More and more dog owners are looking for alternatives to the daily walk Variety and fun in everyday dog life to get and dedicate themselves to dog fitness. “Dog fitness” or also known as “fitness and exercise training for dogs” is already a widespread dog sport in Germany for all healthy dogs.
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Fitness training for the dog as a compensatory sport
Fundamentally it differs Basic idea of dog fitness training not strong from fitness training for us humans. It's a great one Compensatory sports to our daily activities. In both cases, the aim is to ensure that the usual physical and mental demands of everyday life can be mastered in the best possible way through fitness training.
A dog's mood, behavior and quality of life are greatly influenced by the Musculoskeletal health influenced. A sick dog may and will hardly want to move. Loving dog owners therefore always strive to provide their four-legged companion with a physical activity to offer both Dog's health can contribute, but also that Need for movement satisfied.
At the Fitness training for dogs you concentrate on healthy movement sequences, on a good body feeling and make sure that the The dog's muscles are evenly loaded and stressed become. In addition, the muscles near the joints can be trained well, which in turn supports the joints and prevents injuries. At the same time, during fitness training Training the dog's body awareness. Many dogs are not even aware that they have hind legs and can actively use them. If they had this awareness, they would be able to control their bodies more specifically when playing with other animals, running over stones, rocks, roots, etc. and thus minimize the risk of injury.
Through fitness training, the dog gets better posture, body tension and body awareness
Puppies and young dogs, for example, can do this through fitness and exercise training Improve body awareness, coordination and concentration in the first months of life. Dogs who participate in sports such as agility can not only minimize the risk of injury through dog fitness training, but can also be faster and more agile in curves by consciously using their four paws or also be much safer when landing after jumping over hurdles. And Seniors among dogs Through fitness training you have the opportunity to at least maintain, if not even improve, your mobility and enjoyment of movement.
Another benefit of dog fitness is that dogs not only exercise physically but also mentally challenged become. The different fitness exercises put a huge strain on the dog's memory, as the dog has to learn how to train and what is required of it.
As with humans, dogs can also slow down the aging process and prevent illnesses with a well-measured workout.
In addition to the health aspect, dog fitness training is also associated with the “spending time together factor“. Fitness training helps to build a bond with our dog or to strengthen and consolidate the bond. Training is not only a lot of fun for the dog, but also for its owner.
The right equipment
Another positive thing about the sport of dog fitness is that you don't necessarily have to invest a lot of money in appropriate fitness equipment. For some exercises, such as those used in the warm-up, no training equipment is required at all. The exercises are based on training with your own body weight.
In order to promote balance, strength, coordination and concentration in dogs, devices can also be used that are also used in health training for humans or common household appliances can be used. We present excerpts of some fitness equipment here:
- In fitness training there is a Non-slip, level surface is important. Training mats, lawn rugs or carpeting are suitable for this.
- Um To train balance and coordinationa balance pad is suitable for beginners. This is an approx. 6 – 8 cm thick foam rectangle that should not be missing from any fitness training session. In addition to the sense of balance, the muscles are also lightly trained right from the start. Alternatively, you can also use a book, a flat brick, a board or a stepper.
- If exercises with the balance pad work, you can solve the difficulty with just one Balance cushion – a round, air-filled seat cushion. They are a little wobblier than balance pads. Alternatively, an inflatable air cushion, an air mattress, or a round seat cushion, which is generally used as a seat pad for garden furniture, is also suitable.
- Cavaletti's you may already know from equestrian sports. These are several poles about one meter long that are primarily used for coordination training and also for activating the hind paws. As an alternative, you can also use broomsticks, a vacuum cleaner hose or thin branches of different lengths.
- A seesaw is a wobble board that you can easily build yourself by using a rolled up towel or a branch (diameter 3 cm) and placing a wooden board or chipboard (dimensions: 1 cm x 20 cm x 140 cm) on top. It is important that the board is not slippery for the dog. The Seesaw is primarily used for balance and concentration exercisesbut also to promote body awareness.
- Around the To train the dog's neck muscles and prevent tensionthis is recommended Training with a ball very good. The ball must not be heavy and should not be able to be put in the mouth due to its size (foam ball).
- Last but not least will also be Stairs, steps and curbs Used consciously and in a controlled manner in fitness training for dogs.
Is fitness training suitable for me and my dog?
If you would like to know whether dog fitness is a suitable sport for you and your four-legged companion and whether dog fitness training can also bring variety to your dog's everyday life, then first answer the following questions:
- Would you like to prevent your dog's risk of injury and actively support your dog's health and fitness?
- Is it important to you personally that your four-legged friend puts even strain on his muscles and that you can thereby prevent the dog from having poor posture and save veterinary costs?
- Do you enjoy spending time with your dog, do you want to keep him busy and busy and, on top of that, have a positive influence on his health?
If you can only answer “yes” to one of these questions, fitness and exercise training is a suitable, calm sport for you and your four-legged friend.
In order to be able to use the pre-Christmas period to get started with dog fitness training Anita Techtcertified dog fitness trainer and owner of the dog fitness school HundFIT for herself and her dog Kinga, “Merry Fit-Mas, fit Christmas together” written, a slightly different Advent calendar. We have presented this here.
On the one hand, it is a non-fiction book that is intended to provide readers with an insight into dog fitness training and show how the dog's coordination, balance, strength and body awareness can be consciously addressed and positively influenced. As a dog owner, you have the opportunity to acquire knowledge about dog fitness or even consolidate and deepen existing experience and knowledge in the long term.On the other hand, “describesMerry Fit-Mas, fit Christmas together” 24 different dog fitness exercises that are labeled as “fitness doors”. These exercises have been broken down into the smallest steps and described and supplemented with photos to ensure correct structure and execution. This makes it possible “Merry Fit-Mas, fit Christmas together” readers to turn the Advent days into animal fitness holidays and should accompany dog owners and their furry friends through the run-up to Christmas – and perhaps even beyond.