As dogs age, they tend to gain weight, become less active, sleep more and lose mental focus. The less they move, the more muscles atrophy, balance diminishes and the less they move. In order to keep senior dog at the best quality of life we need to keep senior dogs moving. Fitness is essential for keeping our senior dogs mobile and active. A structured exercise program benefits senior dogs by keeping muscles toned and flexible while maintaining balance, stability and function.  Conditioning the senior dog also helps to mentally exercises the mind of the dog and also enhances the relationship between you and your dog.

Senior dogs cannot do what they once did as young dogs so we must be mindful to create an exercise plan geared toward their physical and mental ability. This class will teach you how to do safe, fun exercises for senior dogs that will help improve body awareness, flexibility, balance, front, hind-end and core strength. It also provides mental stimulation to keep our senior dogs mind working well too!! 

As dog’s age, they want to move less. But we need to keep them moving! Moving is vital for life! It gets the heart beating and the blood flowing which helps to nourish cells throughout the body. Blood flow helps carry away waste products and helps neutralize toxins! Moving also supports brain health. So moving is not only great for muscles (including the heart) it is great for the WHOLE BODY. It helps improve functionality and performance in daily life activities as well as sport activities. Being able to control their body and balance while in motion is important for all dogs.  So let’s keep our senior dogs moving so their body systems will function better.

Who Should Participate?

This class is geared towards senior dogs but any healthy age dog is welcome in this class!

Equipment:   Tandem-my 14-year-old- I use 2 balance pads or a bucket for the workouts. With Revolution -11-year-old, for some workouts I use FitBones to show more challenging exercises.  For the moving exercises, I use cones andi poles.  There are many possible equipment options using household items such as your couch cushions!

What Level Are the Exercises? Since this is a senior dog fitness class, exercises will be beginner to intermediate level.