Fitness is a dog's ability to perform physical activities both static and dynamic. These activities generally require endurance, strength, flexibility, balance and coordination as well as a general awareness of the environment those activities are being performed within.
Fitness Fundamentals - Core Concepts
Life is unpredictable and unstable. So why would you develop your dog's training using stable and predictable routines and equipment? No matter your fitness goal with your dog is, treat variety and practical application as critical components of his training. You don't live in a vacuum; your dog doesn't live in a vacuum, so why would you train him in one?
Fitness Fundamentals Advanced
Fitness usually denotes engagement in a combination of regular exercise and inherited talent and ability. Fitness is also a measure of a dog's ability to carry out those tasks he is assigned whether in the sporting, working, service or companion arenas. That measure is one of vigor, fatigue and energy. Fitness generally measures one's capacity for directed movement.
Fitness Fundamentals Expert
In any conditioning and fitness program there are fundamentals that should be maintained on a nearly daily basis. This is as true for our dogs as it is for us. There are four basic components to building a canine athlete that mirror what we as humans should also do: nutrition, strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Apartment Living and Creative Exercise
Running. Jumping. Playing. Problem solving. Dogs live for this stuff!
Exercise—for both mind AND body—should be fun for you and your dog.
Over 100 exercises are available for those who cannot for whatever reason, walk or run their dog every single day for long enough to satisfy the dog's needs.
In addition, most of these exercises are also structured games that we use in our programs, so not only are you exercising your dog, you are also teaching!
Hassle Free Hiking
Hiking is a great way to get out of the house, get fit and exercise your dog. But it has its hassles. Learn how to hike hassle free.
Functional Agility
Functional Training has been around for a long time in the human fitness world, in and out of favor. I remember when I was on the swim team in the 60's and how it seemed that every year something would change in the fundamental exercises, we would do to improve our speed, strength and stroke. Many times, it would fall out of favor to what appeared to be the smoother paved roads that promised faster and easier results. This deviation from the functional and the fundamental almost always led to an increase in injuries and failures.
FREE!
Senior Enrichment Not every dog requires a significant solution like an orthosis or a cart. Based on our evaluation of your dog's environment and your veterinarian's diagnosis, we can recommend products and changes to the home that support more general mobility challenges.
Enrichment
Always remembering that our dogs are living in a world that forces them to inhibit most of their instincts, and often don't have adequate means to channel their energy and frustration, building a deep relationship and bond is inherent in our history with dogs. But, in order to make it happen, you have to first define "it". You create a map for yourself, figuring out where you are starting from and identifying your strengths and establishing your goals. This is transforming in and of itself. Very few of us get this structured when left to our own devices and a good map is always a good start.
Flowgility
Flowgility consists of a flexible course that, like agility, changes with each use. There are no strenuous obstacles and speed is not a factor. Mazes, suspension bridges, dog walks that go on for yards, are some of the obstacles used in Flowgility. This sport was orginally designed to help senior dogs and handicapped dogs learn to enhance their abilities. Age, physical ability, and breed are not considerations in this sport.
Shadow Games
Shadow Games, like Flowgility, do not promote speed. Fun, confidence building and refinement of communication between humans and dogs is what Shadow Games are about. Cooperation it is necessary to solve difficult tasks and to pursue a common goal. The course consists not only of the well-known agility equipment, but also carries a lot of unknown obstacles and objects. Somewhere on this obstacle course several scent dummys are hidden, which the dog and human must hunt together.
Urban Agility
Back in 2010 I started training dogs in what I called Urban Agility. This "sport" utilized the environment as the obstacle course, unlike agility in which the obstacles are fixed and built specifically for the sport.
Urban Agility is now known as Canine Parkour. But with the "flow" of human parkour - moving through the environment with grace and speed.
