By steve
SlimDoggy is proud to be a Kamp Kounselor for K9Kamp, the fun way to get active with your dog. This Kamp Khallenge was Doggy Hide and Seek. SlimDoggy Steve, Jack & Maggie wanted to crank up the intensity a bit to burn a few more calories so they used a variation of a cone/agility drill that Steve does in his bootcamp workouts. It turns out that recent research suggests that this type of training can provide more than just physical fitness.
Recent research on benefits of agility exercises
A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research sought to compare the influence of agility training on physiological and cognitive performance versus standard training protocols. You can read the abstract here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23442271
The study used 41 subjects in military training programs over a 6 week period. The authors divided the subjects randomly into two groups, one that continued the standard training (calisthenics and running) and the second group added agility work (cone drills).
The results were stunning. Not only did the agility group see a bigger increase in physical fitness, but they also saw improvements in visual vigilance as well as memory function compared to the standard training group. While the study used human participants, it’s logical that the same benefits can apply to your dog as well.
SlimDoggy cone drill for agility
The starting line
The SlimDoggy cone drill is a version of a bootcamp drill that is used to increase speed and agility in humans. It forces the body to move in different directions and has a ‘start and stop’ component that increases the difficulty of the drill.
Place a set of cones (or other markers) in a zig-zag pattern on a field or gym floor. Space the cones at least 5 yards apart, further apart if you want to increase the duration of the drill. We recommend using a minimum of 8 cones. Place a treat under or on top of each cone so your dog can have something to find during the drill.
Once the cones are set, move back to the start position and then sprint from cone to cone, briefly stopping at each cone to set your feet and prepare to move laterally to the next cone in the sequence. Of course, your dog will (hopefully) stop and grab the treat at each stop. Jog back to the start line, re-setting the treats on each cone in preparation for the next set. Perform 6-10 sets total,
Maggie races Jack to the cone
Cone drill variations
Change the cone pattern to keep in interesting and to emphasize different skills. Besides the zig-zag, we use star (cones set up like a star, with 5 points), box (four corners), “t”, and other random cone patterns to emphasize lateral shuffling or backward sprinting.
Indoor variations
If you are confined to the indoors, the distance between cones will likely need to be smaller. That’s perfectly …read more
From: SlimDoggy Hide and Seek: Improving Canine Fitness and Memory Function
