{"id":6602,"date":"2021-10-27T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/?post_type=tva_lesson&p=6602"},"modified":"2022-04-05T18:58:50","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T16:58:50","slug":"common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty","status":"publish","type":"tva_lesson","link":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/","title":{"rendered":"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are the signs of Fatigue in your dog?  Can you see them?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Being able to notice and see these signs is an important key when training and is super important when doing strength training.<\/p>\n

Dogs communicate with body language, and we need to start seeing what they are saying to us and then also to respect what they are trying to say or ask.<\/p>\n

Getting to the point of muscle fatigue is important for progression and strength development – but too much is not such a good idea and may even be detrimental.<\/p>\n

Many working and sport dogs will work through pain, fatigue, and discomfort – I have seen it in my own dogs!<\/p>\n

Tired muscles cannot contract like they should and when muscles cannot contract properly, they cannot control the body they are working in properly and places strain on the body in other areas (ligaments, tendons, weaker muscles, or muscles not even designed to do the job being done) as the body tries to cope. This then starts to lead to compensation and overuse injuries.<\/p>\n

When pushing a dog past their physical limits, we ALWAYS work cautiously and within boundaries and safety.<\/p>\n

Spotting fatigue is not always easy!  So, I am purposely going to show you in my own videos what some signs look like.   Sometimes the signs are super subtle – which is why it is so important that you video your sessions!<\/p>\n

In the Resources section below, please download your PDF copy of Signs of Pain and Fatigue.<\/p>\n

In includes a cheat sheet to help you identify some of the signs you may see in your dog.<\/p>\n

Most of the signs are in the form of a CHANGE that you may see in your dog’s posture<\/strong>, demeanor, and behavior from the start of a training session. If you see any of these signs of fatigue in your dog during your training sessions, please follow these steps as guidelines:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Take a break and give your dog a rest!<\/li>\n
  2. Take this time to reassess your dog and your session (again video comes in really handy here) – make a note at what point your dog started showing signs of fatigue. Do you think your dog can continue for one or two more repetitions safely, did you perhaps do the repetitions too quickly or are you progressing to a more difficult movement too quickly?<\/li>\n
  3. Then decide:  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    • either continue the session if your dog seems better after a small break<\/span><\/li>\n
    • End the session if your dog continues to show signs of fatigue<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      !! IMPORTANT !!<\/h5>\n

      If you see signs of fatigue regularly – during fitness training, sport training, life – keep track and make notes.  Assess your training schedule and seek guidance from a professional to ensure that your dog is not showing signs of chronic pain and discomfort instead of fatigue.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      When you first start your strength training sessions (or increase towards overload), you will find your dog tires quickly and will show signs of fatigue (both physical and mental).  Fatigue will happen each time you progress too, and it is normal. <\/p>\n

      But as your dog becomes more proficient with their strength training, you will see that it takes longer for fatigue to kick in \u2013 this is a normal physiological response as the body adapts, strengthens and gains increased stamina when performing the exercises.<\/p>\n

      Body Language for Signs of Pain<\/h3>\n

      Signs of pain, injury or fatigue may sometimes be quite obvious, but often they are very subtle.  <\/p>\n

      For this reason, I really encourage you to video most of your exercise sessions, especially if you are working on a new exercise or if you are considering a progression of the exercise.  Video will be your most honest critic.<\/p>\n

      Pain body language is very subtle most of the time.  Look out for:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
        \n
      • Panting (when not hot) <\/li>\n
      • Drawn\/laid back ears<\/li>\n
      • Hiding parts of the body \u2013 e.g. tucking a body part away<\/li>\n
      • Frequent, rapid tail wagging<\/li>\n
      • Sudden yelps<\/li>\n
      • Excessive licking to an area<\/li>\n
      • Moving more slowly<\/li>\n
      • Lameness – e.g. limping, not bearing weight <\/li>\n
      • Abnormal gait (skipping, bunny hopping or rear legs)<\/li>\n
      • Standing stiffly<\/li>\n
      • Hunched abdomen or roached spine<\/li>\n
      • Frequent displays of bowing positioning<\/li>\n
      • Tilted head position <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Signs of Injury<\/h3>\n
          \n
        1. Clear lameness or limp.<\/li>\n
        2. Head bobbing while walking.<\/li>\n
        3. Positions are not square i.e. a foot sticks out or and hip is lower on most of the positional exercises.<\/li>\n
        4. Change in demeanor or temperament.<\/li>\n
        5. Change in breathing when you touch a sensitive area of your dog. The breathing may even go from panting to a quiet stillness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Signs of Fatigue<\/h3>\n

          If you start seeing any of these signs of fatigue or difficulty, then either stop the exercise (training a tired muscle can cause injury) or move to an easier version of the exercise or fewer repetitions. <\/p>\n

          1. Change in control of posture<\/h5>\n

          Watch for roaching or hunching of the spine or using extra steps to complete a movement. <\/p>\n

          A change in posture is normally the main marker of fatigue in a high drive sport dogs<\/span><\/strong> – they fail to hold proper form and posture for a required period of time. <\/p>\n

          Your dog may start to move their feet more, roach\/arch their back\/topline, start toeing with front or back feet, bowing at the elbows or internally rotating at the knees. <\/p>\n

          They start to appear clumsy and misstep on the equipment and their mechanics to complete the exercise start to change such as not coming into a full stand from a sit position or you might find a shorter stride length when side stepping or start to dip their head down with each sidestep to offload the weight from their rear legs.<\/p>\n

          For this reason, it is super beneficial to video and learn about your dog’s body and posture. These subtle signs of change in posture will help you read your dog even during your sport training.<\/p>\n

          \n

          2. Difficulty completing the exercise<\/h5>\n

          If your dog is not completing the exercise correctly, try it another one or two times to confirm what you are seeing.  If he does the correct form in one of these test exercises, stop there. Your dog is tired and if you persist or continue, you may be inviting an injury.  It is never a clever idea to work on tired muscles.<\/p>\n

          3. Licking lips <\/h5>\n

          Licking lips is a form of avoidance and your dog is showing that he is not happy to perform the exercise any longer.<\/p>\n

          4. Heavy panting<\/h5>\n

          Heavy panting is a clear sign that your dog is getting tired while you are busy training<\/p>\n

          5. Muscles shaking<\/h5>\n

          Muscles will shake particularly in the limbs that are being worked or the large muscle groups.<\/p>\n

          Watch even for a slight quiver while standing.<\/p>\n

          6. Avoidance of the exercise<\/h5>\n

          Watch your dog start sniffing around than doing the exercise or even just start walking away and avoiding the situation all together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-6602","tva_lesson","type-tva_lesson","status-publish","hentry","tva_courses-bk-9-foundational-strength-program","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Biokinetic K-9<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty - The Biokinetic K-9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the more common signs of injury, fatigue or "red flags".\u00a0 What should you do when you notice these signs on a more regular basis?\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Biokinetic K-9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thebiokinetick9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-05T16:58:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Strength-Activation-Course-Banner-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1170\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/course\\\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/course\\\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\\\/\",\"name\":\"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty - The Biokinetic K-9\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-26T23:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-05T16:58:50+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/course\\\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/course\\\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/course\\\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Strength, Injury Prevention and Signs of Fatigue\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/chapter\\\/strength-injury-prevention-and-signs-of-fatigue\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Biokinetic K-9\",\"description\":\"Elite K9 Strength and Conditioning Training - Exceptional products for exceptional friends.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Building Stronger K9 Athletes\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Biokinetic K-9\",\"alternateName\":\"Elite K9 Strength and Conditioning Training\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/BK9Logo-removebg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/BK9Logo-removebg.png\",\"width\":748,\"height\":333,\"caption\":\"The Biokinetic K-9\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dogsolutions.co.za\\\/biokinetic-k9\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/thebiokinetick9\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/angelagabe\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/thebiokinetick9\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Biokinetic K-9","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty - The Biokinetic K-9","og_description":"Discover the more common signs of injury, fatigue or \"red flags\".\u00a0 What should you do when you notice these signs on a more regular basis?\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/","og_site_name":"The Biokinetic K-9","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thebiokinetick9","article_modified_time":"2022-04-05T16:58:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1170,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Strength-Activation-Course-Banner-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/","url":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/","name":"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty - The Biokinetic K-9","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-10-26T23:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-05T16:58:50+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/common-signs-of-injury-fatigue-or-difficulty\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Strength, Injury Prevention and Signs of Fatigue","item":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/chapter\/strength-injury-prevention-and-signs-of-fatigue\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Common signs of injury, fatigue or difficulty"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/","name":"The Biokinetic K-9","description":"Elite K9 Strength and Conditioning Training - Exceptional products for exceptional friends.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Building Stronger K9 Athletes","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/#organization","name":"The Biokinetic K-9","alternateName":"Elite K9 Strength and Conditioning Training","url":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BK9Logo-removebg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BK9Logo-removebg.png","width":748,"height":333,"caption":"The Biokinetic K-9"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thebiokinetick9","http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/angelagabe","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thebiokinetick9\/"]}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tva_lesson\/6602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tva_lesson"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tva_lesson"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}