Taking a Holistic Approach To Help Dogs Feel & Move Better
Learning Area
Learn and have fun with your dog!
A mixture of content covering a variety of topics.
-
I believe in taking a holistic approach when treating your dog so have chosen content which aligns with my work.
-
Looking at a dog's entire body and not just the area of concern.
-
Addressing physical and well being needs.
-
-
This content complements and does not replace physiotherapy.
-
Some content has been created by other canine professionals, highly regarded and qualified in their fields.
-
If you're not sure if this is applicable for your dog, please contact me and I'm happy to discuss.
-
Untreated Osteoarthritis can be a painful condition that affects dogs young & old. Age isn't a disease and dogs don't have to suffer or miss out.
I have created lots of different materials to help you help your dog.
An Owner's Guide - Understand Your Dog Better
Changes to Your Dog’s Lifestyle & Environment can Improve Health & Wellbeing
We all love our dogs and want them to be happy, well behaved and healthy for as long as possible. But what can we do as owners to impact our dog’s lifestyle and environment which can have a positive impact and suit their individual health and wellbeing needs.
Suitable for owners of dogs of all ages and breeds.
What our dogs eat on a daily basis affects the whole body - not just the gut - even if their tummy appears to be functioning ok. Google "dog microbiome" and you'll start to learn some fascinating things!
What we eat ourselves & what we feed our pets is often a hot topic .... everyone has an opinion and it can be divisive. There is almost too much choice and conflicting information, which can make things confusing.
My job isn't to judge, preach or make people feel bad about what they're feeding their dogs. My approach will be to work with you and your dog on finding the right solution that suits you, your circumstances & most importantly your dog's health.
Therapeutic Exercises
Pole Work/Cavaletti
I often suggest this exercise to clients as it is great for so many things. Why?
It improves
👉🏻 range of motion (how much the joint moves)
👉🏻 limb loading
👉🏻 proprioception & balance
👉🏻 activating limb, core and back muscles
😃 Have the poles flat on the ground, (check with your physio before raising the level to no higher than hock height). You can put in a straight line or then change the distance and layout.
🚶♀️ Do at walking pace, which avoids cheating by running or jumping over them. And of course not walking around them ...... 😂
👌🏻 A great way of getting your dog moving & can be done inside the house (non slip flooring) or in the garden.
Be creative with what you use as poles. Brooms, old bits of pipe, etc!
Baxter in Action!
Sit to Stand
Asking your dog to sit for his food, or before you cross the road can help build strength in their back legs. 🦵
🦵 Ask your dog to sit - ideally you want their legs tucked close to their body.
🦵 Look to see if either of the legs are falling away from the body. They should be sitting evenly. Are they leaning to one side?
🦵 The idea is for the front legs to stay where they are and they only use the back legs to push up into the stand position.
🧐 Watch Baxter ........ What do you notice?
🧐 He makes it a bit easier, by moving his front legs forwards very slightly as his back legs come up. And he steps his back legs outwards.
Quick Disclaimer - not suggested if your dog has any kind of injury or recovering from surgery on their back legs. If you're not sure, get in touch.
Enrichment
More information on the benefits of enrichment and be found here.
PhysioMyDog - It's Not Just One Thing Podcast Series
Hosted by Harriet Kitcat in partnership with some amazing dog professionals & owners.
Working with dogs on a daily basis, I'm often discussing with owners the different things that can help dogs feel & move better. And it's rarely Just One Thing! It's usually a combination & the combination for one dog will be different to the next.
The purpose of this series is to provide food for thought & give info on different things owners can learn more about & consider trying. Episodes are 30 mins, so listen on the go. Listen. Learn. Laugh. Share. Subscribe x
Discuss how PhysioMyDog Can Help Your Dog
