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Moving Dogs
Movement is at the heart of a dog’s life. Whether your dog is a playful family member, a high-drive agility competitor or a retired companion. Their ability to move comfortably and confidently shapes their health and happiness.
As an animal physiotherapist, I have seen first-hand the difference that targeted, consistent exercises can make for dogs at every stage of life. Yet, many paw parents feel unsure about what exercises are safe, how to do them correctly and how much is enough. That’s why I wrote this book.
Moving Dogs - Videos
Warm up and Cool down
Warm-up and cool-down are simple but essential. They frame the work, support long-term tissue health and are key to injury prevention — particularly in active and aging dogs.
Surfaces Matters
Dogs gather constant information from their paws. Changing the surface beneath them subtly alters the sensory input, requiring the nervous system and stabilising muscles to respond and adapt.
Even small changes — like shifting from grass to gravel — challenge their ability to maintain posture and balance. Easy and simple to do, you can be creative.
The Pinwheel
The Pinwheel: a dynamic balance and proprioceptive exercise that uses ground poles arranged in a circular pattern, like the spokes of a wheel. The paw parent or trainer stands in the centre while the dog walks around the circle, stepping carefully over each pole. This movement encourages mindful paw placement, rhythm and full-body coordination.
Pick up Sticks
"Pick Up Sticks" is a freestyle proprioceptive exploration activity where dogs are encouraged to move through a scattered arrangement of poles and textures. It’s particularly effective for stimulating sensory input, improving balance, enhancing coordination and promoting natural, mindful movement in a low-pressure setting
Sit to Stand
Sit to stand transitions are deceptively simple but incredibly valuable for building strength, coordination and symmetry in dogs of all ages and abilities
Down to Stand
The Down to Stand movement requires coordination, strength and balance, particularly through the forelimbs, core and hip stabilisers. This exercise is excellent for building strength in weak or recovering dogs, improving mobility and assessing symmetry and control
Paws Up
Strengthens deep stabiliser muscles of pelvis and spine. Improves whole-body coordination and dynamic balance. Prepares dog for performance or late-stage rehabilitation. challenge proprioception
Walking Backwards
Enhances hind limb awareness and engagement. Encourages core and spinal stabilisation. Activates underused muscles, particularly in dogs who over-rely on their front end. Improves balance, posture and coordination. Strengthens gait quality and neuromuscular patterning
Cavaletti
Promotes joint flexion and extension in all limbs. Improves gait patterning, stride length and balance. Encourages core control and postural alignment. Supports neuromuscular retraining after injury or surgery. Builds rhythm and timing essential for sport and daily function
Walk the Plank
Improves balance, body awareness and full-body coordination. Enhances core activation in both static and dynamic phases. Builds limb strength through controlled stepping and joint flexion. Reinforces postural alignment and weight distribution over all four limbs. Develops confidence with elevated and narrow surfaces
Planking
Planking is a full-body isometric exercise where the dog places all four limbs on separate, stable, slightly raised surfaces. This setup encourages the dog to engage their core, stabilise through each limb and focus on postural control. Once mastered, it becomes a platform for progression onto more dynamic movements
Planking with Movement
Planking is one of the most effective and adaptable exercises for canine strength, balance and body awareness. With all four limbs elevated on blocks, platforms or steps, the dog engages core stabilisers and limb musculature to maintain posture and control, once established you can add movement!
Moving Dogs
Planking with limb lifts and bands
Whether you are looking to support a working dog’s performance, aid in injury recovery or simply promote better movement, planking is a go-to favourite that delivers results
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