pringtime!! More daylight means more hours to play with our dogs outside and enjoy nature. Many of our dogs have slept through winter and enjoyed lazy nights by the woodstove dreaming of swimming, playing ball, hiking and enjoying the warm sunshine. Unless your dog was doing agility or another sport that kept them fit this winter, they will benefit from a spring conditioning program designed to get them back in shape without injury.
A conditioning program will gradually build strength in muscles, joints and tendons. Muscles gain strength much faster than joints and tendons do so you want to increase the duration and intensity of their activity slowly, allowing them to get back into the swing of things while avoiding injuries, strains or pains. Be aware that puppies, no matter how energetic they are, need special consideration to avoid complications with bone growth, joints and ligaments. They don’t have the ability to call time out and can easily overdo it, setting them up for injury. Your dog will benefit from warming up their muscles before beginning strenuous sports, especially if they play frisbee or other games that have them jumping and twisting. Stretching, massage and acupuncture or acupressure can help your dog avoid injury and we would love to help you design a program for your dog and show you how to keep them healthy and injury free.
Cindy Brooks, certified canine massage therapist and canine conditioning coach, Dog Matters
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