THIS IS FOR YOU IF
You want to know more about your dog’s body so you can play to their strengths and increase their efficiency.
You’ve reached a plateau in your training (you don’t know how to take things to the next level).
You know your dog is capable of more on the field! (they are not as precise as you know they could be, they can be sloppy and miss things or knock down bars).
You feel sympathy for your dog and it pains you to have to frequently keep them on rest.
You’re curious and want to learn more about muscle function and HOW your dog actually moves through the agility field.
You’re scared to have to go through the same injury with your dog again (but really want to continue with the sport as you see how much they love it).
You want to minimize the risk of injury with your dog when running agility.
Our exercises are great for helping puppies and young dogs learn how to use their body in a safe, controlled and low-impact way. Dog fitness is also a great way to build a strong bond with your dog and to just have fun.
Therefore, young athletes can benefit greatly from conditioning programmes! However, the programmes have to be done properly and under a low intensity and volume of training. The goal with young dogs should be to build up proprioception, balance and flexibility, and not to gain muscle mass (at least not until they are 6-8 months old). Therefore, this means that this course is most suitable for dogs that are at least 7 months old so that they can take part in all the exercises that are presented!
If you own a dog younger than 7 months, you can, of course, join the class earlier, too. But make sure you start with the basics (or even first take part in our FUNdamentals K9 conditioning course first) and then slowly progress. We have dedicated a whole lesson to how it’s best to exercise young dogs – and made sure everything is properly explained within the course. It is important, though, that you follow the recommendations and adapt exercises to the age of your pup. Remember to slowly progress to mastering the exercises. However, for the serious strength-building exercises that are included in this class it is best that you wait a little longer – until your dog is older. That being said though, we believe working on separate exercises is great for younger dogs to start with!
Beacuse you get to keep access to the whole course for a lifetime, you can simply spend the first few weeks and months on teaching the foundational behaviours, and only then actually move to the more challenging exercises (when your dog is ready). You do not have to worry that the course will “end” before our young dog is old enough for it.
You will need:
At least two non-slippery platforms of different heights. For example, a lower plank/target that your dog can comfortably step on/target with either their front, or hind paws, and a larger object your dog can easily sit on – a simple do-it-yourself wooden platform or foam pad will suffice.
A set of cavaletti cones and bars, or a set of 5 jumps that you can use for some of the jumping/cavaletti exercises.
A plank covered in a grippy surface that is slightly longer than the length of your dog’s body, and slightly wider than your dog’s body width. Some of the exercises can be performed on inclines/declines, so it’s good if you use a longer plank, perhaps even the one you use for your contact training!
If you have access to some basic fitness equipment (or if you want to add in some difficulty), this is a plus, but it’s not necessary when signing up for this class – you can always use some stuff from your house inventory!
