Canine Conditioning with Kristin Sandstede and Dixie Rae Sick

Laura is joined by a couple of canine fitness coaches, Kristin Sandstede and Dixie Rae Sick, to discuss some fitness games and exercises that are great to do indoors.

Kristin is a professional dog trainer and owns Big Moose Dog Training. When people think of dog exercises, their minds often go to cardio-focused activities such as running, playing fetch, agility, and so on. While high-cardio exercise is important for dogs, it’s important to spend time on mental exercises. Whether it’s obedience or learning new tricks, mental exercises can tire out your dog just as well (if not better) than physical exercises.

A great way to exercise your dog’s brain is to use food puzzles during meal time. This will keep the dog occupied while you can multitask on other things, while also stimulating your dog’s brain. There are lots of other interactive toys that are great at exercising your dogs; try some out and see what your dog likes!

Kristin goes on to talk about different ways you can condition your dog to keep them physically fit. By regularly having your dog perform certain stretches and exercises, you can decrease the risk of injury.

Next, Laura chats with Dixie to get some ideas on effective exercises we can do with our dogs. The first idea that comes to mind for most people is walking. Walking your dog on a gentle incline is great at working certain groups of muscles - going both uphill and downhill. Another idea is to train your dog in going from a stand to a down, and from a down to a stand. This works the dog’s core which helps with balance and can prevent future injuries.

Listen to the full episode to get some more exercise ideas from Dixie!