After having thoroughly enjoyed the First Aid Workshop by Paw à Peau, I was curious about what else I could learn in my journey of continually improving as a pet parent. I know I'm not perfect and there are areas where gaining extra knowledge would benefit both of my dogs - especially in the case of Yoto who will be turning 9 in December. I know enough to know that as a dog ages, you need to make adjustments to accommodate their changing needs if you want them to remain healthy and comfortable.
I was interested in the Dog Mobility Workshop particularly because the event description mentioned that they would cover exercise different life stages and how to maintain muscle mass in senior dogs. I had actually intended on taking Yoto with me to the workshop for this reason, but unfortunately I couldn't find a sitter for Prince and his horrendous screaming when I left with Yoto meant that I had to double back and switch dogs, for fear that the little terror might "fuck shit up". He is absolutely fine with being left home alone when Yoto is already elsewhere, but he's incredibly jealous and prone to reactionary behaviours out of protest (e.g. pissing on the bed).
There was a little confusion regarding where to meet precisely due to a failure of Google maps, but we made it eventually and the workshop commenced! The first part included a lot of theory and was very informative, covering things like ideal body condition score, age of bone closure in various breeds and appropriate exercise intensities for various life stages. We also covered obedience exercise tasks, with the opportunity to practice with our dogs.
The event leader, Natasha, then talked us through how various temperatures could affect our dogs at different life stages and the handout we were given offered a clear guide of the different temperatures that pose risks to dogs based on size and life stage. I found this very useful as I have noticed the way that Yoto's temperature regulation has changed with age (though this year, there was an improvement, likely due to the improvements in his overall fitness).
We covered ways to help our dogs regulate their temperature - e.g. spraying with water or dressing them in thermal clothing. Some of this stuff is pretty obvious but you don't always think of it unless you think about it. I do have thermal raincoats for my boys. They're not the best but they keep them dry unless we're in the rain for several hours. I'm going to look at other thermal clothing as when I leave their fur to grow through the whole of autumn and winter, the level of maintenance it requires can be a problem - especially if I travel.
One part of the workshop that I found particularly interesting was the topic of muscle building and maintenance. Yoto had sarcopenia (age related muscle wastage) up until this year and no amount of walking seemed to improve his muscle mass - his legs remained skinny and flabby. This changed when I began supplementing with fenugreek, after I learned of its efficacy in boosting muscle strength and mass and its ability to regulate the sex hormones in both men and women (and dogs). I will write a separate post in the near future just covering this topic as there's a lot to say.
Maintaining muscle mass in older dogs is vital for their stability, and it has an impact upon their overall health and quality of life. Strong muscles support the joints and protect them from injury, which dogs are increasingly prone to as they age - according to Clinician's Brief (a magazine aimed at veterinary students and professionals), cruciate ligament surgery is the most commonly performed orthopedic procedure.
Sadly, I was unable to participate in one strength training task with Prince - when I offered him the lambskin toy, he really was quite terrified. I was confused initially as he's generally obsessed with anything that remotely resembles a toy, and so I didn't register his fear right away, which earned me some glares. For reasons I cannot fathom, Prince is afraid of sheep - perhaps because he eats them and he's worried they'll be out for revenge (at the petting zoo, he will cry and hide behind me when we reach the sheep, while Yoto pulls furiously on the leash because he's desperate to go say hello. Prince is a confident dog but he's a real scaredy cat).
Something I intend to try at home with regards to training for the purpose of maintenance of muscles and joints is the Cavaletti beams. I don't fully recall everything that was said about why they were good because by this point, the cold had begun to fog my brain (I went out in only a t-shirt because usually when I'm outdoors in these temperatures, that is more than enough but I did not consider that most of my time outdoors is spent power walking). However, the handout states that they're a "proprioceptive challenge" that helps increase stride length and promotes joint flexion.
Overall, I'm glad I went to the workshop because I learned a lot. So much was covered within the two hours that it went on for but I left with the feeling that there should really be some kind of regular meetups where dog owners can go to train their dogs with things like the balance beam and Cavaletti poles. I believe that most people are unlikely to do a lot of things unless there is a dedicated time and space in which to do it - and conditioning their dogs with these kinds of exercises is one such thing. I'm going to buy some equipment for myself anyway but I hope that at some point a group emerges within the community for doing these exercises.
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