238 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
each of the thoracic limbs, depending on
which muscles are being targeted.
Wheelbarrow. The dog’s pelvic limbs are
grasped gently at the tarsus and the rear
is raised off the ground, flexing the legs at
the pelvis, stifle, and tarsus ( Figure 10.12).
The higher the rear is raised, the more the
weight is shifted to the thoracic limbs and
the more difficult the exercise. The dog can
be walked forward and turned to the right
and left. To increase difficulty, the dog
can be walked over the rungs of a ladder,
up an incline, and eventually up a flight
of stairs.
Handstand. The dog is trained to back up a
ramp that is angled against a wall at pro
gressively steeper angles. Eventually the
dog will stand on the thoracic limbs and
use its pelvic limbs to back up a wall into a
handstand (Figure 10.13). The dog can then
be taught to move sideways to the right
and left along the wall and ultimately to
step over poles oriented perpendicular to
the wall. This exercise strengthens the mus
cle groups that are used when agility dogs
land from jumps and when they stop with
two feet on the ground and two feet on the
contact obstacles, a position referred to as a
“2‐on, 2‐off contact.”
Pelvic limbs on perch. The dog places its
pelvic limbs on an elevated perch. This can
be a box that is raised 3–4′′ off the ground,
an upside‐down food bowl, or any other
object of that size that can be stabilized on
the ground. With the client standing beside
the dog, a treat can be used to turn the dog’s
head away from the direction in which it
will turn as the client takes short steps side
ways in the direction to which the dog will
turn ( Figure 10.14). In other words, if the
dog is going to step to the right, the client
should be on the left side of the dog, luring
the dog’s head to the left while stepping to
the dog’s right. The dog should circle three
times around the perch in each direction.
The perch can then be gradually elevated
to elbow height, for example by using a
footstool, an upside‐down storage bin, or
other stable objects.Figure 10.12 A dog practicing the wheelbarrow. The
client holds the pelvic limbs flexed and elevated. The
higher the pelvic limbs are elevated, the more weight is
shifted to the thoracic limbs and the harder the exercise
is. The dog can be walked forward and turned to the right
and left. To increase difficulty, the dog can be walked
over the rungs of a ladder, up an incline, and eventually
up stairs.
Figure 10.13 Dog demonstrating the handstand.