Training to develop your dog's muscle mass. The best exercises to strengthen your dog's back and hind leg muscles

VERSE ABOUT DOG EXERCISE!

We want to tell you for the sake of order,

What is dog exercise?

You can do it all day long,

If it happened suddenly to stay at home.

First, stretch slightly,

Two - yawn a little and bend over a little,

Three - whine about yesterday's marshmallows

And take a leisurely walk around the apartment.

Without taking excessive risks,

Eat a sausage forgotten by someone,

Whining quietly, scratch the refrigerator,

Drink quickly, growl at the alarm clock.

Bury yourself in the pillows, pull off the blanket,

Lie on it, and if you don't have enough,

Then you can rummage through the laundry basket,

Don't let the volume of work scare you.

Place your toys neatly EVERYWHERE,

because the owners will be pleased.

Find a shoe and chew it,

You can’t forget about the facial muscles!

Pulling the tablecloth - suddenly there is food on the table

(Be careful of broken glass)!

Sometimes delicious things fly down,

Just don’t be afraid, pull sharper.

Fallen papers with a blue seal,

To keep in shape, tear everything under the bed,

Shake off the remaining shreds onto the carpet,

Climb onto the bed and fall asleep contentedly...

Dmitry Sinev

A SMALL COMPLEX FOR STRENGTHENING THE LIGAMENTS OF THE FORE LIMBS

1. Feeding should be correct and moderate.

2. It is advisable to feed from a high stand, so that the paws hang down and touch the floor with the tips of the fingers. When doing this, make sure that the elbows do not go inward; this can happen in dogs with a narrow chest. It is advisable for these dogs to alternate feeding from high and low stands. 3. If possible, walk with the puppy on loose soil: sand, loose earth. It will be very cool if you interest him in something, and he will dig in the sand and earth.

4. Little puppy pick him up so that he lies on your hand, with his paws hanging on both sides of his hand. With the other hand, stroking the metacarpus, bend and straighten the joint. Do the exercise several times a day, start with 1 or 2 minutes, gradually increase the time.

5. For an older adult, from the age of 3 or 4 months, you can begin the following exercise: with a puppy standing on the floor or table, raise his front paws, placing your palm 5-10 cm between them. After holding in this state for several seconds, sharply pull out hand. Do the exercise 4-5 times a day with 10-15 resets in each approach. Perform the exercise on soft ground or a mat. 6. As soon as you have taught the puppy to walk on a leash, do the following: While leading him on a leash (it’s good if he runs in front), stop, giving the command to stand, lift the puppy with the leash by 10-20 cm, and unlike the exercise. No. 5, do not abruptly, but smoothly place him on the ground, while watching how he places his paws. During a walk, this can be done after the puppy has recovered and walked for 20-30 minutes.

SIZE

1. When feeding, place the bowl low. So that when bending over for food, the puppy bends its paws a little, while the elbows will diverge. The bowl, figuratively speaking, should be below ground level. It will be good if the bowl stands under him and between his paws. True, there is one “but”. Soft pastern. It just sags under the weight and at the same time you need a completely opposite exercise. It is advisable that the puppy is not fat. It is better to feed less often and high protein food, for some reason many people think that from six months you can switch to two meals a day, forgetting that our breed is heavy. We feed our dogs 3 times until they are one and a half years old.

2. It is very good to dig holes, preferably in soft soil, in sand. Show your imagination, come up with something that would be interesting to him.

3. When feeding from a high stand (if the pastern is soft), you need to insert a spacer between the paws.

4. Drive on a triangular harness up a long hill. It is better to make a harness to order, so that the skin of the harness between the paws acts as a fairly wide spacer. It is better to do this exercise from year to year, gradually increasing the load in doses.

5. Static exercise consists of having the dog stand in a stance, with the paws placed the way you want, fixed if possible (usually with your hands) and the dog stands in a stance for at least 15-20 minutes. Don't forget that you have a puppy, praise him during exercises, communicate with him, give him treats. After the exercise, play with it for a couple of minutes.

COW, UNSUFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED MUSCULATE OF THE HIPS

The hocks of such dogs are usually weak and have a cow-like stance. This is a serious drawback and can be a consequence of the lack of necessary physical activity, inherited, and also due to improper feeding. Excess protein and energy in a puppy's diet leads to accelerated growth and weight gain. In this case, the total weight of the young animal exceeds the natural resistance to the loads of the developing skeletal system limbs and ligamentous apparatus. A dog with weak hindquarters will lack propulsion, and it is obvious that hindquarters with a cow's hindquarters cannot move firmly and parallel to each other. Exercises: 1. Walking on a leash on asphalt, in shallow water, wet sand, swimming, walking in shallow snow, gravel, and rough terrain. Gradually changing the pace and duration of walks - from 15 minutes and 20 m, to 40 minutes and 2 km. 2. Squats - place your front paws on your shoulders and slowly squat with your dog. Start with 5 times a day and work your way up to 20 times. 3. Walking up stairs. 4. Chondroprotectors, mumiyo, discus injections (after consultation with an orthopedist). 0.

From the first person - says the founder of the “Let's Live!” Foundation. Pushkareva Daria.

If a dog gets back on its paws from complete or partial paralysis, this is largely due to the dog itself. A dog's body either has or does not have the potential to recover, and you can often tell at first glance whether he has a chance to develop a spinal gait. But of course there are exceptional cases, when even experts give up on the animal’s future, but it suddenly shows remarkable ability to recover and a huge craving for a full life.

I start from my experience. We have seen and cared for dogs from various diseases musculoskeletal system, spinal injuries, strokes. I was interested in all the cases of such dogs being cared for in other families or shelters, which I learned about through other people, in order to create my own, at least approximate, statistics and draw conclusions.

Conclusion one- if the animal has a fracture of the spine with rupture of the spinal cord or other similar severe injury requiring surgical intervention, then it must be immediate. If in the first 24 hours after the incident the dog did not end up on the operating table, then all subsequent attempts by some doctors to convince that “even after a month’s delay something can be done, but the chances, you know, are 50 to 50” are siphoning off money. Any competent and honest specialist will confirm - after a spinal injury, you have a day to collect it. And even then the chances are not one hundred percent, because injuries happen very differently. And after a week, a month, a year, no operations are needed, do not torment your pets with anesthesia and procedures. Even if there is sensitivity in the paws, it doesn’t mean anything! All of our spinal dogs have sensitivity in their paws. The dog’s ability to hold his back and move normally does not depend on it.
However, there are cases when the dog can recover partially or completely. For example - after a stroke.

I had previously only seen happy stories of complete recovery from a vegetative state after a dog suffered a stroke only on the websites of foreign rehabilitation centers. Using videos from these sites and bits of information, we learned to do things ourselves. But even when you watch a dozen videos before and after in a row, sometimes it seems that these are all fairy tales and this doesn’t happen - that’s exactly what I thought before our Vikhritsy.

Vihra is a Russian greyhound that is close to the age range of veterans. She had a moderately active life without serious stress and good health, however, she has always been distinguished by a very mobile psyche. To describe it in one word - hysterical :) Even giving her a banal vaccination seemed like a huge problem, because at the sight of a syringe, Vikhritsa always started screaming, running away, kicking and biting, and how she would get out of it, even if four people were holding her!

And then one day, without any prerequisites, she suffered from laryngeal paralysis. We never found out what was the root cause - laryngeal paralysis frightened her and provoked a stroke, or Vikhra suffered a stroke followed by laryngeal paralysis - the doctors did not explain this to us, and they themselves did not understand. One way or another, simultaneously with paralysis of the larynx, Vihra’s hind legs gave out. When she arrived at the clinic and the dog was put on oxygen, her front legs also began to fail. They have already given Vikhra home to us in complete paralysis. For the first two weeks I carried out all the therapy prescribed for strokes, and with this regimen I raised absolutely all the dogs before Vikhra. In my experience, if you elderly dog a stroke occurs, she loses the ability to orient herself in space and mobility for a day or two, but then slowly begins to return to life. Of course, some consequences remain - head on one side, partial blindness- not without that. But after a week the dog is definitely walking, even if he doesn’t stand firmly on his paws. As for Vikhritsa, two weeks have passed, and we have only seen regression. If at first she could still raise her head and eat, then after a few days she fell into a complete vegetative state, and I fed and even watered her only from a syringe. The gaze dimmed, and Vihra was already somewhere in eternity, as it seemed to everyone then. Doctors said that she was fading away, and there was no chance of even prolonging her life in paralysis. And I was just about to say goodbye to her.
However, time passed, and Vihra continued to live. She began to hesitate to lift her head and feed herself after a few weeks, and I was terribly surprised by this change. Of course, everything that needs to be done for bedridden dogs was also done for her - an anti-bedsore mattress, regular turning over from side to side. I think these reversals infuriated her very much, because Vihra, as we remember, does not tolerate any manipulation of herself. During the rollovers, she began to try to tense her muscles - and this was to her benefit.

Over time, she learned to hold her head up. All the muscles on her body had completely atrophied. There was only skin and bones without a muscle layer. However, she began to try to move her front paws on her own. And then it was our time to somehow help her in her desire for restoration.
I’ll say right away that none of us believed that she would recover. We saw her thin paws without muscles and it was impossible to wrap our heads around the fact that they would one day be able to lift and hold her huge body (Russian greyhound - dog large size). But you can do it without believing in success))) The main thing is to do it. I started with a massage. The main task was to restore flexion-extension function, therefore the only exercise it was like this: we take the paw by the finger and pull it towards ourselves until we feel resistance. If the dog starts to pull its paw back towards itself, that’s great! Second exercise: take the paw and begin flexion and extension in all joints - metacarpus, elbows, shoulder. And both of these exercises also apply to the hind legs.
Vihra, with her character, had an additional incentive to work - she did not want to tolerate touching, much less exercise, and pulled her paws away with great enthusiasm.

Parallel to the paws, we developed neck muscles and flexibility, it was very simple: you just need to start doing something with it back- then Vihra would definitely go wild, squirm, try to reach me to bite me, and thereby train herself.

Helped strengthen the muscles of the front paws a lot chewable long lasting items- deer antlers, bones and especially beef tails. The first time we were given them, I decided to give Whirlwind one for her pleasure. It was then that I realized how to build up the muscle on her front paws - after all, she was trying to hold the treat with her paws so that it would be convenient to gnaw, and we received benefit and pleasure in one bottle.

Then Vihra learned to roll over her back. At that time, she already had good feeling in her front paws, and she could stretch them, bend them, and pull them back; they looked great - that is, they looked alive.

It's time to teach her to sit. Here main role played again love for treats- I stopped putting the bowl in front of her, but went to her with the bowl in my hands and invited Vikhra to reach up. So, little by little, Vihra began to put her front paws on the floor and practically sit down. She also ate from this semi-sitting position.

And even when she learned to sit and crawl across the room, I did not believe that things would get better. I thought - this is all we could hope for, and this is a great happiness and an incredible miracle.
However, given my numerous “teases” - when I approached her from behind and pretended that I wanted to flip or comb her tail or the like - Vihra launched her hind legs too. Of course, if the recovery process had not been going on in her body, none of my “teasing” would have provoked it. But the process was going on slowly, and our task was to support it and not let it stop.

At first, Vihra made a couple of small pushes with her hind legs, without straightening them. It turned out to be such a huge hare. Jump-jump - a break of a few minutes. Then jump-jump again. Worked very well at this stage companion dogs, who provoked her to move: they ran out with her for a walk, played next to her - and Vihra’s character implies a great penchant for games. She was always a firebrand, instantly switching from zero speed to supersonic, and her desire to play with others made her work her hind legs more actively.

Six months after the stroke and complete paralysis, Vihra was able to stand up on all four legs and was able to cross the vast territory of the walking area on foot, with several breaks. All her limbs were shaking, her breathing was heavy, and she spent a long time gathering strength, lying on the hay, before making the next forced march. At this point, nothing additional was required from us - just to make sure that she didn’t freeze anything, and that, because the risk of a repeat stroke really scared us (and still does). Even when Vihra climbed onto a high parapet for the first time, and I boasted about this to my husband, he said that it was too early to allow her to bear such loads. Thus, sometimes it is necessary not to pedal the process, but to pause it a little. Everything should go gradually, although, of course, if incredible results have been achieved, excitement has already appeared and you want to see more and more progress. You need to be able to restrain yourself so as not to cause harm.

In the case of Vikhra, we did not use any additional funds rehabilitation, although we have plenty of them: balls, treadmill, swimming pool, physiotherapy equipment, quad-wheelchair. It's all there. But even one single attempt to put her in a wheelchair was so unsuccessful that we realized that this was not her option. In the wheelchair, Vihra began to fight in real hysterics, and we quickly took her off, because we thought that now she would have another stroke. This dog was very nervous about absolutely all manipulations around her person, and it was impossible to connect anything special to her recovery.

Today Vihra made her first attempts to run. Her back straightened, her paws almost stopped shaking. She maneuvers, makes sharp turns and, hopefully, by the summer she will really learn to change gears again.

It was a completely different story with Hero.
The hero is an absolute spinal killer in the classical sense of the problem: right in the middle of his spine, in the spinal cord, there is a bullet. His urination and defecation are involuntary, and his hind legs - while his front legs are working - when he came to us, they were in hypertonicity: one was twisted and tucked under his belly, and the second, on the contrary, was stretched out like a stick and did not bend. The Hero crawled exclusively on his butt, without using his hind legs at all. Had huge bedsores as a consequence of the way he moved.

On Hero I tried almost the entire set of exercises that I knew. It all started as usual with a massage- we learned to bend one paw and straighten the other. I put the Hero on three paws (the one that was under the belly turned out to be very atrophic and did not participate at all in the first place active life) and held him while he tried to fall in one direction or the other. When we learned to stand in this way, it was necessary to begin to develop the fourth paw, with which we arose big problems: she turned out to be twice as thin as she was supposed to be, with shrunken fingers that had not touched any surface for a long time.

That's when it startedexercise on a balancing plate. This is an inflated flat rubber plate with a lumpy surface. While Hero was eating, I placed this plate under his hind paws, but since he wanted to use only that paw that was not atrophic, I had to take this more or less sensitive paw in my hand and remove it from the surface of the plate. Then the Hero lost his balance and, out of despair, put his atrophic paw to work. We tortured him with this activity for quite a long time - every feeding took place on this plate. The front paws are on the floor, one back paw is in my hand, and the other is on the surface of the balancing device.

Then they started walking. I had to walk across the most diverse landscapes, but such that it is convenient to cling to - that is, we excluded tiles, linoleum and smooth surfaces to begin with. We walked on sand, grass, gravel, and boards. And the taller the grass was, the more varied the landscape, the better. The hero learned to feel the ground with his paws, to catch his balance. I walk him on a leash and always offer him overcome some obstacle: if you can walk straight or jump over the boards lying on the ground, then we chose the second.

We are talking about formation of spinal gait. This is a gait based on reflexes, it is all crooked and oblique, but with the use of all the dog’s paws. The hero could, then and now, fall to the side, fall on his butt, but he walked, despite these difficulties, and continues to walk to this day.

After we mastered the “outdoor” surfaces, it was time to work on more complex ones - in the house. By that time the sensitivity of both hind legs Hero was so good that he himself learned to balance on tiles and linoleum. It didn’t work out right away - for this you need good muscles- but in the end everything worked out.

The Hero has a big disadvantage - he is a strong fighter. You come to any clinic with pride, thinking that now a spinal patient who has learned to walk again will come out of the car - and in response he crouches all over, his eyes bulge, he shakes, one paw is again under his belly, the other is again like a stick. But they put a dog in the car, almost skipping towards it. That’s why I always recorded videos for the doctors at the clinic so that they would believe that the Hero could walk :)

From the important: The method of developing spinal gait using a two-wheeled wheelchair was absolutely not suitable for him. Some doctors recommend this exercise, some discourage it, and I am on the side of the latter's opinion. When the dog is placed in a stroller, its hind legs are supported at the groin by cross slings. With such support, the paws relax and do not want to work - why, if they are already “carried” by the wheels? When we put the Hero, experimentally, on a two-wheeler, he just stood on it - and didn’t move. And when they started to forcefully drive him, his hind legs simply turned off from the process. They were already happy with everything in a wheelchair, and there was no incentive to move them at all. So I do not recommend a stroller as a simulator for developing spinal walking.

What else do we use? The drug "Proserin". This is a prescription medication that is often prescribed for paralysis and recovery nervous activity. I didn’t use it on Vikhritsa! - She did not allow herself to be pricked. On Hero, I used it at the very beginning, when I needed to remove hyper-tonicity in the hind legs, and the drug showed itself to be excellent. I also used “Proserin” in a case where the dog’s front paw cramped (his fingers were clenched into a fist, it was a pinched nerve) - after two days everything went away. And carefully, in courses, I inject Fleur, whose mobility I fight every day to maintain. It helps too.

What would we like? - we would like aqua racing droshky. This is very expensive thing, it costs the same as our one building, 700 thousand rubles. But it is always the main and primary thing with which people abroad begin the process of restoring a dog that has lost mobility. A simple pool or a regular treadmill will never replace wonderful properties aqua. I don’t know, maybe when we finish building our fourth building, it will make sense to save up for this pleasure?

Training- this is not bodybuilding for dogs, it is rather gymnastics, which allows you to develop plasticity, improve some nuances in the anatomy, thanks to training you can solve problems in the relationship between the dog and the handler.

Kerry shouldn't have a massive mountain of muscles - so you don't have to force him to jump 100 times during a walk or run 15 kilometers on a bike!

Many owners of show dogs believe that to win in the ring it is enough to have a carry with a minimum of shortcomings and (if they themselves cannot or do not want) a good handler.

When I suggest they do any physical exercise (say, run 10 km in a certain time or do 100 push-ups), I usually hear that this is not possible without preparation.

Another common excuse is that we don't have time to train, but training is just part of the walk, and since you're going out with your carry, you might as well train with it.

The easiest way to make sure that training is necessary is to record a video of a dog moving at a trot before and after 2x weekly lessons. Of course, you cannot expect flying movements from a mincing dog, and a low-set neck will not be ideal. But a lot will improve, and the good will become almost perfect.

Training develops the dog, makes it more flexible, confident, and strengthens the handler-dog pair.

The best time to practice is morning or afternoon. I start training the dog every day at a trot, using a regular leather collar (2 cm wide) and a leash. During the lesson, I change the pace - forcing the dog to move either at an extremely fast pace or at a shortened trot (in which the handler only needs to move at a fast pace). I talk to the dog all the time, enthusiastically telling her that she is doing great and running very beautifully.

Extreme trot(fast) - one in which the dog moves in such a way that with a slight acceleration it will already go into a gallop. Fast trot improves limb propulsion, stride width.
Abbreviated(short, slow trot) will help pump up the lower back, since it involves more muscle groups than with any other gait), improve the posture of the neck, the plasticity of the dog, it is easier to control the dog at this gait.

While moving, I don’t try to lift the dog’s head as high as possible; the tension on the leash only holds the dog, shows it the direction and pace of movement. If the dog pulls, resists, and generally thinks that it doesn’t need it, I can easily hold it with a leash. There should be no sudden or strong jerks - training, like handling, should remain only a game for the dog, and not work.

After a week of jogging (I run 500-1000 meters per walk, alternating tempos), I start doing stairs, jumping, swimming (in summer), and “heavy” trotting. If the dog is younger than 8-10 months, you should limit yourself to trotting and not use more complex training.

Moving up the stairs is useful not only for muscle development, this exercise “supports” excitement, the desire to move forward (you can go down by elevator). This type of training should be excluded during estrus, before mating or exhibition.

Jumping— allow the dog to release energy and quickly pump up the muscles of the hind legs and lower back. Jumping is possible and useful both over obstacles and in height (from 4-6 to 20 times - many of our carries jump up to a hundred times per walk! - editor's note).

Gallop— quickly pumps up many muscles and does not require energy expenditure on the part of the owners (stand and watch the dog play with its relatives or run after a stick). Do not drive your dog if it has a weak heart; prolonged exercise can be dangerous for it.

Don't think that galloping will replace all other training!

Swimming- great pleasure for the dog, very useful and the most gentle training, remarkably develops the endurance of the carry without wearing out the joints. Of course, the water should not be icy and dirty. Many dogs are fond of retrieving - give the Carrick the opportunity to feel indispensable - after all, only he can get a stick out of the water so quickly and dexterously!

Heavy trot- trot with a change of pace on snow, water, gravel, sand and with a weighted harness. The weight on the harness should not be too heavy and should be placed evenly.

Towing small cargo or light man perfectly “creates” the rear angles and the width of the lumbar, but be careful - frequent exercise can spread your elbows and the habit of carrying your neck parallel to the ground.

During training, it is useful to create play situations - let them carry light toys at a trot (in this case, the dog carries its head higher, and the trot becomes more elegant - editor's note). Don’t forget to encourage your dog, pat him, talk to him - this is very pleasant and useful for him.

In general, everything is good in moderation, in advance and gradually. And if a week before the exhibition you pull the dog off the couch and give it maximum loads, the result will be exactly the opposite!

How can you tell if your dog is in shape?
Kerrick becomes more voluminous in the sternum, the width of the lower back is the same as in the ribs, and there is no need to trim the claws, since with proper training they do not have time to grow. The trot becomes smooth, wide, the dog carries its neck higher, and works excitedly in the ring, as one with the handler.

For a dog to be healthy, strong and beautiful, it must be trained

Before starting physical exercises, you should carefully study the characteristics of the breed’s exterior and working qualities so that the loads are appropriate. Every dog ​​owner should consider the mode and extent of training based on the condition, habits and character of the pet, as well as their own preferences. You also need to feed your dog properly. It is necessary to provide meat for dogs. Remember that nutrition plays a very important role.

Rules and principles of training

The most popular exercises for dogs

Before training, the animal should be allowed to walk on its own for 20-30 minutes.

It relieves itself, runs and jumps in a mode convenient for it, and stops to rest. Only after this should you proceed to exercises.

Importation is based on the commands “Look!” and “Give!” or “Bring it!”

For three to five minutes, the dog runs after an object thrown to it, a ball, a stick, etc., bringing it back to the owner. Usually the animal really likes this activity; it is often used to warm up the dog before more serious exercise. The pet’s play with other animals also serves the same purposes.

The easiest exercise for a dog is running.

Start running training with 200 meters, gradually increasing the distance as the animal grows older and physically develops

Daily running rate adult dog breeds like Labrador or Rottweiler are six to eight kilometers away, so it is necessary to think about how the owner can overcome such a distance. Some owners run with their pet, while others master cycling, skiing and horse riding. You cannot force an animal to run after a car or motorcycle - the speed is too high and the dog’s heart may fail. In addition, the dog should not run on the asphalt - the pads of the paws will get knocked down. Puppies are not allowed to run after a bicycle; they can only start after a year. And not all breeds can run. Before you start racing your dog, be sure to consult with a professional.

Gotta watch the running dog

At the first sign of fatigue or feeling unwell you should stop jogging. Fatigue is often indicated by the dog's rear wagging when walking - this is how the animal redistributes the load. In winter, the length of the distance can be shortened by making the task more difficult - running in deep snow. However, the dog should not become hypothermic.

Moving up the slope, you should change the pace of the trot to a fast walk

It is better to overcome an obstacle not in a straight line, but in a shuttle or in a spiral. It is important to climb up - the sacrum and hips are strengthened, but you need to descend along the most gentle slope possible.

To develop the shoulder girdle, withers, make the chest wider, train breathing, you can use driving on a tight leash.

It is important to use a round collar or a metal chain collar, but not a harness. The point of the exercise is that the dog seems to pull the owner along with it. She should push off with her hind legs and lean on her front legs. To teach a dog this action, you can conduct a lesson with an assistant - the trainer leads the animal on a leash, holding it and commanding “Forward!”, and the assistant provokes the dog to run after him. Subsequently, at the command “Forward!” the dog will speed up despite the restraining leash, then you can train without an assistant. A similar result can be achieved if, first walking at a brisk pace with your pet, with the command “Forward!” accelerate. After the dog begins to increase the pace on command, the owner should remain in the same mode. To begin with, the distance should not exceed 500 meters, later it increases to several kilometers.

Playing in water and swimming are incomparable

Typically, all dogs are born with the ability to swim, but they may be afraid of water. To accustom the dog to water procedures, you can do fetch on the shore with his favorite toy. First, throw the object on the ground, closer and closer to the water, then in shallow water - the dog will run into the water in excitement. You can lure an animal into the water if the owner himself goes into the water and calls the dog. Just under no circumstances should you push your dog into the water.

To make the animal swim, you can swim with it or throw it a toy further from the shore, where it is deeper.

Just like exercising in water, carrying weights forces your dog to breathe with his mouth closed. This exercise trains the muscles of the back, neck, and jaws. The best projectile is a medium-sized stick that the animal can carry long time. The dog should not drag heavier objects for a long time.

Physical exercise should be regular and feasible, then the dog will be healthy and happy.

The Labrador must be a beautiful, balanced, harmoniously developed dog. In addition to the anatomy laid down by her parents, she must be in excellent athletic shape. This is achieved through daily physical training.

The dog should not be overweight or thin, it should have well-developed muscles. For harmonious mental and physical development, varied, dosed, specially selected physical activity is necessary.

Correct formation of the dog’s musculoskeletal system is impossible without such loads. Later, many exterior defects, such as weak ligaments, incorrect placement of limbs and a whole “bouquet” of other disorders, will no longer be correctable. But for a growing puppy, both are equally dangerous. insufficient loads, and overloads. Heavy loads have a negative impact on proper development dogs. Due to the absence muscle mass in a young, untrained dog, the main load falls on fragile ligaments and cartilage tissue inside the joints, in which, again due to the load, early ossification occurs and, as a consequence, the growth process slows down and stops. By the age of one and a half years, the main growth is almost complete and, through systematic training, the dog has formed a strong muscular system. Therefore, each dog needs to develop its own training system. And no matter what type of training you do, you should never leave common sense and a sense of proportion. And most importantly, any work should, in addition to being useful, bring pleasure to your pet.

The recommendations below are general guidelines. They do not exclude other training methods. The main thing is that any training achieves the goal of physical and exterior improvement of the dog, is carried out regularly, and not occasionally, and takes into account the individual characteristics of the animal. All loads are introduced gradually! And remember - you can only train absolutely healthy dog!

Every time, before you start training your dog, be it stretch driving, trotting or swimming, it needs to first “warm up” its muscles. This is achieved by a short warm-up - a light jog at a trot for 3-5 minutes or games with peers, fetching.

It is very important that dogs have the opportunity to play with their peers or dogs of their own weight category.

Classes are carried out before feeding the dog. The dog should be given water after training 10-15 minutes later, and fed after an hour.

Physical development puppy begins from the moment he is weaned from his mother. Initially, it is expressed in getting to know the outside world, playing with other puppies and gradually increasing daily walks in time and distance.

At the age of 3-4 months, the puppy should be constantly on the move.

Determine several routes and a pace convenient for the puppy, at which he can move at a free, slow trot, and daily, do not significantly increase the distance of such walks.

The puppy can be on a leash or without it. For the first twenty to thirty minutes, you simply walk the dog, and it doses the load itself, makes small runs and jumps, alternating them with stops.

For beginners, transitions between movement tempos (fast walk, fast trot and slow gait) should be made smoother. It is very important that the puppy has the opportunity to socialize and develop with puppies of his age and weight category.

In addition to periodically changing movements, alternate the surface on which you walk (gravel, asphalt, sand, grass) - this is useful for “collecting” the toes and strengthening the puppy’s paw ligaments.

To develop correct, balanced movements in the puppy, to warm up the muscles - only a light trot!

When walking, it is difficult to teach a dog to walk correctly, i.e. not at an amble (any tact);
- when tired, she begins to wag her rear, reducing overload;
- when walking, the back muscles do not bear additional loads, as when trotting;
- amplitude-extension (joint function) does not fully develop;
- less dynamic load, and therefore on the pasterns, elbows, knees, shoulders, neck, and even tail.

One of the best exercises for developing the muscles of the limbs and strengthening the ligaments is movement and play in shallow water, and the surface of the water should be at the level of the dog’s elbows. In addition, the puppy enjoys the game and learns to breathe evenly with its mouth closed under heavy loads. In this case, you should monitor the dog’s mood and water temperature.

You need to gradually accustom your puppy to swimming. At the beginning, playing in the water and swimming with the owner are recommended. You can use the imitation method when a puppy learns to swim from an adult dog.

The puppy is played on the shore of a pond with some object: a toy, a stick. Then they throw the toy closer and closer to the water, and then into the water on the shallows. Excitedly, the puppy runs into the water and grabs a stick. This is repeated several times, the depth increases from lesson to lesson.

All dogs can swim from birth, but not all can overcome their fear of water on their own. This exercise should be repeated until the puppy gets used to it and stops being afraid of the depth. Having learned to swim, the puppy will do it with pleasure. You can train a dog in water by swimming next to it, or using a retrieving object thrown into the water. You should not force your dog to swim behind the boat - this can lead to overwork, stress and heart failure.

Swims should be short in time, but repeated quite often. Of course, in this case the load also increases gradually and strict monitoring of the dog’s well-being is carried out. In winter, walk and run in deep snow.

Walking uphill is beneficial. But such walks should begin with a slow walk, gradually increasing to a trot. When a puppy runs at a measured trot, there is an even load on both the front and hind limbs. If the dog shifts from a trot to a gallop, then the load is uneven (either the front or hind limbs).

Until the age of six months, subject to systematic training and gradually increasing loads, this will be enough. Classes are carried out after 40 minutes of feeding the dog. The dog should be given water after training 10-15 minutes later.

Physical training of a young dog

Before starting targeted training, it is necessary to conduct a thorough veterinary examination of the dog and make sure that it is healthy and has no contraindications for physical activity (for example, hip dysplasia or elbow joint, arthritis, osteochondrosis, diseases of cardio-vascular system).

When starting training at six months of age, remember that there is not and cannot be a single training method suitable for all dogs. Only people can be united general principles, the approach in each specific case and to each specific dog must be strictly individual. Just like training a dog, training is an art based on deep knowledge of its anatomy, physiology, psyche, and behavior patterns. The most commonly used exercises may be recommended and are not interchangeable, but they must be strictly differentiated in relation to each individual dog.

DRIVING ON A TEEN LEASH

This is the most effective in the process of training a dog and preparing it for a show. Driving with a tight leash (or moving the dog on a tight leash) best meets the objectives - it forms the dog’s correct body structure, articulation angles, and develops necessary groups muscles of the withers, shoulder girdle, hips, and thereby ensures correct balanced movements.

When training on a tight leash, breathing training also occurs, and the dog’s ability to properly regulate breathing under stress develops. However, this exercise may be contraindicated for dogs that are prone to ambling or have an excessively convex topline. The puppy begins to develop the skill of stretching movement at six months of age, but in no case does it force the load on the joints - this can lead to diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Initially, it is necessary to teach the dog to move on a tight leash at the command “Forward!” one body in front of the coach. Dogs with high temperament do not require special training; they do it themselves and with great desire. Dogs with low temperament need to develop a conditioned reflex to the command “Forward!” To do this, first moving with the dog on a leash in a normal rhythm, give the command “Forward!” and start running. After running with your dog for some distance, praise him. Repeat the technique more often until the dog develops a strong conditioned reflex to this command. This may take more than one week. When the dog commands “Forward!” will begin to speed up the pace on its own, begin to slow down slightly, stimulating her to move on a tight leash. It is more effective to teach this command when moving behind someone the dog knows well, or behind another dog. Be creative, but get things done.

For tight driving, it is better to use a round collar rather than a flat one, or even better, a chain with large links. It is not recommended to use a harness, because when moving on a harness, the dog develops a slightly different center of gravity than when moving on a collar. Having received training using a harness, the dog will no longer feel so comfortable in the ring wearing a collar. When moving under tension, the leash should be positioned at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground, and be long enough (1.5-2 meters) to conveniently regulate the dog’s pace of movement.
During training, the dog should move at an even pace, in a straight line, without leaning on its side or falling on its front. Only the hind limbs should perform the pushing function, and the front limbs should perform the supporting function. The dog should not expend excess energy and rush forward; in this case, it should be “restrained” with a leash, or first give it the opportunity to run at a fast trot, and then gradually reduce the pace of movement. The handler should not indifferently “hang” on the leash, or turn training into towing. It is important to learn to feel the dog through the leash, regulate the pace and mechanics of its movement. This exercise should not be tiring for the puppy. The duration of the stretching movement and the distance should be increased gradually, focusing on the desire, capabilities and degree of physical fitness of the dog. Initially, these should be segments of 500-600 meters, gradually they can be increased to several kilometers per day.

TROTING

Trotting causes a complex physiological chain of reactions in the body - the intensity of energy processes increases, the central nervous system, motor and respiratory centers, the work of the heart is stimulated. All this has a beneficial effect on the dog’s body and hardens it.

You should be careful when teaching your puppy to trot in a straight line. Initially, the distance the dog runs during training should be small. Over time, it increases to several kilometers.
Most effective method training a dog at a trot - when it moves on a leash next to the trainer. In this case, the trainer has closer contact with the dog through a leash, feels well and regulates the dynamics of its running, but this is only possible if he himself is an athlete and has good health and sprinting abilities. If these qualities are absent, it is most convenient to train the dog to trot using a bicycle, although other options are possible, for example, using a riding horse or a special trainer, but they are usually less accessible and not as effective. Of course, the dog must be accustomed to the bicycle and exercise machine in advance in order to avoid possible injuries during training.
Training is carried out at a medium trot pace. Occasionally it is recommended to make short, quick “throws”, i.e. give the dog the opportunity to run 100-200 meters at the maximum trot pace. When starting to gallop, you should immediately slow down the pace of movement and put the dog at a trot. Under no circumstances should you allow constant long-term training at a very fast trot, and even more so at a gallop, this is dangerous for the dog’s health! For the same reason, any training in hot weather is strictly contraindicated. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the dog and its breathing.
Training is carried out on earthen soil, since the dog “knocks down” its paws on concrete or asphalt.

SWIMMING

This is an ideal type of training for Labradors, since when swimming, the dog's body and limbs work in the same mode as when trotting, but there is no stress on the ligaments. In addition, swimming promotes the development of thermoregulatory processes in the dog’s body, causes an increase in heat production and an increase in all metabolic processes.

While swimming, the dog's muscles undergo active massage as a result of rhythmic changes in water pressure on the surface of the body. All this has a beneficial effect on the health and physical condition of the animal.

MOVEMENT UP AN INCLINED PLANE

This type of training gives excellent results in the development of the muscles of the withers, back, and shoulder girdle of a young Labrador, and promotes correct formation corners hind limbs. Of course, as in all other cases, the loads should increase gradually. Ideal option is a mountain road rising at an angle of 30-35 degrees, along which the dog moves upward. It is possible to use steeper slopes (up to 45 degrees), but the descent should not be made in a straight line, but in a “shuttle” or in a spiral.

But the cliff must also have a gentle slope along which the dog could go down. If there is still no gentle descent, you must make sure that the dog goes down calmly, without rushing. The main advantage of climbing a cliff is that it is sometimes the only possibility force the dog to "remove the hind limbs from under the body." After all sacral region The spine, as well as the muscles of the thighs and ligaments of the hind limbs perform the main pushing function and take on the maximum load of the dog’s entire body weight. Such training makes it possible to strengthen and balance the entire musculoskeletal mechanism of the dog.

CARRYING WEIGHTS

Good result for the development of the muscles of the neck and back, as well as the jaws, for developing the ability to breathe under heavy loads with a closed mouth, carrying large and heavy sticks gives.

While moving at a walk, it is good to carry a small stick. This helps develop endurance and obedience.

Traditional way training, giving excellent result – towing. But this type of training must be approached with particular caution, starting no earlier than 1.5 years. Such a load in an immature animal can lead to changes in the angles of the shoulder-scapular joints and to a closer position of the hind limbs. The towing harness must be sewn or adjusted exactly to the dog. Work out on the boom, teach the young dog to control all 4 paws. The dog must clearly record each step, not sway its body from side to side, and not wag its hindquarters.

A SMALL COMPLEX FOR STRENGTHENING THE LIGAMENTS OF THE FORE LIMBS

1. Feeding should be correct and moderate.
2. It is advisable to feed from a high stand, so that the paws hang down and touch the floor with the tips of the fingers. When doing this, make sure that the elbows do not go inward; this can happen in dogs with a narrow chest. It is advisable for these dogs to alternate feeding from high and low stands.
3. If possible, walk with the puppy on loose soil: sand, loose earth. It will be very cool if you interest him in something, and he will dig in the sand and earth.
4. Take the small puppy in your arms so that it lies on your hand, with its paws hanging on both sides of your hand. With the other hand, stroking the metacarpus, bend and straighten the joint. Do the exercise several times a day, start with 1 or 2 minutes, gradually increase the time.
5. For an older adult, from the age of 3 or 4 months, you can begin the following exercise: with a puppy standing on the floor or table, raise his front paws, placing your palm 5-10 cm between them. After holding in this state for several seconds, sharply pull out hand. Do the exercise 4-5 times a day with 10-15 resets in each approach. Perform the exercise on soft ground or a mat.
6. Once you have trained your puppy to walk on a leash, do the following:
While leading him on a leash (it’s good if he runs in front), stop, giving the command to stand, lift the puppy with the help of a leash by 10-20 cm, and unlike the exercise. No. 5, do not abruptly, but smoothly place him on the ground, while watching how he places his paws. During a walk, this can be done after the puppy has recovered and walked for 20-30 minutes.

SIZE

Since our breed develops late, the following exercises can help the puppy:
1. When feeding, place the bowl low. So that when bending over for food, the puppy bends its paws a little, while the elbows will diverge. The bowl, figuratively speaking, should be below ground level. It will be good if the bowl stands under him and between his paws. True, there is one “but”. Soft pastern. It just sags under the weight and at the same time you need a completely opposite exercise. It is advisable that the puppy is not fat. It is better to feed less often and high protein food, for some reason many people think that from six months you can switch to two meals a day, forgetting that our breed is heavy. We feed our dogs 3 times until they are one and a half years old.
2. It is very good to dig holes, preferably in soft soil, in sand.

Show your imagination, come up with something that would be interesting to him.
3. When feeding from a high stand (if the pastern is soft), you need to insert a spacer between the paws.
4. Drive on a triangular harness up a long hill. It is better to make a harness to order, so that the skin of the harness between the paws acts as a fairly wide spacer. It is better to do this exercise from year to year, gradually increasing the load in doses.
5. Static exercise consists of having the dog stand in a stance, with the paws placed the way you want, fixed if possible (usually with your hands) and the dog stands in a stance for at least 15-20 minutes. Don't forget that you have a puppy, praise him during exercises, communicate with him, give him treats. After the exercise, play with it for a couple of minutes.

COW, UNSUFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED MUSCULATE OF THE HIPS

The hocks of such dogs are usually weak and have a cow-like stance. This is a serious drawback and can be a consequence of the lack of necessary physical activity, inherited, and also due to improper feeding. Excess protein and energy in a puppy's diet leads to accelerated growth and weight gain. In this case, the total weight of the young animal exceeds the natural resistance to the loads of the developing skeletal system of the limbs and ligaments. A dog with weak hindquarters will lack propulsion, and it is obvious that hindquarters with a cow's hindquarters cannot move firmly and parallel to each other.

Exercises:

1. Walking on a leash on asphalt, in shallow water, wet sand, swimming, walking in shallow snow, gravel, and rough terrain. Gradually changing the pace and duration of walks - from 15 minutes and 20 m, to 40 minutes and 2 km.

2. Squats - place your front paws on your shoulders and slowly squat with your dog. Start with 5 times a day and work your way up to 20 times.

3. Walking up stairs.

4. Chondroprotectors, mumiyo, discus injections (after consultation with an orthopedist).

Weakness of the dog's hind legs. Why? What to do?

Different people The signs of the disease are described differently: a wobbling gait, the dog drags its paws, paralysis of the hind legs, lameness, hunched back, etc. Does not exist single reason for the problems described. Therefore, qualified diagnosis is very important for effective treatment. Without a doctor's visit in this case not enough. In this article we will try to provide general information on possible reasons weaknesses of the hind limbs in dogs, and also briefly outline the general principles for diagnosing the treatment of relevant diseases. There is a breed and age predisposition to certain pathologies.

Discopathy, disc herniation. So, retrievers, Pekingese, dachshunds, French and english bulldogs, poodles and pugs are prone to displacement and fracture intervertebral discs. This pathology is serious danger for life and can even lead to the death of the dog. When a disc slips, it compresses the spinal cord. Outwardly, this is manifested by repeated attacks of severe pain: the dog freezes in one position (usually with an elongated neck and hunched back), severe trembling occurs, shortness of breath, the hind legs give way and weaken. With less pronounced compression of the spinal cord, only weakness of the hind limbs is clinically observed - the dog seems to be dragging them, tries to shift the body weight mainly on the front legs, cannot jump onto the sofa (chair, armchair), cannot bend over to the bowl or the floor. If discopathy is suspected, it is necessary to immediately carry out qualified diagnostics and take effective measures, including surgery, since compression of the spinal cord can quickly lead to irreversible changes when any treatment is ineffective.

Dysplasia. Dogs of large and giant breeds (St. Bernard, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Newfoundland, retrievers, German shepherds) aged 4-12 months are predisposed to diseases hip joints. The occurrence of these diseases is influenced by many factors, in particular, an unbalanced diet, overweight puppy, slipping of paws on the floor, heredity, etc. When the hip joints are affected, most often signs of limb weakness appear after rest (in the morning, when getting up) and decrease during physical activity. In addition, damage to the hip joints is rarely symmetrical, and the dog initially “falls” on only one leg. You can read more about the pathology of the hip joints in our article "Dysplasia…"

Myositis. Middle-aged dogs may suffer from muscle inflammation, myositis, the day after unusually heavy physical activity. One of the manifestations of myositis is weakness of the hind limbs, “stilted gait.” Treatment of myositis is not a serious problem. However, to distinguish myositis from spinal cord damage can only be veterinarian.

Diseases of the vascular system. In older dogs, hind limb weakness may be central in origin, i.e. associated with brain dysfunction. According to our observations, various vascular problems most often occur, and less often - volumetric processes (brain tumors). In this case competent treatment can significantly improve the dog’s condition and significantly prolong its life.
Kidney disease in dogs CANNOT cause weakness of the hind legs and hunched position of the body, unless we are talking about an extreme degree of exhaustion and autointoxication (however, in this case, the weakness extends to all muscles).
A common mistake that owners make is to independently “treat” their dog with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, indomethacin, diclofenac, Rimadyl, etc.). Clinical improvements with the use of these medications are exclusively temporary and mask the manifestations of the underlying disease. In addition, medical anti-inflammatory drugs have serious side effects, including ulceration of the stomach wall and stomach bleeding.

Valgus deformity hind limbs, X-shaped hind legs. Hallux valgus develops most often in rapidly growing puppies. large breeds dogs. It is characterized by significant curvature of the bones of the thigh and lower leg, as a result of which the position of the hind limbs significantly changes. Most probable cause today is improper feeding. Excess protein and energy in a puppy's diet leads to accelerated growth and weight gain. In this case, the total weight of the young animal exceeds the natural resistance to the loads of the developing skeletal system of the limbs. If animals get to the doctor in a timely manner, before the onset of severe deformities of the limbs, then a sharp restriction of the amount of protein and calorie content of the feed is sufficient. Painkillers and chondroprotectors reduce pain, but thus increase the young animal’s need for movement, which leads to an increase in biomechanical load. After the growth zones are closed, corrective operations on the bones can be performed, which significantly improves the quality of life of animals.

Osteochondrosis. This is a complex pathology manifested by impaired mineralization of cartilage. The disease is widespread among various types animals, including dogs. In dogs, osteochondrosis is observed as primary disease large breed puppies (i.e. more than 25 kg of adult weight). Breeds at greatest risk: Great Dane, Labrador, Golden retriever, Newfoundland, Rottweiler.
Osteochondrosis is a multifactorial disease in which genetics and nutrition play significant roles. The disease affects various breeds and each of them has a specific localization of osteochondrosis. Thus, in Rottweilers, OCD lesions are more common in the elbow and hock joints. In most cases, lesions are observed from different sides. If the disease affects articular cartilage, it may subsequently develop osteochondritis dissecans(OCD). Cartilage separation in osteochondrosis most often occurs in areas susceptible to heaviest load. For OCD part articular cartilage begins to separate and may fragment. At the same time, inflammation of the joint is noted.
In puppies large dogs with osteochondrosis, damage to the growth zones is also observed, which leads to curvature of the bones of the forearm, separation olecranon from ulna and supraglenoid process of the scapula. It has been scientifically proven that prolonged consumption of excess amounts balanced feed or food rich in calcium (regardless of other components), may cause an increase in the frequency and severity of signs of osteochondrosis in puppies of large breed dogs. Similar changes can be observed in puppies raised on a diet with increased content calcium. There is a misconception that there is no such thing as too much calcium, and the puppy will absorb as much calcium from the diet as it needs. Experiments have shown that dogs fed foods high in calcium absorb significantly more of it. In dogs with articular cartilage osteochondrosis without cartilage detachment, only nonspecific clinical signs may be evident. In cases where the cartilage begins to peel away, osteoarthritis and inflammation of the subchondral bone may occur. The result is lameness.
Measurement of circulating concentrations of calcium and phosphorus does not allow establishing the ratio in feed and absorption of these elements and cannot be used to support the diagnosis of osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis of articular cartilage does not always develop into OCD. However, in cases where the cartilage begins to delaminate, it is necessary to surgery. If osteochondrosis affects the growth zone of the forearm bones, the so-called "crooked beam syndrome" In crooked ray syndrome, severe shortening of the ulna may be irreversible, as may abnormal development of the wrist and/or separation of the olecranon.
Feed correction for early stages may have a positive effect on the spontaneous resolution of cartilage lesions. Osteochondrosis of the articular cartilage and growth plates may resolve, but dietary changes may not help in cases of OCD where cartilage detachment has occurred or where severe radial curvature has occurred. In most of these cases, surgical correction is indicated. Feed correction involves reducing the intake of energy (proteins, fats, carbohydrates), calcium and vitamins to the minimum needs of the dog. Drug treatment of osteochondrosis in dogs is ineffective.

Conclusions. Not only its growth and development depend on how well the puppy eats. Puppies have good immunity and are less susceptible to diseases. Adequate provision for all nutrients And proper care: necessary for development exercise stress, will help to fully realize the genetic potential and lay the foundation for a long, fulfilling and healthy life for your pet. At the slightest violations In the development of the dog, consultation with an orthopedic veterinarian is necessary.

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