Lay the dog on its side. It is good to place the dog in this position and then let the dog right itself to a sitting position. This is helpful in working the trunk muscles. Perform this 2-3 times. You may quit after 2 repetitions if the dog is showing signs of irritation.

Sit-to-Stand. In this exercise, you help the dog come from a sitting to a standing position. You can do this by resting the dog’s rear end on your foot – this places the dog a little higher than the floor and will let the dog come to a standing position more easily. Place a motivator in front of her (Kong, toy, or someone giving attention). When the dog makes the effort to move forward – assist a little by raising your foot. Remember, the goal is to have the dog do it on their own, but you also need to make the dog successful in order to encourage more effort. By sitting on your foot, the dog is a lot higher than on the floor – this in itself is assisting the dog to get to the standing position. Praise!

While in a standing position, try to get the dog to put more weight on the rear legs. This can be done by placing a thin book under the front feet – this forces the back legs to take more of the weight. Ideally the elevation should be no more than 1 – 1 ½”. Also it is better if the book is covered by something that provides good footing – a pad of carpet or rubber may be helpful. The dog will become more confident bearing weight on the back legs if the front feet are not slipping. Praise – Praise – and more Praise. Keep the wanted motivator in front of the dog while standing and let the dog have it after holding the standing position for 3-5 seconds or more. Incrementally increase the stance time. As the dog tolerates the position more, work towards standing for 1-3 minutes.

These exercises should get you started on a structured and vigorous rehabilitation exercise program. All of these exercises will help the dog walk. They promote good trunk control and the dog must be able to stand to walk effectively. You have probably seen this in children – they need to stand first and then they walk. The same is true of your dog. Don’t forget what a wonderful pet owner you are and how much you are helping your dog recover!

MOTIVATION IS THE KEY!

You have a great advantage over others when working with your dog. You know what motivates him/her the most. If your dog is motivated by food, use foods like Kong food or Natural Balance Dog Rolls. The Kong can be filled with tasty but nutritious food that your dog will work for. It is a little challenging for the dog to get the food, but it provides enough motivation to keep the dog interested. If your dog has a favorite toy, this can be a great motivator. Some dogs are motivated by attention from you the owner; use this to your advantage. If nothing else seems to work, you can use mild irritation to begin with and then praise the effort to minimize the negative impact of the original irritation.

It is important that your dog feel successful when doing these exercises with you. Make sure that you give vigorously encouragement when the dog puts out the effort. Whatever you are using to motivate your dog, you must make sure that you allow him/her to achieve the goal and that you follow success with high praise.

Using food, toys, or attention as the means of motivation are all methods of positive reinforcement. When using food hold it far enough in front of the dog that he/she must move forward to get it, but not so far away that the dog can’t smell it. It is recommended that you use the food no more than 2-4 inches in front of the dog. This will encourage him/her to perform sit-to-stand exercises and even take a few steps forward. When the dog reaches the goal, give him/her high praise and then allow a time to rest and enjoy the treat before continuing. Do the same with toys or attention. If you are using food, try to use those special treats only when you are doing exercises.

Annoying or irritating your dog as a means of motivation is using negative reinforcement. This should be done only if the methods mentioned above do not work. This method begins by mild pressure or tickling of the toes or tail. Never hurt the dog, but you are probably aware of some things that your dog doesn’t like. An example would be tickling the pads on the bottom of their back feet or gently pulling on the toe. Once the dog makes an effort to move away from you it is critical to give praise and discontinue the annoying stimulus. Give them a longer break between repetitions (3-5 minutes). It is important that the dog associate movement with praise (a positive motivator) and the discontinuation of irritation – the negative stimulus.

WATCH FOR SIGNS OF FATIGUE!

You need to be looking for signs of fatigue. Fatigue may be indicated by increased heart rate, rate of breathing or loss of motivation. 

YOU ARE HELPING!

The dog’s success in rehabilitation is determined both by the dog and by the owner.   Some dogs are not very motivated and will require more effort from you to get them to participate. They will still get better; it just takes more of a commitment from you. Don’t be discouraged; these exercises will help your dog. You will see some gradual improvements and sometimes a real breakthrough! Stay positive. Your attitude is very important and your dog will be affected by it. Try to approach the exercise sessions with determination and a positive attitude. Do your best to make the session seem like fun, and remember to encourage small successes vigorously.

GUIDELINES FOR SWIMMING

Begin by putting the life jacket securely on the dog so that he/she will not slip out of it. Start water in the tub and have the dog stand as the tub fills. Once the water gets to about the middle of the thigh region the water will start to take some of the weight off of the legs. Once the legs are off of the bottom of the tub, the dog will usually start to swim. Support the dog by holding up on the handle on the jacket. Hold the Kong food in front of the dog and encourage him/her to swim forward.

Swimming is hard work. Your dog will probably grow tired fairly quickly.   We recommend using a timer to be sure of the duration of an exercise period. Keep the sessions short – 30-45 seconds swimming followed by rest (hold the dog up with a hand under the chest) for a similar amount of time. Usually 3 of the short swimming periods and in-between breaks are enough for the early sessions. Then you can drain the water from the tub and allow the dog to stand in the warm water. Once most of the water is drained away, you can then encourage the dog to walk in the shallow water till it is drained out.

Once the dog begins to gain strength and endurance you can increase the exercise period to a minute. Always watch for signs of fatigue and do not attempt to do too much too soon. We recommend a short hair clip to help in drying the dog after swimming. It is also beneficial to put cotton balls in the dog’s ears to prevent water from getting trapped in the ear canal – ear cleansers usually have drying agents in them that will also help keep the ear canal from getting wet. Moisture in the ear canal increases the risk of an ear infection. If you have any questions please call for advice.