OB605: Conditioning and Body Awareness for Effortless Heeling

YOUR DOG IS AN ATHLETE

It is important to start thinking of your dog as an athlete NOT as a pet. Athletes have unique needs. When we think of teaching heeling, we rarely think of it as a task that requires conditioning and body awareness. But heeling is not a skill that naturally occurs in our dogs’ lives. They don’t move around for a sustained period of time with their head up looking at a fixed point. For heads up heeling our dogs must shift weight onto their hind end which requires a strong core, full range of motion and strength in the dog’s hind legs. Our dogs need full range of motion and strength in their neck and shoulders to continuously hold their head up. Turning tightly to the right is a learned motor skill. Dogs do not have innate hind end awareness. That is purely a taught behavior and one that is needed for smooth left turns.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Weight management is essential for performance dogs. Make sure your dog is lean. Extra weight puts unnecessary stress on bones and joints and can predispose your dog to arthritis.   It will adversely impact endurance and can cut your dog’s career short. Ribs should be visible and easily palpable. When looking from above, there should be a distinct tapering at the waist. Video: Weight Management

STRUCTURE

As a canine rehabilitation therapist, I always start by looking at a dog’s structure. I evaluate structure for function, NOT for the breed ring. It’s information. Where a dog is structurally weak as it pertains to function (i.e. movement) is where they typically break down first. In the following video I will show you what I look for and what it means. Again, keep in mind that I am evaluating structure as it pertains to “function”…NOT for the conformation ring. When we know where our dog is structurally weak, we can protect and strengthen that area to optimize fitness and ability to work and minimize chances of injury. In the following video I explain how I evaluate structure for function. (Video: Structure)

• Long in the Loin and Long Bodied Breeds: Inherent in certain breeds such as Corgis and Dachshunds. However, can can be found in ANY breed. Distance from rib cage to pelvis is disproportionately long and/or dog is longer than they are tall. This is the most common weakness found in our clinic! Dogs often start roaching their back (as a compensation) within the first year of life. Emphasis is on core strengthening – ALWAYS looking for a flat top line.
• Straight in the Front: Inherent in certain breeds such as Poodles, Shelties, and Airedales but can be found in any dog. Even more significant when front assembly is straight compared to the rear assembly (i.e. rear is significantly more angulated than the front).   Prioritize strengthening the front end with minimal impact through joints. Also, strengthen the rear to take pressure off the front; teach dog to drive with rear.
• Straight in the Rear: Rear is under angulated when compared to the front. Prioritize strengthening the hind end, as well as working on balance and proprioception exercises.
• Overangulated Rear: Rear is inherently unstable. Lots of proprioception activities! Strengthen the hind end.
• Weakness Inherent in Your Breed: For example, German Shepherds are prone to low back injuries so they require core strengthening; Labrador Retrievers are prone to Cranial Cruciate Ligament (“CCL”) tears which requires strengthening and proprioception for rear legs.
• Leggy Dogs: Emphasis on proprioception and hind end awareness.
• Large and Substantial Dogs: Heavier dog results in increased pressure through joints = earlier onset of arthritis and/or hind end weakness.
• ALL dogs, regardless of structure, need a strong core!

WORKING STUDENTS: Submit a sideview picture of your dog standing and acing forward. Don’t lure them or artificially stack them. Just have them in a relaxed stand. I will give you feedback on your dog’s structure.

IMPACT OF STRUCTURE ON HEELING:

Your dog’s structure will impact their heeling style. Zeal is straight in the front. If I wanted him to “prance” it would be grossly exaggerated and put a lot of strain on his body. With a head up position and some drive from the rear he has a bouncy heel. And that’s just fine. Zayna has very good structure including good angulation in the front. In life she prances around. She prances in heeling because with her head up and some drive from the rear it happens naturally. My puppy has good angles but is long-bodied. My guess is he will have bounce but if I pushed for a prance it would be to hard on his core and hind end. Time will tell. Once he has matured, I will assess to see what works best for him. The moral of the story is that all dogs are different. Their structure will impact their style of heeling. I ask for drive from my dogs but don’t ask them to do something that is not going to work with their structure.