Some people are put off starting in canine fitness work because of all the expensive fancy gear that you 'need'.
Yes, my doggy gym has lots of fun stuff in it, but the reality is that I have slowly built this up over around 4 years, as my dogs became more competent, and my interest grew. I'm also the queen of DIY gear, because that's all I could afford to do for a long time.
Here's my recommendations if you are thinking of starting out
Beginner: this is if you have never formally trained any fitness work before. All dogs start off with exercises 'on the flat' meaning that there is no unstable surfaces like wobble cushions.
Yoga mats (2). I like the $6 mats from Kmart.
Aerobic step covered with yoga mat to make it non slip. I use no more nails, and duct tape to stick the yoga mat down. You can get aerobic steps from Kmart, the warehouse, and online e.g. Trademe.
Two phone book-ish sized stable platforms, topped with yoga mat. Blocks of wood work really well!
Slightly more than beginner: Above equipment, and then you can add:
This was one of the first books that I read that combined multiple areas of interest for me - animals, brain structure and function, behavior, and also learning and learning difficulties... wow. I can actually combine my 'real life' job (education) and my 'dream job' interests and professional development? Wow!
Temple Grandin is a pioneer in the US with manipulating environments to reduce stress on animals, particularly cattle. She researched the animal brain structure, and how that related to their behavior, as well as the sensory input that related to that behavior. It was particularly relevant for her, as she is autistic. She knew that she perceived the world around her in a different way, and understood how that related to her behavior. By analyzing brain differences, and differences in sensory input and processing she was able to relate that to behaviour. Her early work that really made a difference to the animal industry was in re-designing cattle drenching, and cattle slaughter areas and equipment to significantly reduce stress to the animals.
I think this book is a must-read, not only for those in the animal husbandry industry, but education. It's like the animal related 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' insight into the autistic person's brain, and behaviour.
Note... I wanted to use the word 'holistic' in the title, but this has negative connotations for some people!
But you know what - I think that it's appropriate in this context. Google defines holistic (medicine) as "characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease."
PLEASE NOTE - THESE ARE MY OPINIONS AND SHOULD NOT REPLACE ADVICE FROM A TRUSTED PROFESSIONAL.
My dogs are canine athletes. And I treat them as such. Here's a peek into Chace, Deo and Evo's whole body mental and physical care, and the things that I think are important.
Vaccination
Vaccination is a hot topic amongst the public and medical professionals. I believe that vaccination is an important part of 99.9% of dog's healthcare (the 0.1% are immune compromised dogs and other conditions where vaccination is not recommended). However after having one dog with a variety of issues many of which were immune related, I am now more cautious about over vaccination.
I now give my dogs the minimal puppy series, and then titer test every three years or so to check immunity levels. I also do not give the non-core vaccines unless I'm in an area (or traveling to an area) where that disease is a risk.
What you feed fuels your dog, and invariably will impact both performance, and their health. I carefully plan, and monitor all food that goes into my dogs mouth's, both meals, and treats.
Meals:
Raw feed on a variety of meat, bones, organ meat. To their daily meal I add tumeric golden paste (recipe in a photo below), fish oil (ProVida Canine 3MEGA), probiotics, and am trialing a joint supplement. I also give some raw food 'breakfast' the morning of agility competitions to ensure they have enough fuel for the day.
- Possyum* for agility and show treats - Jimbos treats (our favourite treat for out on walks)
- Chicken necks raw cut up for the highest value treat
Treats and entertainment:
- Orijen and Ziwipeak
- NZ made dehydrated products (NOT raw hide from unknown sources)
- Peanut butter (Pics - not any of the cheaper brands that may contain artificial sweetener than can be harmful for dogs)
- various locally sourced treats like http://www.woofasdoggonedelights.co.nz/
I really enjoy the food related posts from 'The Balanced Canine" who is based in Sydney:
- OUR VET SAYS "DON'T FEED RAW, YOU'LL KILL YOUR DOG"
A vet wouldn't say that right?! Sadly one of our clients recently was told that by their Vet. It's time to get educated!
The "Pet Fooled EXTRAS!" series is officially launching, in coordination with the "Pet Fooled Conversations" series. These are two series to spark conversation around this topic! #petfooled#petfood#speciesappropriate
Start with adding just a teaspoon of raw meat, mashed fruit/veg. Adding even the smallest amount of species appropriate food will do your dog the world of good.
Did you know you can add 15-20% of extras to your dog's kibble without unbalancing it?
For example, if you feed your dog 200 grams of kibble, you can add 15-20% which is 40 grams of extras which can be things like meat, mashed fruit and veg. If maths isn't your thing, you can use a percentage calculator: https://percentagecalculator.net/
- TOP DRESSING KIBBLE
At the moment we have a boarder staying with us that is on a supermarket kibble diet and I realise lot's of dogs out there are also on similar diets.
Now, in the perfect world we would eat healthy and so would our dogs but convenience and cost are important factors and I respect that....and sometimes due to marketing and front of bag claims we're led into a false sense of security that the kibble we're feeding is ticking all the boxes (some are ticking many boxes, most aren't).
The good new is you can top dress your dogs kibble with extras to give it a health ooomph! Just remember you need to reduce your dogs kibble to allow for the extras.
In this kibble I have top dressed with bone broth, fruit & veggie mix, golden paste & a Tripe/Goat Organs/Offal/Deer (Venison) Meat Mix from Rogue Royalty in Campbelltown (they deliver).
You may like to consider some of the following ideas to incorporate in your top dressing:
- Mince including duck, beef, chicken, roo etc. available from Seven Hills Pet Food (they deliver).
- Pre-packaged B.A.R.F such as Dr Billinghurst, Canine Country, Big Dog Barf etc. that you can find in your local dog food store. Leading Edge raw is available for a good price from Auburn Costco.
- Tinned sadines or whole sardines from your local fish shop.
- Chicken necks, wings, necks (if your dogs chews its food), carcass, turkey necks, beef & lamb brisket, lamb shanks.
- Dinner scraps as long as they are safe for dogs i.e. free of onion and cooked bones etc.
- FROM BEST TO WORST OF 13 COMMONLY FED DOG MEALS
Dr Karen Becker
1. Nutritionally balanced raw homemade diet. This is the best diet you can feed your dog or cat. It's very important not to wing it when preparing your pet's meals at home. I say this because when pet food nutrition expert Steve Brown and I analyzed many of the homemade and prey model diets available, we learned they fall far short in trace minerals, antioxidants including nutrients like manganese, magnesium, vitamin E and D, copper, zinc, iron, choline, and essential fatty acids.
Additionally, if the diet doesn't have a proper fat or calcium to phosphorus balance, it can actually cause a myriad of health problems, especially in growing animals. So, it's critically important that you know your homemade diet is balanced.
CONTINUED ON POST...
- https://www.balanced-canine.com/whyrawfeed
- https://vimeo.com/ondemand/petfooled
- Check the rating of your commercially prepared kibble here.
Healthcare
I have a handful of professionals that I trust, that regularly see my animals. To be honest my animals health is better-taken care of than my own!
They see a physio regularly, and veterinarian for routine issues. I try to reduce (where possible) exposure to unnecessary chemicals, so only flea and worm if required. Did you know that you can have your pet's fecal matter checked for worms? I use a natural flea repellant when fleas are not normally around, and flea with the vet products if they have any fleas. At the moment I have flea treated all my animals because for the first time in years I have a cat in the house, who bought some fleas with her!
Neutering and spaying
Only one of my three dogs is entire. This is because he's a delightful guy, with absolutely no 'male' characteristics.... bar humping Deo after meals. My other two were speyed / neutered after I was advised that their growth plates had closed.
Current recommendations from Dr Christine Zink are that there is research to show the benefits to sports dogs in leaving them entire until after their growth plates have closed. The only way to be sure growth plates have closed is X-ray.
Agility training
I vary on how much I train my dogs in agility, on average 1-2 sessions a week. This may be more if I'm doing a particularly intensive online course, or less other weeks depending on my training planning and show performance.
They also have a break day from any training (fitness or agility) before, and after an agility show. I also plan 8-12 week's 'agility holiday' a year where they will do absolutely no agility shows or training, but fitness work will continue.
Mental stimulation
The amount of fitness and agility training really helps with keeping them stimulated. But I'm also really careful that I continue to keep them entertained them when they are left on their own. I have kennels and runs where I rotate toys, have food dishing toys, leave kongs or orbee snoop's. They have snuffle mat's in their runs. And I also keep all my toilet paper rolls, and fold up treats inside them.
Social interaction
Dogs are highly social animals. They were naturally selected for from their wild wolf ancestors for their desire to be near humans, and reduced aggression / increased desire to interact with humans.
My guys are with me most of the time. They come to school with me several times a week, and enjoy being a part of our school family, and working with the students.
