The Sporting Life: How To Keep Your Dog At Peak Performance

Conditioning is part of a good training regimen for athletes of all skill levels. photo: Shelah Barr

We all know that regular exercise is important for dogs. But did you know that structured fitness and conditioning training can be especially beneficial for dogs engaged in strenuous activities, particularly in sports? 

Activities from hiking to agility require a high level of strength, stamina, speed, and body awareness. Sports specific conditioning, and even general conditioning, can help keep your canine athlete from getting injured and keep any dog at the top of their game. 

Like people, dogs may get sidelined by a wide range of injuries, including sprains, strains, and the well-known Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) tear, the canine equivalent of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear in humans. But by properly conditioning your dog's muscles, honing their body awareness, and increasing their speed and stamina, you can help reduce the risk of injury, whether they’re competing in agility contests or just playing on the beach.

For example, strengthening your dog's core can help increase overall stability, reducing the likelihood that an unexpected twist or turn will cause damage. Better body awareness helps them hit targets more accurately in sporting contests, but it also helps prevent dangerous missteps for any active pup. Creating more robust cardiovascular health increases blood flow to the heart and muscles and improves lung capacity, reducing the chance of exhaustion and muscle failure. It also contributes to improved speed and endurance, so your sporting dog is able to stay on course for longer. 

A consistent, structured exercise program can further improve your dog's overall health and well-being. Regular and progressive exercise is important for maintaining a healthy weight, which can reduce the risk of many preventable health problems, including joint issues, heart disease, and diabetes. 

Working with your dog this way also improves your relationship. Spending concentrated one-on-one time together learning new skills can strengthen your bond and enhance interactions with your dog, both on and off the field.  Incorporating a variety of exercises and activities into your dog's routine helps keep their mind and body engaged and stimulated, reducing boredom and increasing their ability to continue to learn new things.

So what kinds of exercises are best for active, athletic, or sporting dogs? The key is to focus on exercises that target the muscles and movements needed for their particular activity. 

For example, if your dog competes in agility, exercises that focus on speed, dexterity, and balance will be most beneficial. Some examples include:

• Roll Back Sits to focus on the muscles that help your dog leave the start line faster and keep them moving quickly and consistently through the course.

• Figure 8’s to teach them the footwork that helps with weaves and sharp turns.

• Standing on unstable surfaces to target the core muscles that help increase balance and proper weight shifting for teeters and turns.

If your dog competes in flyball, exercises that focus on speed and reducing chance of injury from impact and sharp turns could include:

• Sprints, which can increase speed and cardiovascular function, so your dog can run in faster bursts with less chance of exhaustion and muscle failure.

• Front Side Steps to strengthen the muscles on the inside and outside of the front legs, which can significantly reduce the chance of shoulder injury from repeated impact.

• Walking Spins to help improve footwork so tight turns are more fluid and less impactful to the structures of the feet, lower leg, and knees.

Of course, it's important to remember that every dog is different, and what benefits one dog may not be as successful for another.  In addition, since the goal is to enhance our dog’s function, eliminating the risk of injury while exercising is critically important.  To do that we need to consider choosing exercises appropriate for our dogs’ current abilities. Knowing how to help them achieve proper form in each exercise and picking appropriate progressions should also be a part of any solid fitness plan. That's why it's important to work with a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer who can help create a training strategy that's tailored to your dog's individual needs, abilities, and long-term health.

Fitness and conditioning training are essential to keeping any dog - especially your active, athletic, or sporting dog - healthy, happy, and performing at their best. With careful planning and a consistent focus on exercises that target the muscles and skills needed for their particular activity, you can help prevent injury, improve performance, and boost the overall health and well-being of your special dog.