If you are competing in a sport with your dog, whether it is agility, flyball, competitive obedience, IGP, PSA, Ring Sports, dock diving, lure coursing, frisbee, you name it - your dog is an ATHLETE.
The most crucial area of training for athletic dogs is also one of the most frequently forgotten:
Basic and essential strength training activities - the foundation for strength gains.
We can exercise with our dogs while we run, hike, or swim. these are great cardio and fun activities with your dog, but if you're serious about your dog's competitive career, devoted strength training is one area that should never be overlooked.
We should prepare our dog's bodies for the demands of their sport.
Professional human athletes all include going to the gym for weight and strength training in their sport, and the same should happen for any dog that works or competes in sport or even prepares to compete in sport.
Foundation strength training is essential for all athletes, both human and canine, for several reasons.
Let's highlight just 5 of them:
1. Improve overall performance in sports and daily living:
Foundational exercises are designed to help improve your dog's overall performance, both for daily functional activities and for sports. The exercises are designed to build strength and endurance, as well as dynamic stretching under tension while bolstering stamina. When we focus on foundational exercises, K9 athletes develop their ability to perform more complex movements, thereby improving their athletic skills.
2. Increase your dog's resilience to injury:
Soft tissue injuries are less likely to occur because strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments are more resilient to injury. These soft tissues can better withstand the demands of dog sports and intense training when they are stronger and more flexible. When you build a solid strength foundation, K9 athletes have a reduced risk of injury.
Injuries such as muscle strains and tears lead to long down-time periods from sport training, can hinder performance, and can lead to long-term health issues.
3. Develop proper technique for optimal performance and efficiency of movement during sports:
Foundational exercises such as "Dog Squats", "Stacked Stands", and "finding targets while holding posture" all require proper technique and form for safe and effective exercise execution while targeting the correct muscles without sacrificing or compensating with other muscles.
By learning and mastering some of these movements, your dog will improve their overall sporting exercises, such as jumps, competitive heelwork, motion exercises, more powerful striking and launches at helpers, sharp turns or changes of direction, more powerful engagement with a helper etc. These few exercises ultimately leads to into better, stronger and more powerful performance in their sports.
4. Increasing flexibility and mobility for a more agile dog:
Foundational strength exercises helps improve your dog's flexibility and mobility. When performed correctly, strength exercises that target multiple muscle groups cause the dog to improve their range of motion around their joints by increasing flexibility while maintaining strength throughout the joint range. This enhances performance in training and competition in various athletic movements requiring dynamic, agile power.
5. Build mental toughness and fortitude:
Your dog's strength training is not just physical; it also requires mental toughness, discipline, and focus.
By committing to a regular strength training program, and focusing on correct foundational exercises, you can help your dog build mental toughness and focus (both essential in canine sports). Improved mental toughness and focus translate to better performance on the training and trial fields.
What's not to love about strength training? Nothing!
Train smarter.
The K9 Athlete Mini Workshop
All you need to know and understand about the rigors of IGP and its effects on your dog's body.