By steve
We often talk about the importance of a strong core, for both you and your dog. Today we will share a simple core exercise for your dog that requires no equipment and is a lot of fun as well.
Benefits of a Strong Core
A strong core can benefit your dog (and yourself) in many ways including:
- Improved strength and athletic performance
- Improved balance
- Reduced injury risk
- Improved muscle tone
- Improved support of vital organs
- Improved digestion
Even with such a great list of benefits, many people do not regularly program core work into their dog’s exercise routine because it often requires equipment or some training. The Slimdoggy Touch Drill can change that.
Slimdoggy Touch Drill
We learned of this exercise at physical therapy while rehabbing our own athletic injuries. We were working on rebuilding our core and balance coordination after lower body injury but we were not quite ready for the stability cushions. The therapists wanted to challenge our core and balance in a safe way and used the touch drill to accomplish this goal.
Standing in assorted athletic positions, the therapist would gently poke/push my body in an attempt to upset my balance. The idea was not to knock me over, but rather to force my body (mostly my core), to compensate to remain steady and in stance. The therapist would come at me from many different angles, pushing the shoulder, chest, abs, legs from the front, back, and side. I was instructed to engage the abs forcefully to provide the stability needed to remain on my feet. We used a similar drill to help rehab a shoulder injury where the shoulder was forced to engage to keep my arm from moving when pushed.
We do a similar drill with Slimdoggy Jack. As shown in the video, we gently push against Jack’s body, from all angles, to provide a stability challenge. His core is required to engage in order to keep him stable, even if he doesn’t consciously know it! One of the great things about this drill is that you can do it anywhere. We often do this in the evening while sitting in the living room. Jack loves to sit next to us for a pet and we mix in the touch drill with the rest of our affection. He doesn’t even realize that he is working!
Touch Drill Tips
When doing the touch drill for your dog’s core, keep in mind the following:
- Don’t push too hard. You are trying to slightly perturb their balance, not knock them over or hurt them!
- Work different angles. Move up and down his body on both sides so that his muscles are worked evenly.
- Turn it into a game. We make it fun for Jack so he thinks of it as a game, or in the case of our evening sessions, part of his nightly affection.
- It’s a full body exercise too. When doing the Slimdoggy touch drill, you will actually working …read moreFrom: A Simple Core Exercise for your Dog: Touch Drill
