Fitness Challenge Month Two: Tippy’s recent weigh-in showed a 2 lb weight loss! She looks leaner, has more muscle tone, and is already showing signs of increased energy. How did she do it?
Before the Canine Fitness Challenge, Tippy did not enjoy her walks, and was very fearful outside on a leash, digging her paws in at every turn.
Just like people, overweight dogs need time and lifestyle changes to lose weight. For Tippy this meant switching to a low-calorie food, provided by Canine Caterers, and a custom exercise plan, provided by DogOn Fitness, to address her unique situation.
As an additional challenge for Tippy, she’s afraid to walk through her neighborhood; it’s a cacophony of activity and noises, mostly from a nearby school. When we first met Tippy, her family had to drag her up the street on walks, with Tippy digging in her paws the whole way. She was nervous and pulled away from anything she feared (garbage trucks, zooming cars, school buses, noisy running children).
To get Tippy to walk comfortably, she needed a boost of confidence. We tried a variety of dog activities to learn what makes Tippy tick. We took her to the dog park, worked her through “Urban Agility” exercises on readily available playground equipment, and took her on challenging hikes in the woods. Tippy only liked activities where noise and distractions were at a minimum, so the busy dog park near a major road was out. But she did love exercise so we knew if we could just get her past her neighborhood fears; she’d enjoy getting out with her family and therefore get more exercise.
Jim Peterson, Tippy's owner, demonstrates the "working walk" program, that DogOn Fitness has helped them implement. The working walk helps her feel more confident by focusing on the walker rather than loud noises and distractions.
What works best for Tippy is a combination of exercise and mental stimulation: the mental stimulation builds her confidence, and diverts her attention from what she fears, and the exercise calms her down. Plus, it helps her lose weight and stay fit and healthy!
To achieve these goals, we started her off with a Working Walk where she must focus on the person walking her, stay close on a loose leash, sit randomly—or in Tippy’s case at street crossings—and keep up a brisk pace, even when a loud noise might otherwise divert her attention. We often use working walks with DogOn Fitness clients, and especially with dogs that thrive on the extra attention they get from a well-structured walk.
Over time, we also discovered Tippy loves to run and is more relaxed in her environment after she runs. So we incorporated running into Tippy’s routine.
Here’s her current 30-minute exercise plan:
1). A brisk Working Walk
2). 20 minutes of combined running and walking (as with humans, dogs need to work up to strenuous exercise such as running, and Tippy is not yet up to running continuously)
3). After running, a cool-down walk back to her house.
Little by little with patience and encouragement, we’re seeing Tippy emerge from her shell and enjoying her “new leash on life.”
Carol Brooks and Lesley Smith, are co-owners, DogOn Fitness. Their exercise services are perfect for overweight dogs, high-energy dogs, dogs who need more exercise and any dog who wants an active daily walk or run. They also offer daily relief walks, puppy visits, vacation visits, boarding, and their signature Family Integration Training (F.I.T.). To find out more, visit them on the web at www.dogonfitness.com.
