This exercise works on core, hind-end strengthening and rear end awareness. The goal is to have the dog back up several steps in a straight line. Have treats ready to reward with in your hands. Face the dog with the dog standing in front of you. Hold your treats at the dog’s chin level and take a small step towards the dog. When the dog steps back even one step, mark and reward. Work on adding steps, but do not progress too quickly.

The goal is to have the dog remain straight as he backs up.  If the dog’s hind-end consistently drifts to one side, this may indicate a weaker side for the dog. You can add ground guides to help the dog stay straight and build up the muscle on the weaker side. To repeat the exercise, walk backwards yourself so the dog moves forward to his original starting point, then try the back up again. Build up to 6 steps backward then 6 steps forward. Do 2 sets of 3-5x (backward and forward = 1) per set.

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This exercise works on core, hind-end strengthening and rear end awareness. Add a little bit more challenge by having the dog back up and put his hind feet on a raised platform. Platform should be no higher than the height of the dog’s carpus (wrist).

Walk the dog forward over the platform so he knows the object is there. Once the dog’s hind feet are one step off the platform, perform the exercise as you did for the back-up on the flat. Mark and reward when the dog backs-up and puts both hind feet on the platform. Move him off the platform by backing up yourself (the dog will be moving forward) and try again. Slowly increase the number of steps the dog must take to put his feet on the platform when he backs up. Build up to 6 steps backward then 6 steps forward. Do 2 sets of 3-5x (backward and forward = 1) per set.

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This exercise works on core, hind-end strengthening and rear end awareness. Replace the platform with a more unstable object like a FitPAW disc. Adding instability with the disc will increase the difficulty of this exercise for the dog. Work this exercise as you did the back-up to the platform.

In the video, George has trouble keeping his left foot on the disc showing a weaker left side. He also must work on his hind-end awareness to “find” the disc with his hind feet and keep them in place. I allow George to keep trying on his own to move his feet to the correct position. He improves with repetition. Build up to 6 steps backward then 6 steps forward. Do 2 sets of 3-5x (backward and forward = 1) per set.

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This exercise works on core, hind-end strengthening and rear-end awareness. The goal is to have the dog place his front feet on a raised surface and pivot his hind-end clockwise and counterclockwise. Have treats ready to reward with in your hands. Have the dog put his front feet on the bin, face the dog with the dog standing in front of you.

Step slightly off-center from the dog’s head and place your treat hand near your hip that is closest to the dog’s head. Your hand should be at the head level of the dog when he is standing (for smaller dogs, this will be lower on your leg). Look at the dog’s hip closest to you and take a step towards the dog’s hip with your outside leg. Your treat hand remains at the dog’s head so the dog keeps his head facing forward. Your movement should put pressure on the dog causing him to move his hind feet away from you (pivoting). Mark and reward any small movement of his hind feet so the dog starts to understand what you are asking.

Add numbers of steps until the dog can do a complete circle. Work both clockwise and counterclockwise. Once your dog understands this concept, stand in front of your dog with your treat hands together and centered at your front and at the dog’s head height while standing. You should be able to shift your feet clockwise or counterclockwise around the bin. Your movement should be enough to cue the dog to pivot his hind feet around the bin. Build up to 3 sets of 3 full rotations alternating directions (clockwise and counterclockwise =1 set) with a 15 second break in between sets.  

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This exercise works on core, hind-end strengthening and rear-end awareness. Replace the round bin with a more unstable object like a FitPAW disc. Adding instability with the disc will increase the difficulty of this exercise for the dog. Work this exercise as you did the pivot on the round bin. You will probably be able to skip right ahead to standing in front of your dog for this pivot exercise. Build up to 3 sets of 3 full rotations alternating directions (clockwise and counterclockwise =1 set) with a 15 second break in between sets. 

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This exercise works on core, shoulder strengthening and rear-end awareness. The goal is to have the dog place his hind feet on a raised surface and pivot his front end clockwise and counterclockwise. Train the hind feet on a target first before working on this more difficult exercise.

Have treats ready to reward with in your hands. Have the dog put his hind feet on the bin, face the dog with the dog standing in front of you. Anchor your hands at the center of your body and at the dog’s head level. This positioning helps keep the dog’s body straight and his head level, so he does not sit. Take a small step to either side, curving around the bin. Mark and reward any small movement of his front feet so the dog starts to understand what you are asking. Add numbers of steps until the dog can do a complete circle.

Work both clockwise and counterclockwise. In the video, I am using a small bin which is challenging for Pi. Use a larger sized bin if necessary to reduce the difficulty if necessary. Build up to 3 sets of 3 full rotations alternating directions (clockwise and counterclockwise =1 set) with a 15 second break in between sets. 

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This exercise works on core, shoulder strengthening and rear-end awareness. Replace the bin with a more unstable object like a FitPAW disc. Adding instability with the disc will increase the difficulty of this exercise for the dog. Work this exercise as you did the hind feet pivot on the round bin. Build up to 3 sets of 3 full rotations alternating directions (clockwise and counterclockwise =1 set) with a 15 second break in between sets. 

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This exercise works on overall strengthening and rear-end awareness. The goal is to have the dog maintain straight body alignment and sidestep to the left and to the right. Have treats ready to reward with in your hands. It can be helpful to have the dog’s hind-end close to a barrier or wall to prevent backing up.

Face the dog with the dog standing in front of you. Face perpendicular to the dog’s side, positioning yourself somewhere between the dog’s shoulder and ribcage. You will need to experiment where is the best place to stand based on the dog’s size and sensitivity to pressure. Hold your treat in the hand that is closest to the dog’s head. Your hand should be at the head level of the dog when he is standing (for smaller dogs, this will be lower on your leg). Your treat hand remains at the dog’s mouth, so the dog keeps his head facing forward (this also keeps his body straight). Take a small step into your dog. Your movement should put pressure on the dog causing him to sidestep away from you. Mark and reward any small movement of his feet so the dog starts to understand what you are asking.

Add numbers of steps, building up to 6 steps in each direction. Once your dog understands this concept, stand in front of your dog with your treat hands together, centered at your front and at the dog’s head height while standing. You should be able to sidestep and have the dog mirror your movement. Build up to 3 sets of 6 steps each direction (6 left then 6 right is one set) with a 15 second break in between reps.

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This exercise works on the dog’s overall fitness and individual foot placement awareness. Select two platforms that are similar height. As your dog progresses, you can vary the heights of the platforms and add platforms to make it more challenging. The distance between the platforms should be greater than the length of the dog.

Both you and the dog face the platforms and have the dog walk from one platform to the next as you walk beside him. You can treat randomly as you move with the dog back and forth. To keep your dog’s focus forward, you can place treat bowls at either end of the platform sets. Drop a treat in the bowl when the dog reaches the end. Make sure the dog stays at a walk and use a leash if needed to keep the dog with you. To begin a new repetition, turn the dog back towards the platforms to begin again. Work 8 reps (up and back = 1 rep), rest 15 seconds and repeat 3 times.

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This exercise works on the dog’s overall fitness and individual foot placement awareness. Start with four to six poles set at the dog’s carpus (wrist) height. Distance between the poles should generally be set to the height of the dog. This distance may vary slightly depending on the individual dog. Adjust the pole distance accordingly as you see how your dog strides.

Both you and the dog face the poles and have the dog walk from one end to the other as you walk beside him. To keep your dog’s focus forward, you can place treat bowls at either end of the pole set. Drop a treat in the bowl when the dog reaches the end. Make sure the dog stays at a walk and use a leash if needed to keep the dog with you.

 As your dog progresses, you can slightly vary the heights of the poles to make it more challenging (do not go higher than the height of the dog’s stifle). You can also have your dog trot the poles. To begin a new repetition, turn the dog back towards the poles to begin again. Work 8 reps (up and back = 1 rep), rest 15 seconds and repeat 3 times.

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This exercise works on the dog’s flexibility, core, as well as front and hind-end strengthening. Place two cones about the length of your dog apart. Stand opposite the dog with the cones on either side. Hold treats in both hands. Lure the dog towards you and around one cone. As the dog rounds the cone and moves towards you, treat with the opposite hand or place a treat on the ground. Use that hand to lure the dog around the other cone. As the dog rounds the cone and moves towards you, treat with the opposite hand or place the treat on the ground. You can lure the dog around each cone a couple of times before feeding to get a better flow. Build up to 3 sets of 6 figure 8s with a 15 second break in between sets.

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