Good balance and body awareness does not come naturally to every dog. There are dogs that move precisely already as a young dog and again others that are rather clumsy. But you can and should practice balance and coordination regularly, as it also positively affects everyday movements and reduces the risk of injury from tripping or misjudging your own body. So coordination and balance training is important and useful for dogs of all ages. Even if your dog is older, you can still start to help him improve his balance and coordination with various exercises. During the workout the whole body is trained and the body feeling is improved. Balance training dog
How to train balance and body awareness in dogs? Balance training dog
You can train this quite uncomplicated on the walk, but also at home. One example is running over different surfaces, which intensively strengthens your dog’s coordination and balance. Running over different surfaces also supports proprioception. This refers to the perception of the movements and position of the body and individual body parts in space, i.e. the body’s own perception. At the same time, your dog is animated to use all paws equally and a healthy movement sequence is trained. Running over different (pliable) surfaces can be done with your dog both at home and on the walk. Balance training dog
How to train your dog’s balance and body awareness on the walk
If you want to run over different on the walk, suitable, for example, forest floor even with roots, field paths, a plowed field, pebbles and sandy soil. There are no limits to your creativity and you can use everything that nature offers. For this, take your dog on a leash and lead him slowly over the different surfaces. (Just as you will encounter them on your walk). Balance training dog
Your dog should walk at a pace so that he is aware of the changing surfaces and balances out any unevenness.
Balance training and promotion of body awareness for home Balance training dog
If you also want to train with your dog indoors, you can easily imitate different surfaces that present themselves during the walk. Ideas for this are for example: Balance training dog
- a piece of artificial grass
- a rough doormat such as a coconut mat
- Rubber mat with nubs balance training dog
- an air mattress, pillow or mattress balance training dog
- You can collect corks, pebbles and sand and put them in shallow containers and lead your dog through them
If you have balance pads, Sensimats or targets with pimples, you can of course also use these for training and let your dog balance on them.
Especially for dogs that are not very mobile, it is a good idea to run over different surfaces in the house (terrace, garden). There are no limits to you and your creativity on different surfaces and materials. Just make sure your dog can’t hurt himself on the materials.
When is this exercise off limits for your dog? Balance training dog
If your dog has unstable joints, you should refrain from this type of exercise.
So, take a look around your home and see what might be suitable to create a small course for training body awareness and balance. I wish you much joy! Balance training dog
All the love, your Tina
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