Front Matter

Chapter 10 Conditioning and Retraining the Canine Athlete 233

The basic principle of strength training to achieve
momentary overload involves a manipulation of
the types of exercises, the resistance against which
the muscles move, the number of repetitions of a
given exercise, the number of sets (each set con­
sisting of a number of repetitions), and the tempo,
or how quickly the exercise is performed.
Whereas humans can lift free weights or use
resistance machines, dogs most often use their
bodies as the weight and build strength by
moving their bodies over short distances with
bursts of muscular energy. Strength can also be
built by having a dog pull an object over the
ground (dragged against friction) or push
against an elastic band such as a Thera‐Band®
(Thera‐Band, Akron, OH).
Strength training exercise is primarily anaer­
obic (Zatsiorsky & Kraemer, 2006). Even while
training at a lower intensity, anaerobic glycoly­
sis is still the major source of power, although
aerobic metabolism makes a small contribution
(Knuttgen, 2003). The aerobic contribution of

strength exercise is perhaps even more signifi­

cant in dogs than in humans, because in dogs

type IIX (more oxidative) muscle fibers replace

the IIB glycolytic fibers seen in humans

(Maxwell et al., 1977; Braund et al., 1978; Latorre

et al., 1993; Acevedo & Rivera, 2006).

It is helpful to categorize the different canine

strength exercises as targeting the thoracic limbs,

pelvic limbs, or core body muscles, although

many exercises target more than one area to var­

ying degrees (Table  10.1). Conveniently, many

excellent strength exercises can be performed in

very small spaces indoors in air‐ conditioned

comfort with minimal physical effort on the part

of the client. Clients with canine athletes are pro­

ficient at training dogs to perform various phys­

ical activities, so their dogs will be capable of

being trained to perform a very wide variety of

strength exercises. Further, these clients have

significant financial and time investments in the

patient and most are strongly committed to

gaining and maintaining their dog’s strength,

Table 10.1 Strength (resistance) exercises

Indoors Outdoors

Main target Main target

Whole

body Forelimbs Core muscles Pelvic limbs Whole body Pelvic limbs

Rolling a

peanut ball

Wave Beg

Beg while

perturbing balance

Beg on

progressively

softer surfaces

Beg‐stand‐beg

while perturbing

balance

Beg‐stand‐beg

on progressively

softer surfaces

Hiking over

varied terrain

Running up

hills (straight or

angled ascent)

Backing up

stairs

High nines Diagonal leg

lifts

Circling with

thoracic limbs

on perch

Jump chutes Sledding (on

snow or land)

Sit‐to‐stand

while

elevating

front feet

Wheelbarrow One side leg

lifts

Pulling forward

against a therapy

band or stretchy

leash

Retrieving over

short distances

on land or

water

Weight‐pulling

Cart‐pulling

Stand/

down/stand

Handstand Roll over Trotting over

cavaletti

Plyometrics

Tugging Circling with

pelvic limbs

on perch

Wobble board

Digging

Crawl