 10, 2017 by carolynclose1 Comment

Let us turn back the clock ….
Rest,
rest,
rest.
I’m pretty sure if Bolt could talk he’d say,

“ENOUGH! I’m done! I’m Fiiiiiine!”

Bolt’s injury was to his toe on his front foot. A joint on an outside toe, specifically. Initially, he was on complete rest. No more agility, no more jumping on and off couches, chairs or the bed, and no more running around freely after his daily walks. It was now time for short leash walks just to potty and his days were spent in an exercise pen. When things did not improve within a week, his daily residence changed: crate living was now his new existence. Less freedom means more rest. If you’ve ever met Bolt, you’d agree that he is a high energy dog.

He needed to do something before his little head exploded!

Fitness training is not just for the body, but also for the brain. After all, it is just as important to workout the brain as well as the muscles. I suggested that Meg start doing some trick training that would not require Bolt to put any strain on that toe, would benefit them down the line, all while improving the close bond the two had already. She worked on things like nose touches, giving a paw and waving to name a few. In our previous conditioning sessions (B.I.=Before Injury), Meg would get Bolt to turn his head by using a treat, or physically lifting his paw. Soon, she’d be able to work his brain and his brawn at the same time while using less treats! After all, we didn’t want him to gain a bunch of weight on top of all of this.

Working on tricks helped to keep Bolt engaged and also tire him out because he had to think. Doing these “exercises” aided him in his rest because he now settled down faster while he was in his crate. As a side benefit, the bond between the two grew even stronger as they waited patiently for the doctors to give them the thumbs up to get back to “regular life”.

The time came that the veterinarians, specialists, and chiropractors (who were also veterinarians) gave Bolt and Meg the green light to get back to their regular activities. Yay! We could start back on the road to fitness! It is important to note that before embarking on any fitness program your pet should be cleared by a veterinarian. Bolt was getting back to his previous fitness level, NOT working with me as a rehab dog. As a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer I do not diagnose injury, nor am I a rehabilitation specialist. I work with dogs who have been given clearance by a veterinarian.

Even with the veterinarians’ blessings, Meg wanted to take it slow. Bolt had “laid low” for a long time, she did not want to over do anything, including agility, hiking or conditioning. Just as we would do if we had an injury, we would not jump right into running a marathon, but instead we would start our training with walking/jogging on a treadmill or outdoors, along with some light weight training for example. She began their slow return by taking short walks with some off leash playing, short agility sequencing with the bars low and limited turning, and conditioning training too.

We also resumed some of the exercises that we did when they began working with me in the past.

We did some simple manual weight shifting exercises- first on the ground or on a raised stable platform (such as an aerobic bench or Klimb platform).

Bolt would stand in a natural position and Meg would gently add some steady pressure with her hand to each of his shoulders and hip joints. We then progressed these same exercises back onto the balance pads and then finally to the K9FITBone which increased the difficulty due to the unstable surface.

Weight shifting is a seemingly simple exercise but it requires the use of many stabilizing muscles in the core, front and hind legs. As we add in various components (such as looking right, left, up and down or lifting a leg), the level of difficulty increases. Try it yourself. Stand on the floor with both feet planted firmly and have someone apply pressure to your shoulder. Now lift one leg and look up to the ceiling. Getting harder, right? What if you did it standing on a pillow or balance disc? You’ll notice how many more muscles are engaged and how much harder it will get as you continue to add more challenges.

So what happened to those tricks we taught him while he was resting?

We were able to incorporate them into his fitness regime right from the start. For instance, while standing on the aerobic bench or K9FITBone, Bolt would touch his nose to Meg’s hand on the right and left side to shift his weight.

Instead of grabbing his right or left front paw, she would ask him to lift it himself.

We did the same with other foundation exercises, such as the folding down and kick back stand, starting on the ground, progressing up to bench, balance pads, and then a balance disc or K9FITBone. It did not take us long to add these progressions as Bolt already had a strong fitness base.

And so began Bolt’s return to his normal, happy life. Onward and upward little man!

But I did everything right

Published on March 15, 2017 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

Why do we condition our dogs?
Because our vet said so? Because we need to take weight off our 4-legged friend for their overall well being?
There are plenty of good reasons why :
We want them to have a good quality of life as they stroll into their golden years.
We want to strengthen our bond, focus their energy, train more “tricks”.
We want to keep our dogs in the best condition that they can be in for their given sport….

And sometimes, it’s because we are coming back from an injury. Sometimes life has another plan, and no matter how “right” we do things, injuries may happen.

Agility has often been compared to (in some circles, on some level) olympic sports. So, take for example, French gymnast, Samir Ait Said. He broke his leg during a vault exercise in which he had previously qualified for in the 2016 Olympics.

Is it likely that he did not adequately prepare for the challenges his sport presented to his body every time he stepped into the gymnasium? No. Could he have also been injured doing a totally unrelated activity or just in his every day living? Possibly.
Athletes of all skill levels *should* take precautions to avoid injury. This is part of the reason why they train. Yet, injuries are common for people who train and perform fastidiously despite (we assume) high quality preparation. But, life happens. So does that mean we should never train or compete with our dogs out of this fear? Perhaps they should just live in a bubble? Or do we do our best to prepare our canine athletes for the demand of our sport? Our goal is to decrease the chances of an injury but if they happen we hope to lessen the severity and increase the possibility of fuller, speedier recovery. The choice is ours.

Whether our dogs are “weekend warriors” at local trials, or we have loftier goals of competing internationally, conditioning should be part of our regular training and preparation routine to keep them safe, happy and healthy. . This is why people often seek out a Certified Fitness Coach. Meg McCarthy started getting fitness advice and began training with me for her dog Bolt for exactly those reasons.

Before we started, Meg used to walk and hike Bolt regularly, along with foundation training and other agility training….and of course, competing. But she realized she needed more than that.

She wanted to try to keep Bolt as fit as possible, which is where I came in. We began with the foundations of fitness. The basics. Using correct form. Getting more bang out of each movement and position. Things progressed quickly and well. Meg was also getting herself in the best shape of her life and doing the same for her dog. Bolt’s performance in the ring began to reflect this work. In 2016 they accomplished many feats including a second MACh, a challenger’s round run at nationals, a second place finals run at Westminster, and, the ultimate goal, a spot as a member of the AKC World Team. Meg continued Bolt’s fitness plan into the fall, right up until they left to compete in Spain for the world championships. They were the strongest and healthiest they had ever been when they returned.

And then it happened. It can’t be. Is he limping? Oh no! An injury. An apparent tweaked, stubbed or wrenched toe on a rock? The A-Frame perhaps? Does it really matter? Everything stopped.

She had been doing all the *right* things! But, as we said, things happen. We can’t control everything (though try we might). So began the road to recovery. Long weeks of crate rest, vet visits, x-rays, visits to specialists, dozens of phone calls, second (or more) opinions, chiropractic visits, before finally…clearance from the veterinarians and specialists to begin the slow return to activity. Even then Meg built up slowly- short walks, gentle stretching, slowly raising agility bars back to full height, more chiropractic adjustments, and yes, conditioning – all while remembering to breathe while doing it.
—- to be continued….

If it ain’t broke…

Published on November 6, 2016November 6, 2016 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…

Leave well enough alone…

We hear statements like these all the time in our day to day lives. In team sports you might hear it said that a coach hasn’t made a lot of changes in his program because the team is doing well. Why change what works…. right?

I often hear similar arguments: “Why should I do canine fitness, my dog has not had an injury?” Or, “My dog has been doing really well at _______(insert given sport), he’s fine.” And
another popular one, “Fitness? I’m too busy to do that too!”

My question is why wait for an injury or a weakness to show up? We teach our dogs the necessary skills to safely navigate an agility course, turn quickly on a flyball box, or dive off a dock far or high. Why? Because we want to reduce their risk of injury by giving them (and us) the confidence to execute the skills we’ve taught, and of course, we want to do our sport well and win!

I could also argue that adding a fitness routine into your training program will increase your dog’s overall core and body strength which will increase their performance and help to prevent injury.

Dogs with musculoskeletal imbalances and weakness tend to have a higher rate of injury. Participating in dog sports doesn’t automatically make them in shape or immune to injury. In fact, the chances of getting injured increases. But there are risks anytime, anywhere. No matter how hard we try to keep them safe, accidents can happen.

I know in agility, a wrong or late cue on my part can cause my dog to slip, slide or fall which could lead to a variety of injuries.On the other hand, they can do any of those things as they run around in my backyard or walk across my hardwood floors . They do have to be dogs though, so rather than put them in a glass box, why not at least do what I can to decrease their chances of getting hurt when these things happen.

Often times people avoid attempting to correct, fix or improve upon something that is already sufficient. Yet the sports we compete in have changed over the years based on ways to be more efficient, faster, safer. Training styles have changed too as the challenges have changed. Therefore, shouldn’t we change our preparation for these sports too? Many people frequently hike or walk with their dogs and while this is a great activity, is it enough? Just like your chosen sport, it mainly works the large muscle groups. A fitness program works those smaller, underlying muscles that help to stabilize the joints and allows them to use more muscles than just relying on the larger muscles. We can work on strengthening the muscles that will help them distribute their weight more efficiently, be more powerful, turn better, and tackle the challenges of today’s sports.

Let’s face it, we love our dogs whether they are our faithful companions as we fly through this journey in life or if they are our teammate in a sport that encompasses our free time.
Eventually, your faithful friend will have to retire from your chosen sport, but they don’t have to retire from living. Conditioning can help your older dog have a better quality of life, increase their flexibility, range of motion and provide mental challenges to help keep them young. And isn’t that what we all want? Just something to think about. 🙂

Take a Bow

Published on October 26, 2016October 27, 2016 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

Hurray!! I got the honor of being the instructor again with Bobbie Lyons for the Pawsitive Performance FitPAWS Weekly Challenge and here it is …week 8- the final week!

The Exercise? Sit/Stand/Bow with the rear legs elevated

This is a full body exercise with many advantages:

*increases body awareness

*improves rear leg extension (while backing up)

*strengthens the hips, the adductors and abductors

*increases core strength and stability;

*stretches shoulders, back, and hamstrings when the front legs are extended

Form is Important!

Tips for Training:

~Teach back up, sit, stand, and bow separately on the flat before moving to a balance prop

~ Introduce your dog to the K9FITbone before doing this exercise.

~When comfortable with equipment, ask for each movement independently before combining the movements.
(i.e.: Teach sit with rear elevated. Teach bow with rear elevated )

~Once each exercise can be performed independently then work on the exercise combination

P is for Pivot

Published on October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 by carolyncloseLeave a comment

If you’ve been following the FitPAWS Facebook page you have noticed a weekly challenge done by Pawsitive Performance and Bobbie Lyons with her team of CCFT’s. I am the instructor for week 7! This week’s challenge has three skills put together to get one fun training exercise:
1. Targeting the front feet
2. Pivoting around a piece of equipment
3. Pivoting Up onto a taller piece of balance equipment

Go to the FitPAWS Facebook page to see some training tips on this exercise or email me for more information.

Watch the video below and get started on this week’s fitness challenge!

happy training