Your dog needs exercise, it is a fact. And with the great products on the market today, exercising him can be a lot more exciting than just taking a walk. From agility to rehab to family dog fitness, there is definitely some exercise equipment out there that your dog (and you!) will love!
Rehab
After injury, sometimes dogs have a hard time bouncing back. Canine fitness professionals use a variety of exercise equipment in dog exercise, to rehabilitate, condition and strengthen your pup.
Their favorite tool? An exercise ball! Just like with humans, an exercise ball works your dog’s core. They are perfect for dogs who have had back surgery, and need to strengthen the back and tone the muscles.
The FitPaws exercise ball is one that you can order and have at home, to help your dog rehab there, too. FitPwas Balance Pads are perfect for larger dogs that need to recover after an operation. The Balance Pads help distribute weight, and they help improve a dog’s balance. These are both important after any type of surgery. The Balance Pad can be washed off, and can be used in a pool.
You can also take your dog to a certified canine rehabilitation center. At centers such as this, the veterinarians will help get your dogs back into top shape. For dog exercise, they have equipment such as underwater treadmills and FitBones!
Agility
Whether your dog actually participates in sporting competitions, such as agility contests, or not, it is fun to improve his reaction time, his control, and help him prevent any sports-related injuries in the future.
In fact, agility training has lots of great benefits, whether he (or she) competes or not.
Agility training in dog exercise can:
- Improve his reaction and control time
- Increase your dog’s trunk and core strength (helping prevent injuries down the road)
- Stabilize any weak area’s your dog may have
- Improve his balance
- Increase the range of motion in his joints and help elongate his muscles (which is great for dogs who are overweight)
Agility tools include things like Balance Discs, the FitPaws Wobble and Rocker Boards, and FitPaws Peanuts. All of these will help with their balance, their agility and their coordination, and they are fun, too! You will have fun as you help your dog use these tools, and he will have fun as he learns to use them.
Fun and Fitness
One great piece of exercise equipment that your dog can ‘play’ on any time (with your supervision), whether it is for fitness or rehab, is the K9FITbone. This is perfect for stability training, which will help your dog develop strength, flexibility and balance.
This is a balance disc that is shaped like a bone, and it provides low impact exercise for full body conditioning. It is great for any size dog, small or large.
The K9FITbone is made of heavy duty PVC material so it is perfect for dogs (it has great grip and will resist damage from a dog’s nails).
It works with small dogs, as they can place all four paws on the bone and balance. For big dogs, have them put their front legs on one bone, and their back legs on another to really work their core and improve their balance.
Additionally, this piece of dog exercise equipment also has sensory bumps for neural stimulation. If you add more air, the balance challenge is increased, a little less air, a little less challenge (which is perfect for dogs who are new to the K9FITbone).
Love Your Pup!
Your dog is an integral part of your family, and you want him to stay healthy, and that means staying fit. Exercise equipment is truly an easy, and fun, way to exercise your pet inside or out.
Simply use these tools for five to ten minutes, three or four times a week. Make sure to supervise, and help him use the exercise equipment correctly. This means you get some quality time together, and you get to have fun. Remember to use positive reinforcement as he learns to use the equipment, so that he will want to keep using it, and keep strengthening his body.
