K9 Strong is a practice devoted to dog conditioning and rehabilitation. Rehab is physical therapy, but what is conditioning? Essentially, it is a program of directed exercise to improve the energy utilization of a body. Most programs are designed to be specific to the activities of the animal to improve performance of work or sport. Some dogs enter conditioning programs simply to improve overall health.
A well-structured conditioning program brings about improvement in the dog’s cardiovascular system, pulmonary system, and musculoskeletal system. The goal is to improve the ability to provide and use energy throughout the body.
There are two general categories of conditioning programs: programs to improve strength and power, and programs to improve endurance. Endurance events typically last longer than four minutes and require the body to function below maximum power. Strength-power events are short lasting and require the body to function at maximum (or above) intensity. If the goal is to increase speed, for example, the program will include sprints at maximum intensity over specific surfaces to target different muscle groups.
The strength of spinal muscles should be addressed as they can be the first to fatigue during sprinting. If the goal is to increase endurance, long-duration workouts below maximum intensity are needed. This will often include swimming or jogging. The treadmill is a great way to work on a dog’s endurance if the people can’t keep up! Cross training is a combination of the two types of conditioning programs.
The best way to increase a dog’s ability at a certain activity is to practice that activity, so the closer to his work we can make his exercise, the better off the improvement will be.
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