OK, you've been conditioning for several months. You and your dog are proficient with your exercises and are ready to level up. Your dog is stronger and more flexible. Your dog hit a plateau and now you're bored. You're ready to increase the difficulty in your canine fitness routine. How do we do that?
We take our fitness routine to the next level by adding more platform training for your dogs! Here's how to safely add height and inflatables to your fitness routine.
Add height
Elevating your dog's front will put more weight on the rear and focus on strengthening the hips, flanks, abs and spine. Reward high so the dog's spine stays straight.
Gradually increase the height of your platform. Maximum platform heights can vary depending on the exercise.
Please pay close attention to the "Prop Notes" section in each exercise description.
This platform is about the same height as Echo's wrist. As a general rule, that's about where you want to start when first introducing your dog to height. Her rear end has to work harder to go from a sit to stand. (I think she likes it, look at that fluffy waggy tail!)
I can stack another platform on top to increase height, when she's ready for that extra challenge.
This is Echo, showing how to do a high 5. Notice how easy the movement is for her.
For comparison, this is the same exercise, but we added height to her front paws.
Notice how much more work she has to do!
Elevating your dog's rear puts more weight on the front and on strengthens the shoulders, neck, and front part of the ribs and spine. Reward low so the dog's spine stays straight.
In this exercise, Nike's rear end is higher than her front. Her shoulders are working really hard here because her rear is elevated!
When adding height, your dog's muscles are working harder. Be aware your dog will fatigue faster. Decrease your sets and reps and follow your fitness trainer's advice.
My dog is 85% proficient with height.
Now what?
Add Inflatables
WARNING!!
Inflatables are ADVANCED CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT, and using an inflatable before your dog is ready can cause an injury. Please do NOT start using inflatables until your fitness trainer or rehab vet gives you the green light.
Your dog HAS TO KNOW proper form and movement first. A lot of people want to rush to get here, don't do it.
Your dog's muscles have to work hard to maintain balance and posture on unstable equipment.
Totofit makes the best quality inflatables. They are also more expensive, but you get what you pay for.
1. Balance disc with paw pods: this is a circular inflatable disc for your dog to stand on. This is the one I use. My favorite thing about this disk is the different sizes of nubs on each side. If you use these paw pods, instead of Totofit's pods, make sure to put velcro on the bottom to help stick to the carpet. Totofit's pods have a more stable base.
2. Wedge: optional. This is my favorite angled inflatable. I've only found this on Totofit site.
3. Fitbones: These are long inflatables that are great for foot targeting or placing under a plank for some extra balance. These are more flexible and are made out of a thinner material than the Propel Air.
4.Propel Air: Similar to a Fitbone, but made from a more rigid material. The Propel Air has gridlines that tell you where the center of the platform is, so you can tell where your dog's paws are when they're on the inflatable. Blue 9 designs and manufactures Propel Air and Klimbs, so if you have a Klimb, it's simple to add a Propel Air to it.
5. Donut/Peanut: These are large inflatables the dog climbs or sits on. You need to make sure you have some sort of stand or holder to secure these. An upside down Klimb works really well for this. We don't want your dog to move the inflatables and slip off of it. Very, very advanced exercises use peanuts and donuts. It will be a long time before you'll want to invest in this, and it may not be necessary at all. A lot of stuff you can do on a Donut or a Peanut, you can do with a couple of Fitbones or Propels. Unless you're specifically doing rehab, it's my opinion that donuts and peanuts are more flash and less form. But they are available.
6. Toe Matz (optional): If you have a small dog, the paw pods may be too big for your dog to use safely. The toe matz are a good alternative.
Include Inflatables in your Fitness Training
More air in your inflatable equals more stability. Start with your inflatables about 3/4 full, and gradually decrease the air to make your inflatable more unstable.
Step 1: Introduce your Dog You have some new toys. Remember a long time ago when you first started your fitness journey, and you had to introduce your dog to new equipment? Yep, you start there.
This is how I introduced my heeler to the pods. This should take about 1-2 sessions.
If this looks familiar, you're absolutely right. This is exactly how we trained a front and rear foot target.
Step 2 Combine Stable Platforms and Inflatables: After you introduce your dog to their new toys, start putting your stable platforms on top of your inflatables. *Make sure your platform won't tip over when your dog steps on it.
If I want to make the foundation Stand to Fold Down exercise more challenging, I can replace my balance bars with inflatables. If you purchased an aerobic bench, replace the risers with a pair of Propel Air or FitBone Platforms.
This Klimb table is stacked on two Propel Air inflatables. This is my hound using this set up for a high five exercise. He has to work harder to maintain balance.
Step 3: Replace Stable Platforms with Inflatables
Use a pair of Fit Bones or Propel Airs instead of your balance bars. Remember our foundation cookie stretch? Try it with inflatables.
My dog is 85% proficient with inflatables. Now what?
Step 4: Add Instability AND Height
This should take a year or more to get here.
You can start using donuts and peanuts. Make sure your peanut is in a secure holder so it doesn't slip underneath your dog. If your inflatable is big enough, you can turn your Klimb upside down and use the legs as a peanut holder.
Or you can stack your inflatables on top of your stable platforms.
There's lots of variables you can add to the exercises in the Free Intro Program or other Online Course to make them more challenging for your dog.
Conditioning is NOT competition or a race. Please go at your dog's pace and don't rush these exercises.
*Some links in this post are affiliate links, which I may make a small commission if you use the link to purchase an item.
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