# Balance & Body Awareness/Conditioning



## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Does anyone do balance, body awareness, and conditioning exercises? I got a balance disc and some paw pods I'm having fun with, some day would like to get something big like the peanut. Cat is the best at the balance disc so far!


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2014)

I do free shaping to get the dog to lift a certain paw and/or move in every direction both freely and heeling on both sides. That goes a long way, when it comes to body awareness! Then balance on items we find during walks, both stable and unstable. The puppy is awesome, he'll jump up on everything he can and tries every new surface he can find. Also, I think generally walking (both slowly, controlled and off leash) in uneven terrain is really more valuable than any isolated exercise, but I know people who do cavaletti with their dogs to get the same effect with the dogs lifting their legs and building back strength. I always do some leashed slow off trail walking, both up and downhill, for that purpose.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

My current foster dog has no idea she's anything but a face and front paws, I scattered some pvc jump bars and weaves flat around the floor for her to walk over and also set some very low jumps for her. She seemed startled when she realized she had back legs and a butt hahaha.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

We do a bunch of this, like sit pretty, back up, individual paw targets, side paws on wall, back paws on wall, balancing on fitness discs and changes of position while on fitness discs. While they are on the disc I will also gently push on their sides so they have to push back to stay on the disc, and they do sit pretty on the disc.

We play around with the paw pods too, like back up until their back paws are on the pods, all 4 paws on individual pods, etc.

I also have them walk through ladders, and throw jump bars in a pile on the ground and have them walk through those.

Fun stuff 

Running around in uneven terrain is awesome for building muscle too.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

Well we recently broke a kitchen chair using it for balancing... well I need a new kitchen set anyways. 
Manna is very rear end oblivious so we try to do rear end awareness and balance exercises often


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I need to get (build) a ladder.

How do you determine spacing for cavalettis?


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

I only am able to get my mastiff to work with balance pods. We were working on touch vs grab. I may have to try the peanut on him and try teaching perch work on a balance disc. There is a FB group called Canine Conditioning and Body Awareness Exercises if anyone is interested.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

MrsBoats started a thread a few months ago that might have some good ideas. Nobody has posted to it lately though.
http://www.dogforums.com/dog-sports-show-forum/308442-sports-performance-dog-conditioning.html


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

elrohwen said:


> MrsBoats started a thread a few months ago that might have some good ideas. Nobody has posted to it lately though.
> http://www.dogforums.com/dog-sports-show-forum/308442-sports-performance-dog-conditioning.html


 Oh I wish I'd seen that thread! It's on the first page.. how did I miss that. We can continue there, even if it's been quiet. No need for a duplicate thread.


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