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EL880: Core Concepts for Canines and Handlers

  • Overview
  • Syllabus
  • Prerequisites & Supplies
  • Sample Lecture
  • Testimonials & Reviews
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EL880: Core Concepts for Canines and Handlers

Course Details

Core strength is essential for absolutely everything that we, and our Canine teammates, do. From sitting, or standing still, lifting and moving limbs, to more complex whole body movements. The core musculature controls it all. This means that the core strength and mobility of both you, and your Canine teammate, can have a huge impact on functionality in life, and ease and success in sports and dog training related activities. 

Whilst core fitness is one part of the fitness puzzle, it’s the part that can have the biggest impact. Join this class for a focus on handler, and canine core strength, and see measurable improvements over just six weeks. 

This class will cover a variety of theory, and practical components for both handler and canine core strength. This will include a large amount of specific exercises and variations for a wide variety of fitness levels. Kelly and Liz will be able to give specific feedback for working students to ensure exercises are performed in great form, and meet both the handlers and dogs specific needs.

Teaching Approach

Kelly and Liz will release lectures for the week all together at the start of the week. This will allow students to pick and choose the most important things to work on over the week. 

Lectures will include combined concepts in lectures, and separate Canine, and Handler specific lectures. Lectures will include written and video based information. 

Both Liz and Kelly often provide feedback for Gold and Silver students via video analysis using Loom, which is a link students click on to watch, and listen to, their specific feedback.

Liz JoyceInstructor: Liz Joyce

Liz Joyce has been at the forefront of the fitness industry since 2006, with a specialized focus on the unique needs of dog handlers ...((Click here for full bio and to view Liz's upcoming courses))

Kelly DanielInstructor: Kelly Daniel

Kelly Daniel (She/her) is a learning and dog training addict. She has been training and competing with her dogs (of various shapes and forms) for around 15 years ...

Syllabus

View Full Syllabus

Week 1

  • The importance of posture
  • Warm up
  • Handler assessment for core strength and posture 
  • Canine core strength assessment
  • Postural base exercises for dogs 
  • Handler posture essentials: breathing, standing, and correct muscle engagement
  • Canine postural essentials: breathing and stillness
  • Canine and handler examples of the importance of posture

Week 2

  • Isometric core 
  • Isometric muscle contraction
  • Handler isometric workouts, with progressions
  • Canine isometric exercise, with progressions
  • Canine and handler examples of the importance of isometric muscle strength

Week 3

  • Rotational/Moving core strength
  • Canine isometric exercise, with progressions
  • Handler isometric workouts, with progressions
  • Canine and handler examples of the importance of isometric muscle strength

Week 4

  • Anti-rotational core strength
  • Canine isometric exercise, with progressions
  • Handler isometric workouts, with progressions
  • Canine and handler examples of the importance of isometric muscle strength

Week 5

  • Reactive core stability
  • Canine isometric exercise, with progressions
  • Handler isometric workouts, with progressions
  • Canine and handler examples of the importance of isometric muscle strength

Week 6

  • Re-assessment to look at progress
  • Looking big picture: how the core is part of the puzzle
  • A ‘big picture’ handler workout
  • A ‘big picture’ canine handout
  • Wrap up and thanks!

Prerequisites and Equipment

Canine Fitness equipment essentials include: 

  • One long aerobic step platform
  • Two smaller stable platforms
  • 8-12 cavaletti poles
  • Two larger cones

Additional equipment that might be useful or required for more challenge: 

  • Textured silicone target mats
  • Inflatable equipment like TwinDiscs, foot pods, or wobble cushions for dogs who need more challenge

Here’s some videos to explain equipment in more detail: 

 

Human fitness equipment

  • Mini bands
  • Yoga mat

Sample Lecture

More

1.3 Handler assessment of core strength

 

We're going to establish a benchmark for your core strength through timed front and both side plank holds. Super fun, I know! ;)

 

Because accessibility is everything, let’s talk about the benchmark if planking from your feet and elbows isn’t achievable quite yet. If this is you, you’re going to time how long you can hold a plank, both sides and front, from your elbows and knees. Make note about your contact points (elbows and knees).

It’s fair, in a lot of cases, to anticipate moving to your elbows and toes throughout the course. GOALS!!

 

Front plank instructions:

 

Side plank instructions:

 

Record your time below, and note if you were on your toes or knees, to track your progress.

Date

Front plank

R Side plank

L Side plank

Oct 1

     

Oct 8

     

Oct 15

     

Oct 22

     

Oct 29

     

Nov 5

     

 

Testimonials & Reviews

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An example of what previous students have said about this course ...

This topic of dog and dog strengthening exercises was relatively new to me and there was plenty of exercises to choose from. As a novice and not knowing what was right for my dog, kelly was more than happy to provide direction on which would be best suited for him The human side of the equation and building core strength was not new to me and Liz provided just the right amount of material to work on.   


My dog is very athletic but I am not! Since the closure of the fitness program I was attending, I’ve been looking for an alternative—-Who would have thought I’d find it in a dog training class! Liz is very skilled in giving step by step instruction and the feedback tweaked one or two things that made a big difference!! Plus the exercises are can be done in a few minutes or strung together for a 30 minute workout. Kelly is equally skilled in step by step instructions plus her videos show different size dogs doing the exercises. I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi so I’m always having to adapt training methods but in this class Kelly did that for me! Plus on exercises we were struggling with she put in extra videos with additional training methods. I can already see a difference in the rally master exercises as his right rear is getting stronger—especially side step right. It’s an amazing class—one that I will go back to on a weekly bases. Plus I want to take it again—it was so interesting and FUN!!       


I appreciated the instructors sharing their expertise and providing helpful feedback specific to my fitness needs and my dog's physical structure. My dog loved the core exercises and I became stronger.           


I am a Fenzi lifer and have taken numerous Gold classes HOWEVER it had been about 4 years since I had taken one UNTIL I saw this class listed! I knew then I would be taking up a Gold spot. Both myself and my dog Benny are gracefully falling into the senior category of life. :) I loved the combination of human fitness and dog fitness. Both Liz and Kelly are extremely knowledgeable in their respective fields. They provided exercises for both the human and dog with modifications appropriate to your skill level . Their feedback given was provided through video analysis and it was very helpful for me to see where I needed to improve my form or help improve my dogs form. I highly recommend this course whether you and your dog are sport enthusiasts or if you simply want to improve overall core strength at any age. Thanks Liz and Kelly Jennie and Ben          


Core Fitness exercises for both dog and handler had beginner/intermediate/advanced levels so you could pick what level worked best for your dog and yourself. Plus you have the more advance levels to work on when your ready in your library.  This class was just right!

Registration

Next session starts: December 1, 2025
Registration starts: November 22, 2025
Registration ends: December 15, 2025

Registration opens at 10:30am Pacific Time.

EL880 Subscriptions


Gold

Silver

Bronze
Tuition $ 260.00 $ 130.00 $ 65.00
Enrollment Limits 12 25 Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials ✔ ✔ ✔
Access to discussion and homework forums ✔ ✔ ✔
Read all posted questions and answers ✔ ✔ ✔
Watch all posted videos ✔ ✔ ✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum ✔ ✔ ✖
Submit written assignments ✔ ✖ ✖
Post dog specific questions ✔ With video only ✖
Post videos ✔ Up to 2 ✖
Receive instructor feedback on
  • Questions
  • All videos
  • Questions
  • All videos
✖

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