The Importance of Good Balance & Core Strength in Dogs

So, how many of you have done the SRT test (the Sitting-Rising Test) for yourself?  You begin with ten points and your overall score decreases with each assist you need to sit down on the floor or get back up once seated. It's a test that doctors, physical therapists, etc. use to assess mobility and longevity in people, particularly older people.  While there isn't the exact same test for older dogs, most veterinarians do some similar measures on senior dogs during their wellness exams to assess balance and core strength and get ahead of any mobility challenges.  There's so much more we can do for our dogs beyond daily walks to help them build and maintain their core strength and continue to have good balance as they get older. If you start with these exercises for your young adult dog, that is a dog who is out of puppyhood with full bone development, it means you will have measurements of their mobility to compare to as they age.  A lot of these exercises can be done using things you find in nature or at the park, but you can also use your own gym equipment at home for many of them.  Here are some examples:

For Good Balance and Core Strength:  Begin by having your dog walk along a curb on leash. You can use a treat to keep your dog walking in a straight line, eyes on the treat at nose level, not looking down at their feet.  If they can do this easily, repeat the exercise having them walk on a plank on the ground.  If this is easy, lift the plank up off the ground, supported by cement blocks and have them walk across again, keeping their head up, following the treat.  We aren't looking for speed here but a steady, confident pace, no jumping off the plank.  You can also observe them walking across one of those moving bridges on a kids' playground or jumping from rock to rock as they move along on a hike. Next, position your dog at the start of a hallway.  Standing in front of your dog, step toward them slowly so that they take a step backwards.  Use a treat so that they stay focused on you as they back up, versus turning away from you and moving away facing forward. Do they back up in a straight line or do they veer to one side or the other?  If you have a BOSU balance trainer in your home gym, that works really well too.  Place the BOSU trainer with the flat base down and have your dog step up onto it with their front feet and stay in place.  Use a treat as a lure and hold onto the treat until you let them back off the dome.  Work up to all four feet on the dome, and then have them back up so that just their rear feet are on the dome.  Once they can do this with the flat side down, flip the BOSU over so it wobbles and try the exercises again.  If you have yoga blocks, you can also do balance exercises using those, you just won't be able to do the wobble version. 

Stretching and Mobility Assessment: Have your dog sit in front of you on a non-slippery surface. Step away from your dog backwards and lure them into a standing position, noting how difficult it is for them to rise from a sit to a stand.  Many senior dogs have difficulty with this exercise and it takes a couple of tries, and a bit of scooting, before they can get enough momentum going to rise up from the sit.  You can also have them lay in the down position and measure the effort needed to come up to a sit and then to a standing position.  With your dog standing at your side, use a treat to slowly have them stretch their neck to reach the treat, not moving their feet.  Next, slowly move the treat downward, encouraging them to follow the treat down, again stretching their neck, without laying down. Move the treat slowly toward one side so your dog keeps their neck level and brings their head around following that treat.  Move the treat back to center and then around to the other side slowly.  You are measuring how much flexibility they have in their neck with this exercise. Use a treat to lure your dog to turn in a circle, first one direction and then the other way. It's perfectly normal for an adult dog to only be able to easily turn one direction, but they should be able to turn a tight circle without tipping, tripping over their feet, or flopping into a down.

Finally, if you have access to a pool, you can help your dog gain mobility and core strength with swimming.  Be sure to use a dog life vest on them regardless of their swimming abilities.  That vest will help you to guide your dog along using the handle on their back.  You will want to hold them in place so that they are paddling but not moving anywhere, helping to create resistance. Next, hold that handle and let them paddle forward and then guide them to paddle in a circular motion.  If you have long enough stairs in your pool, you can have your dog walk back and forth, slowly, following a treat, so that they are moving through the water, creating resistance and building their muscle tone.

So, why am I suggesting you do this now with your young, spry, healthy dogs?  Because some day, they will be senior dogs and you want them to have the best chance at a comfortable and safe life as they navigate the aging process. Helping them with their mobility strength now means a stronger core and better mobility later in life.  

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

While mental exercise is important too for all ages of dogs, none more so than our senior dogs.  Here's Ozzie resting on his puzzle after solving it.  At 11.5 years old, Ozzie has slowed down quite a bit.  He has arthritis and spondylosis, two conditions that have led me to use a PEMF mat for him three times a day, helping reduce inflammation in his body. He also completes the exercises outlined above to the best of his abilities, though we don't have a pool, so no swimming for this sweet, old guy.