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My journey into teaching canine fitness didn't start with a textbook. It started with my scentwork dog.
Dagon's Story:
It all started during the Covid rollercoaster. I was fortunate and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We binged all possible online scentwork classes. Then a canine conditioning class showed up. That sounds fun. Why not?
Little did I know, signing up for that online fitness class was about to change my mindset on how I look at dogs. Dagon's posture was a bit off and so were his movements.
Time to see the local rehab vet.
Hip dysplasia and arthritis were the culprits of Dagon's wonky walk. Don't worry, he's ok. We left the vet's office armed with a home exercise program. (Cue the corny canine conditioning music montage.)
Fast forward a few months and AKC and UKC trials were starting to open again. My underdog turned into a super sniffer with a qualifying ratio we've never experienced before. Our secret wasn't awakening well rested, it was the exercise routine.
We weren't just qualifying. This 8 year old rescue mutt from the Humane Society, with arthritis and hip dysplasia, had search times of 5-15 seconds. That's a big deal when your search times are tight at upper levels.
"What if you have a young, springy pup from a responsible breeder, free from ortho issues? What happens to THAT dog if they get conditioning exercises?"
That question has an amazing answer. And it led me to find the Certified Canine Athlete Program so I could do something to help those dogs.
Echo's Story:
Echo really struggled to maintain the picture perfect heads up heel. Slow, disengaged, and quick to shut down, she struggled, and we were both getting frustrated. This downward spiral drained the fun out of training and trailing.
Desperate for solutions, my trainer suggested upping the treat value and finding something more motivating for Echo. Sadly there was no luck. I made a heartbreaking decision to retire her.
Echo became my practice case study dog for my canine athlete certificate. I started scrutinizing Echo's muscle tone and noticed there's not a lot there.
Is that our problem?
The picture perfect heads up heel requires strong hips and abs. Turns out it was. We had a conditioning issue, not a training issue.
So I focused heavily on strength training exercises into Echo's program design, zeroing in on those crucial areas. Aware of an old diagnosis of hip dysplasia, I received blessing from the rehab vet. She suggested a minor tweak, which I implemented, and Echo's custom canine conditioning plan got the green light.
A year into her program, results are astounding. She has muscle tone. Heeling IS fun!
Now, imagine a physical activity you can't do as a human, such as run a marathon, bench press 300 lbs, some crazy advanced level yoga pose or something along those lines. Picture someone offering a mouthwatering steak dinner before you, promising it for completing your impossible feat. You still can't physically bench press 300 lbs for that steak.
I literally held steak to Echo's nose and expected her to lift 300 lbs. For 2 years.
I don't want anyone to feel that kind of guilt. And I'm in no way shaming my trainer for not asking about Echo's muscle tone, none of us knew at the time about canine fitness.
No one knew to ask if Echo was physically strong enough to maintain heel.
I am here to educate and increase awareness.
If your dog refuses an agility obstacle, doesn't maintain heel, or refuses to walk over a certain surface, maybe they physically CAN'T do what you're asking and your dog isn't "just being stubborn." The highest value reward won't miraculously solve a physical shortfall.
Echo didn't need steak, she needed a fitness program. We had a conditioning problem.
What about you? Do you have a training problem, or a conditioning problem?
Set up your pup for success and equip them with the strength, stamina and stretches they need to shine in their sport.
If you already have a canine conditioning testimonial we'd love to hear it. Please share in the comments!
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