Why would you want a fitness trainer

WHY WOULD YOU WANT A FITNESS TRAINER FOR YOUR CANINE ATHLETE?

What do Siya Kolisi, Serena Williams and Michael Phelps have in common? Well besides being great athletes and household names in their chosen sports, they have coaches and trainers. Even non-professional athletes realise that they cannot do it alone, and often turn to the professional services of coaches, personal trainers, biokineticists and physiotherapists to improve performance and technique, and reduce the chances of injury. Why should it be any different for your canine companion?

Canine sports are becoming increasingly popular. In South Africa perhaps the most prevalent is agility but IPO, gun dog trials, tracking and herding competitions are also very well attended. We also should include obedience training and breed shows in the mix. In order to compete in these events, dogs should be considered and treated as canine athletes. Other canine athletes include our security dogs, those that track rhino poachers, guide dogs, detection dogs and other service dogs. We must also not exclude our weekend warriors, the dogs that run with their human companions, and dogs that play fetch with the children every day.

If you look at the picture of the ballerina leaping into the air, many of us appreciate the skill, fitness and effort that it takes to be able to perform this movement. Most of us assume that this ballerina is in peak physical condition and has practised for hours upon hours to achieve this result. Now look at the picture next to it of the dog catching the ball, leaping into the air to grab that ball between his teeth. It may surprise you to know that this move is likely on par with what the ballerina is doing. The level of fitness required and the potential for injury if the dog is not fit or strong enough, are equivalent.

CANINE SPORTS MEDICINE

Canine sports medicine is the new kid on the block. This branch of veterinary medicine includes orthopaedics, exercise physiology, neurology, cardiology, pulmonology and nutrition. Critical partners to canine sports medicine are fitness and rehabilitation. Fitness and rehabilitation includes conditioning, maintaining and regaining fitness. The obvious role of physical rehabilitation is that of post-injury or post-surgical recovery as well as the conservative management of a number of orthopaedic and neurological conditions, but physical rehabilitation practitioners can also play a large role in injury prevention, as well as establishing routines to prevent re-injury in sporting and working dogs.

In the unfortunate event that an injury has already occurred, this branch of veterinary medicine becomes even more important. The challenge at this point is to help the dog return to a state of muscular ability, endurance, coordination, balance and flexibility that enables them to train and compete or work again. Given the significant investment made by both the guardian, trainer and the athlete, it is expected that these dogs must return to their absolute best ability. There can be no second best.

TYPICAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES

A typical rehabilitation programme designed for a canine athlete will include exercises for strength, awareness, endurance and skills development. Strengthening can have a general focus or be unilateral and specific, concentrating on an injured joint. Proprioceptive exercises play an integral role in improving the ability of the athlete. Being aware of foot placement translates into more control of the movement of the body and therefore a decreased likelihood of sustaining an injury. Endurance exercises are important but the amount of attention placed on these is dependent on the sport. Herding requires more endurance than flyball, for instance. The last type of exercise is skills training. Agility dogs will learn how to negotiate a jump but not follow a scent. Skills training is specific to the chosen sport.

START NOW

But why wait until an injury has occurred before intervening? Human athletes start working with their team of sports professionals before an injury occurs, not only to prevent injury, but to improve their performance to enable them to compete at the top of their game. Employing the services of a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer can help you and your canine athlete perform better, whether in the breed-show ring, on the agility course, or out tracking poachers in the bush.

A Certified Canine Fitness Trainer has a keen understanding of proper canine exercise form, technique, behaviour, and programme design for optimum performance and injury prevention using science based, force-free training methods and canine-specific conditioning equipment.

Based at Animal Health and Hydro Benoni, Jessica Evans is a Canine Rehabilitation and Fitness Practitioner authorised by the South African Veterinary Council. Jessica works under the guidance and mentorship of Dr Tanya Grantham, a qualified Veterinarian with a certification in Canine Sports Medicine. Jessica completed her Certification in Canine Fitness with the University of Tennessee in the United States of America, and is therefore an authority on the subject.

Jessica has this to say,

while I adore my rehabilitation patients and seeing them heal and return to function brings me much joy, I would rather prefer to see them when they are still at the peak of their physical condition. My goal is to work together with these canine athletes and their human guardians to prevent

injury and improve their overall athletic performance.

Jessica explains that the benefit of working with a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer is that the focus is on the canine athlete’s entire body. When our dogs perform a particular job or participate in a specific sport we often focus on the skills and movements of the specialised role, we are expecting them to perform. We neglect areas of the body “not necessary” for that sport. The result is often repetitive strain injury; an injury resulting from an unbalanced body or weak core, a poor gait or simply under performance. Our job is to improve overall body fitness and balance; enhance limb awareness, which improves limb placement; strengthen the core; build muscle; and provide mental stimulation and enjoyment. The goal is a fitter, healthier, stronger and more well-adjusted athlete. Following on from the human trend of actively pursuing wellness, preventative medicine is becoming a ‘thing’ amongst discerning human guardians. Working together with your dog, and your Canine Fitness Trainer alongside other members of the Animal Health Team (behaviourists, veterinarians etc.) allows you to optimise the health and performance of your canine athlete.

When is the best time to start? When your dog is a puppy. Whether your puppy is going to have a job, participate in a sport or whether her only job will be to lay on the couch with you watching Netflix, all dogs can benefit from a well-constructed puppy fitness program. Click here to learn more about Jessica Evan’s “Puppy Fitness Program”. This 12-week, online course will equip you with all the foundational skills you need to improve your puppy’s physical and mental condition.

If you have an adult dog call Animal Health and Hydro for an assessment so that Jessica and the team can develop a tailored training program for you.

ANIMAL HEALTH AND HYDRO RYNFIELD

154 President Brand Str, Rynfield, Benoni

Contact: 083 230 2188

Email: animalhealths@gmail.com

ANIMAL HEALTH AND HYDRO PRETORIA EAST

218 Mark St, Grootfontein County Estates, Pretoria East, Grootfontein Country Estates

Contact: 074 251 4410

Email: ahahpretoria@gmail.com