Your dog has osteoarthritis – two exercises to follow

Osteoarthritis in dogs and how you can become active

My last blog post was about how osteoarthritis develops, what the consequences are, and how you can support your dog. I’ll show you two exercises in this post. You can do them regularly with your dog. The goal here is to get your dog pain free, get more movement in the joint, reduce lameness and maintain muscle tone. Both exercises are very effective and you can do them without much effort.

The first exercise is the “paw lift”

And this is how the exercise works:

Your dog stands on a non-slip surface and you squat next to your dog. That way you can prop him up if he gets off balance. You grab the front leg (above the paw), lift it slightly and unload the leg for about 3-5 seconds. On the hind legs, you also grab above the paw, bending the barrel slightly. Just like you do when you dry your dog’s paw.
Even if the exercise looks simple, the effect and effort are high, especially if your dog has a weak point in the musculoskeletal system.

How often and what is the effect?

Start with 2 reps per run twice a day. The duration of the hold can be increased up to 15 seconds and you can also increase the repetitions. You strengthen with the exercise, the muscles of the other 3 runs and train the coordination of your dog.

The second exercise is the Cavaletti training

What you need:

You need five obstacles for the exercise over which your dog climbs. This number is important to get your dog into a flow of movement.
At home you can use e.g. resort to broomsticks, in the forest or garden branches are perfect. You build the obstacles in a straight line on level ground. The distance is optimal with a dog’s length. They should be of such a height that your dog can comfortably climb over them and not be tempted to jump.

Here we go:

Lead your dog slowly, step by step on a short leash over the obstacles. With the leash you prevent your dog from stopping the exercise. At the same time, you also set the pace. If your dog is excited, let him dismount before the first obstacle, then he will calm down a bit. When you reach the end, let him dismount again. And don’t forget to praise him! This exercise requires a lot of concentration and is exhausting for any dog with arthritis. Then it goes back again. Go as slowly as possible.

This is the only way your dog’s brain internalizes what the correct and healthy movement should be.

How often and what is the effect?

With the exercise you train your dog’s coordination and get him to move his legs slowly and deliberately. You train his perception and trust in his body. In addition, he bends and stretches his joints, the muscles are strengthened. Ligaments, tendons and joints are kept supple. The exercise makes no sense if your dog has a stiffened joint.

Start with two repetitions twice a day. As the workout progresses, you can increase the number of repetitions.

PS: By the way, you can also find both exercises in my Arthrosefit Online Course – a great intensive training that helps you to mobilize and keep your dog fit permanently and comprehensively in case of arthrosis.