232 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
Frequently canine athletes are adminis
tered numerous supplements, many of which
have minimal scientific evidence of efficacy.
Supplements often have high levels of inexpen
sive ingredients such as calcium, sometimes dis
guised as healthy‐sounding ingredients such as
organic abalone shells. These have the potential to
create imbalances in important nutritional com
ponents such as the calcium:phosphorus ratio. As
a result, it is important that the canine sports med
icine/rehabilitation professional inquires about
all supplements that their patients are receiving,
not just at the first visit but at every visit.
Nonetheless, there is significant evidence
that canine athletes and working dogs can
benefit from being supplemented with omega‐3
fatty acids for their anti‐inflammatory activity
(Xu et al., 2015), probiotics for their immune
benefits (Marsella et al., 2012; Kumar et al.,
2017), and joint protective nutraceuticals
(Gupta et al., 2012; Martí‐Angulo et al., 2014).
These three supplements are recommended by
many veterinarians who work with active dogs,
canine athletes, and working dogs.
Five components of a balanced
exercise program
Imagine a soccer player who practiced playing
the game with his team, but never lifted weights
to increase his strength or did any aerobic exer
cise to increase his cardiovascular system’s abil
ity to oxygenate his blood. It is unlikely that he
would make it to the top of his game. Many cli
ents spend the majority, if not all, of their train
ing time practicing the skills of their chosen
sport(s) with their dogs. However, many do not
have a comprehensive conditioning program
that provides targeted strength, endurance, bal
ance, body awareness, and flexibility training. It
is important to explain to clients that to maxi
mize performance and minimize the likelihood
and severity of injuries, they should have a
long‐term plan for overall conditioning that
includes all components of a balanced regimen.
Strength (anaerobic) training
The most common form of strength‐building
activity is resistance training. In resistance train
ing, the dog’s muscular effort is performed
against an opposing force. In other words, the
movement of a body part is opposed and made
more difficult by a force generated by some
additional stressor such as accelerating upward
against gravity, moving against inertia, braking
against momentum, or pushing against friction
or an elastic band that will contract to a relaxed
state. Resistance exercise is used to develop the
strength and size of skeletal muscles. When
properly performed, resistance training can pro
vide significant functional benefits and improve
ment in overall health and well‐being. Strength
is closely linked to speed (compare the speeds of
runners executing the 100 m dash vs marathon
runners). Explaining this to clients who partici
pate in speed‐related sports can help convince
them of the importance of these exercises.
Strength‐building exercises are isometric if a
body part is holding still against the force of
muscle contraction. In isometric exercise, the
joint angle and muscle length do not change
during contraction. Isometric exercises are
opposed by a force equal to the force output of
the muscle, and there is no net movement.
Strength exercises are isotonic if a body part is
moving because of muscular contraction.
Isotonic exercises strengthen the muscle
throughout the entire range of motion of the
exercise used. Isotonic contraction is concentric
if the muscle shortens during contraction, and
eccentric if the muscle lengthens.
There are three concepts to consider when
prescribing a strength exercise: specificity,
overload, and concussion. Specificity refers to
the ability of an exercise to affect specific
group(s) of muscles that might require the
exercise due to weakness or muscle imbal
ance. Overload refers to carefully and gradually
performing exercises with higher resistance so
that muscles will hypertrophy and strength
will increase. Concussion should be avoided as
much as possible to avoid stressing the already
active canine body.
The goal of resistance training is to gradually
and progressively increase the work done by the
musculoskeletal system so that it gets stronger
(Fisher et al., 2016). Compared with low‐ intensity
exercise, moderate and high‐intensity resistance
exercises are potent stimuli for increases in
muscle protein synthesis (MacDougall et al.,
1995; Phillips et al., 1997), satellite cell activity
(Hawke & Garry, 2001; Harridge, 2007) and
decreases in proteolysis (Louis et al., 2007).