On the trail of health: dog fitness right from the start

Pain-free into old age

When you get a dog, you want your new family member to stay physically healthy for many years and accompany you on your adventures. When you get a pet, you also take on a great responsibility to offer it a pleasant and pain-free life. The topic of fitness and sport is attracting more and more attention in the dog world. Dog owners care about their four-legged friends and want them to be well. Do you also want your dog to live a long and healthy life with you? Are you concerned about your dog's well-being? In the following chapters you will find out why dog fitness will positively change your dog's quality of life.

Unfortunately, dogs cannot tell you when something is wrong with them. In addition, many dogs do not express their pain and try to hide it. This protective mechanism can be explained by the living conditions in the wild. As soon as an animal shows weakness, it becomes easy prey. This instinct is still deeply rooted in dogs and makes it all the more complicated to find out and recognize that they are in pain and need your help. As a result, dog owners only realize late on that their dog is suffering. Often dog owners don't realize their dog is in pain until they have reached an advanced age. It is therefore important to be able to read and understand the dog's language and to start with dog fitness at a young age and not when it is already too late. Freedom from pain is also an important factor in dog training.

Thought experiment:

Imagine your back hurts for days on end and you don't do anything about it. You are in a bad mood, stressed, quickly lose your nerve and your attention span decreases.

Your dog feels the same way when he is in pain. He can't concentrate, his fuse snaps and he shows unwanted behavior more quickly. Pain affects your dog's behavior and is often the reason for behavioral problems. For example, a dog may snap at a human because they are stroking the area on their back that is causing the dog pain. Above all, sudden behavioral changes in dogs can be attributed to pain.

Dog fitness is a great opportunity for every dog to have fun with their human and do something for their health at the same time. You spend quality time together and offer your dog a great activity. Joint activities and a hobby that you enjoy as a human-dog team can also promote bonding and improve your dog's obedience. It doesn't matter whether your dog is old, young, healthy, small, large, athletic or has limited mobility. Young dogs can playfully learn the basics of motor skills. Older dogs can be relieved in everyday life by strengthening their muscles and joint mobility. For adult dogs, dog fitness offers both mental and physical exercise and promotes bonding with their owners. Fearful and insecure dogs (e.g. from animal welfare) benefit in that their self-confidence and trust are strengthened by overcoming obstacles and fitness exercises. Sporting dogs can improve their performance with the help of targeted muscle development and coordination. If your dog already has a health condition or chronic illness, you can rebuild your dog's muscle and movement deficits with a tailored fitness program. With the right exercises and a good training plan, you can promote movement in your dog's everyday life and improve his quality of life so that he stays fit into old age. By strengthening the muscles, you also protect your dog from injury and illness and protect the joints. With targeted exercises, you can support joint stability and flexibility to prevent strains or sprains. When training, the characteristics of the breed should be adapted to the exercises.

Dog fitness now occupies a large part of the dog world and can be customized in a variety of ways for you and your dog. There are currently more than 350 recognized dog breeds worldwide. The trend towards mixed-breed dogs and dogs for animal welfare is on the rise. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to the typical breed characteristics of your dog during dog fitness training. An altered physique (e.g. due to torture breeding and breed diseases, age-related weakness, surgical procedures) can impair your dog's performance. Sporty dog breeds, such as the Border Collie, the Australian Shepherd, the Jack Russell Terrier or the Retriever, are quickly enthusiastic about leisure activities and have a strong urge to move. Even if your dog is on the leisurely side, there are certainly suitable fitness exercises or dog sports that your dog will enjoy. If all these factors are taken into account in dog fitness, there is something for every dog to enjoy and improve their health.

Health benefits of dog fitness

A pug tumbling on the floor or a Labrador who gets to eat a pizza every evening and is celebrated for it - more and more videos trivializing dog obesity are going viral on social media. The frightening thing: Many people also find it funny and share the videos online. According to a study by Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, around 52% of all dogs in Germany suffer from obesity. This has considerable health consequences. It can lead to joint wear and tear, heart problems and diabetes.

Dog fitness has numerous benefits for your dog's health and well-being. A well-designed training plan can successfully prevent obesity in dogs and help them lose weight so that your dog can stay healthy into old age. Dog fitness is a key factor in maintaining your dog's health. Exercise is not only important for humans, but also for dogs and has a positive effect on their health and quality of life. Especially for dogs with pre-existing health conditions, dog fitness can alleviate these problems, strengthen the muscles and lead to a dog's life with less or even no pain.

Dog fitness supports the dog's entire musculoskeletal system. Joint mobility is improved. Tendons and ligaments are strengthened and muscles are built up. In addition, emphasis is placed on even stress and strain on the muscles. This promotes body awareness and the dog develops better body perception. This leads to the strengthening of movement sequences, coordination and motor skills, which helps young dogs in particular to develop sure-footedness and self-confidence. Many dogs move mainly on their front legs and neglect their hind leg muscles. Through various exercises, which are explained in the later part of the book, you can give the dog a better feeling and awareness of its hind legs. Joints are protected with the help of well-developed muscles. Unhealthy and incorrect postures can be corrected with the help of dog fitness and physiotherapy and lead to a pain-free gait.

Sufficient and healthy exercise also influences the dog's immune system. It boosts blood circulation and metabolism and improves cardiovascular health. Regular exercise drives the blood through the body and sets immune cells and antibodies in the blood in motion. These protect the body from pathogens. A high number of these immune cells helps the dog to fight diseases, infections and inflammation better and builds up good resistance in the body. The body can better regulate blood pressure, oxygen supply and respiration. Your dog's performance and stamina are increased so that it can keep up with longer hikes, for example.

Stress is a well-known factor that can have a negative impact on health. The hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released.

Definition: Cortisol and adrenaline

Cortisol and adrenaline are stress hormones that are produced in the adrenal gland. They prepare the body for stressful situations and stimuli. Cortisol stores energy and supplies the body with energy from its reserves in stressful situations. Cortisol is therefore responsible for prolonged stress. Adrenaline is primarily used in fight-or-flight reactions. The heart rate and blood pressure are immediately increased and the release of glucose is activated in order to provide energy for physical exertion as quickly as possible.

If these stress hormones are permanently released, cells that promote health are impaired. This affects the whole body and especially mental health. It can lead to sleep disorders and behavioral problems. Rest days are therefore particularly important for dogs to regenerate. A healthy amount of exercise gives the body an outlet to relieve stress by releasing stress-reducing hormones during training. Get to know your dog and try out how many rest days your dog needs, when it becomes too much for him and how much exercise is good for him.

Do you want your dog to live a long and healthy life with you? The benefits of dog fitness just explained have a positive effect on your dog's health. At the same time, life expectancy is extended. By taking care of your dog's health and giving him the opportunity to be active, you give your dog the chance to live a dog's life without pain and to experience more adventures with you. In addition, exercise releases the happiness hormone serotonin. Dog fitness is not only promising for your dog's health, but also leads to a happy human-dog team.

Target groups of the dog fitness guide

This book is aimed at all dog owners who want to improve their dog's quality of life and take care of their dog's well-being and fitness. Are you prepared to invest time and effort in promoting the health of your four-legged friend? No special prior knowledge is required. If you already have experience in the field of dog fitness, this book not only offers you a refresher on the basics, but also exciting and challenging exercises. So you can grow together as a human-dog team and stay fit. If this book is your first point of contact with dog fitness, you will be introduced to the subject in small steps to ensure safety for your dog. As a new dog owner...