As a responsible dog parent, you would want to ensure that you can provide all the necessary things your pet needs to live a longer and happier life. Food, shelter, and attention are some of the most basic needs of a canine. However, it doesn’t end there.
Injuries and joint problems are some of the concerns expected in a dog’s life, especially when they don’t have the proper training and exercise. That’s why it’s of utmost importance that you give your pet dog adequate training to live healthier and more enjoyable years.
Aside from obedience exercises, one of the components of practical canine grounding is resistance training. Basically, resistance training is under the umbrella of strength training, which is done by using an opponent’s force to generate and improve the level of resistance. It’s the same principle when you go to the gym and carry heavy dumbbells, allowing the object’s weight to develop the resistance of the body part used to make the motion.
If you’re thinking of having a pet dog soon or are already a pooch parent, here are some essential tips and tricks to help your dog build resistance. This article will also discuss how crucial such training is and how to prepare your furry pet for it.
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Why Build Your Dog’s Resistance?
Some pet parents don’t realize how important it is to provide their dogs with adequate training. Whether your pet is a working K9 or for companionship, such activities will allow him to be in great shape and live healthier lives far from injuries and joint complications.
So, why build your dog’s resistance? Here are some of the crucial reasons you might want to consider.
- Help build your dog’s muscles, strength, and stamina, which is helpful to keep away from injuries. This also means metabolism and calorie burning are faster, which signifies lesser fat and more muscle. Such is ideal for your pet’s body structure.
- Dogs need training and exercise to stimulate them mentally and release their pent energy. This benefits you as an owner because a well-exercised and trained dog is less likely to produce damage in your home compared to a bored one.
- Strengthening bones, ligaments, and tendons are vital to decreasing your dog’s risk factor for bone fractures by lessening the severity of falls and accidents.
- As your dog ages, he will inevitably have to face problems like arthritis and balance. However, resistance training could prevent balance and joint issues your dog might experience in his senior years.
- Training your dog can be an ideal activity that you can do to deepen your relationship and strengthen your bond. Thus, building trust and comfortability.
How To Prepare Your Dog For Resistance Training?
As much as you want to start training your dog and help him build resistance, there are things that you need to do on your end as an owner. Doing so will ensure that your furry pooch is ready to take on the activity and not expose itself to possible unwanted scenarios.
Here are some things that you must do before doing the training:
- A veterinary’s approval is a must before diving into the training action. You want to ensure that your pet is ready for such heavy activities. Doing so will assure you of having no health problems along the way. Therefore, it’s always best to bring your dog to the clinic first to know his health status.
- Activities that challenge your dog’s stamina, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are expected to happen during resistance training. Therefore, before allowing him to do those heavy exercises, you need to make sure that he is physically prepared himself. To address this matter, you can do warm-up exercises that will allow your dog to loosen tendons and ligaments, warm up muscles, and elevate heart rate. You can let him walk for around 10 minutes and stretch him out a little. Keep note that proper preparation is undoubtedly beneficial.
- As much as you want to train your dog the soonest time possible, it’s not always the case, especially with resistance training. Make sure that your dog is mature enough to bear these kinds of activities. Ideally, your dog must be one year old, weighing a minimum of 70 pounds for large breeds and 50 pounds for smaller breeds.
Another pro tip to keep in mind is that resistance training may require pieces of equipment to secure the safety of activities. Therefore, you might want to check reliable stores that sell pet items such as Neewa dogs, or one that’s near your area, and see what items you should get to help you accomplish the sets of activities effectively.
Steps To Build Your Dog’s Resistance?
Now that your dog is fully prepared and ready, what activities should you do to develop his resistance and hit the goal accordingly? Listed below is the list of various activities that will develop his stamina, muscles, and bones and build his resistance. Here are as follows:
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Hill Climbing
Gravity is one effective factor in building resistance. If you don’t have the equipment to organize resistance training for your dog, why not make good use of the readily available hills?
Hill climbing is an effective way to utilize resistance because gravity is your source of opposition. It’s also an ideal starter, especially if your dog is new to such training. This will help your pet burn calories, increase stamina, and build muscles.
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Walk In The Water
You can utilize the beach if you don’t have access to a nearby hill. The sand and the water are good sources of resistance. Therefore, it can undeniably help you accomplish your goal to build your pet’s resistance. This can also be enjoyable, especially when your dog loves water.
To do so, you can simply let your dog walk on the seashore, with a water level past their belly height.
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Weighted Hiking
You can also maximize weighted vests while taking a stroll in the park. Of course, weight must depend on your dog’s capacity to carry. Have something that isn’t too light not to develop resistance, but also not too heavy to ensure its safety. You can also change the weight and gradually add heaviness as your dog gets to adjust to the exercise.
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Parachute Run
If your dog acclimates to parachutes, you can incorporate the said item into your next resistance training. To do so, you can attach a parachute to your dog’s harness and encourage it to run. The parachute will provide resistance, which could strengthen your dog’s cardiovascular and muscle strength.
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Squat Training
Squat training is also an ideal exercise that promotes strength development. It uses gravity as the source of resistance, which is beneficial as you won’t have to buy equipment to do the activity.
To do so, you can have your dog go through a table, bench, or a pole with a height that’s enough to have them squat but not crawl. This way, they can use their legs to carry the weight of their body. Thus, strengthening the core and legs.
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Jumping With Front Legs Lifted
Do you love watching your dog sit with its front legs lifted? Well, know that you can maximize that posture and encourage your dog to jump. This makes him cuter while developing the strength of the shoulders and the front legs.
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Play Tug Of War
You can also do the famous tug-of-war game with your dog. It’s undoubtedly easy to do on your end while requiring minimal gear, which can be a rope or its favorite toy. Playing games with your dog will surely be a fun time for you and your dog.
Note that you can control which part of the body to focus on by adjusting the tug toy. When you raise it higher, it targets the back-end areas like its back legs. When you pull the tug toy lower, this now focuses strength building on its front regions.
The cool-down process is one of the most important things to never forget after doing those heavy activities. Some owners don’t realize that the cool-down process is crucial so your dog won’t experience overheating. You can take a calm walk while gradually giving small amounts of water. Continue doing this until your dog’s temperature and heart rate are back to normal.
Remember that during the resistance training activities, lactic acid is built up. Therefore, you also need to ensure that you give your dog adequate and proper stretching to break up and release those lactic acids. Doing so will prevent pain and soreness after.
Conclusion
Indeed, helping your dog build resistance through different experiences is one of the essential things to provide your pet dog. Not only will it help it develop stamina and strength, but it’ll also allow it to live a healthier and happier life. It’ll also keep your furry friend far from the risk of bone fracture and joint issues. Therefore, you want to ensure that it receives adequate training and exercise.
Training your pet dog doesn’t have to be expensive. Though you might need to get some gears to do the activities effectively and safely, you can always use gravity or its weight to utilize resistance. Considering the different tips and tricks mentioned above will undoubtedly help you build your dog’s resistance and make him a happier and healthier pet.
For more dog tips especially pugs, browse our other topics.