Top Five Reasons To Hire A Canine Fitness Expert

Posted on by FitPAWS Admin

When it comes to starting a canine fitness program, often times people struggle with where to begin. What kind of equipment do you buy? What exercises are right for your dog? How often should you exercise? What happens if your dog gets injured? How do you prepare your dog for specific fitness goals? These are all valid concerns and the best way to answer these questions is to hire a certified canine fitness professional.

Below we will cover the top five reasons hiring a canine fitness professional is the best thing for you and your dog.

One of the first and most important reasons to hire a canine fitness professional is for their Knowledge and expertise. Read more ›

Posted in Canine Rehab, Education, Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS How To, FitPAWS® Community, Guest Writer

Your Dogs Behavior and Exercise

Posted on by FitPAWS Admin

This month is National Canine Fitness Month!  Exercise is so important for your canine for so many reasons and behavior is one of those reasons!

Have you ever had that moment when you questioned taking your dog for a walk because it barks at everything that moves? Or have you ever felt your heart just break when your fearful canine companion becomes overcome with anxiety due to a fear or phobia? These are just a few of the behavior problems facing many families today. Unfortunately, many dogs are relinquished every year as a result of these problems.(4) Read more ›

Posted in Education, Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS How To, FitPAWS® Community, Guest Writer, National Canine Fitness Month Tagged with: , , ,

S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting For The New Year

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Jack Russell Terrier walking on a beamYou’ve most likely heard about the benefits of a physical fitness program for your dog. Weight loss, enhanced learning, longevity, and overall improved heath are just a few of the positive impacts a healthy lifestyle can have for your four-legged friend. You want to jump on board and get started right away but something is holding you back. Maybe you are asking yourself where do I start? We have the answer! Read more ›

Posted in Education, Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS How To, Fun Training Ideas, Guest Writer Tagged with: , , , , ,

Obesity and Your Pet

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pet_obesityWe all know what time of year it is; it’s time for parties, food, and festivities. Along with that come the all too popular New Years resolutions. Whether it’s weight loss, reduced stress, or just overall well-being, we take this time of year to reflect and come up with ways to improve our lives. Well, we aren’t the only ones affected by this time of year. Read more ›

Posted in Education, Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS How To, Guest Writer Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Balance and Stability Exercises for Dogs

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FitPAWS_DOG-TRAXDonut-

Gyms have all sorts of balance and stability equipment these days. They may include traditional exercise balls, foam pads of all sizes, Bosu balls, and inflatable discs.

Why is that? Well, balance and stability are to so important to many aspects of health for dogs and humans. It can help dogs of any age, from puppy development skills to the senior dog that has lost strength and stability from age related weakness.

Read more ›

Posted in Agility/Canine Sports, FitPAWS How To, Fun Training Ideas, Guest Writer, K9 Balance, K9FITbone Exercises

Exercise as a means to strengthen the human-canine bond

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dog-human-bondThe human animal bond dates back for centuries. From the horses that helped plow our fields to the cats that took care of the mice and rat populations in our communities, we have co-existed with animals, and built a symbiotic relationship that has stood the test of time. But, there is one species that has seemed to co-evolve with us in a way that no other animal has; and those animals are dogs. Humans have a special relationship with dogs that started long ago. Read more ›

Posted in Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS How To, FitPAWS® Community Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Using Exercise to Stay Cognitively Fit into the Golden Years

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Two senior german shorthaired pointer sisters, almost 13 years

As our beloved pets reach their golden years we may start to see signs that things aren’t quite the way they use to be. Maybe our dogs are not playing with their toys as much as they use to. Maybe they are not interacting with family members or other pets in the household as much, or maybe they get disoriented from time to time. Read more ›

Posted in Aging Canine, Education, FitPAWS® News, Guest Writer Tagged with: , , , , ,

Now Where Did I Bury That Bone?

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Dog-Find-BoneThe effects of exercise on memory.

Memory can be defined as the process of encoding, storing and retrieving useful information from our environment (Snigdha, Riveram Milgram, & Cotman, 2014). We’ve all experienced a lapse in memory, whether it was forgetting where we put our car keys to remembering an anniversary. Our dogs use memory in their daily lives in much the same manner, from remembering where their food bowl is, recalling the new cue you taught him, or remembering that the Labrador they met at the dog park last week was friendly to play with. What if there was a way that we could help our brains build, store, and retrieve these memories? There is, and that is through exercise! Read more ›

Posted in Education, Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS® Community, Guest Writer Tagged with: ,

Ways to Use Your KLIMB!

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Blue-9

Work-Rest-Play-Train-FitnessWays to Use Your KLIMB! Read more ›

Posted in Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS How To, Fun Training Ideas, KLIMB Tagged with: , , ,

Can Exercise Really Make Your Dog Smarter?

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Smart-Dog-ExerciseThe effects of exercise on neural pathways in the brain including plasticity and neurogenesis.

Most of us are familiar with the physical benefits of exercise such as weight loss, endurance, lowered risk of disease, or increased muscles mass. But, many of us may not be familiar with just how important exercise is to our brain health. Read more ›

Posted in Education, Fitness For The Family Pet, FitPAWS® Community, FitPAWS® News, Guest Writer