Core Workouts - Balance Discs

Here is another installment of the core workouts courtesy of Riley.  I love using the balance discs. Much easier to use than the peanut. All of my hounds enjoy working on them and are great at it. With Riley closing in on the age of 10, I am doing all I can to keep her fit and strong with minimal impact.

Core Workouts - The Peanut

So one of the great things about the new house is that we designated one of the extra bedrooms as a canine workout room. Now I have plenty of room to store and work with the hounds on the peanut, balance discs, wobble boards, and paw pods. It is a great way to work with the hounds when the weather sucks outside!

The Peanut is a great way to work the dog's stabilizer muscles. As the dog shifts, rebalances, and catches herself, she is using muscles to hold steady. Seven LOVES the Peanut and I have to be very careful to prop it back in the corner when I am not hanging onto it.  I have also had to work on her only being allowed to jump on it when I say HER name and not anyone else's. Riley likes it and does very well.  It was great for rehabbing her fractured hock several years ago and for keeping her rear end from getting shaky.  Maddie hates the Peanut and will only do one exercise on it unless we force her up there and make her do it. That is okay. There are other core exercises that she is very good and her methodical, thoughtful nature makes her a quick study on new stuff versus Seven who literally throws herself at everything.

Tug-A-Jug

This is my new favorite interactive dog toy, the Tug-A-Jug. I have to give credit to Tanner, the greyhound, at Aragon Greyhounds for introducing me to it. I love it because you simply unscrew the bottom and fill it with your dog's kibble meal.

Screw the bottom back on (I didn't really have to tell you that did I?) and give it to your dog. Just takes a minute. I purchased the small (8 inches long, 3.5 inches wide) size for the greyhounds. It is not so big that they cannot pick it up.

Even some of our senior greyhounds (10 and 11 years old) have been able to figure out the Tug-A-Jug.

New Life For Rope Toys

I discovered a new use for rope toys. I might even be able to credit myself with this interactive toy invention. If you untwist the rope slightly, it provides little openings you can stuff kibble into. Less motivated dogs probably won't put forth the effort to extract kibble from a rope toy, but for hounds looking for something to do, this was a quick and easy way to keep them busy.

Entertainment for the Injured

I dread crate rest and long recovery periods for my hounds. Especially with sporty greyhounds, someone is always bound to get hurt and it can be very difficult to convince an abnormally active greyhound to be inactive. I do my best to provide entertainment and stimulation for my greyhound patients and try to minimize boredom. Here are a few ideas:

Sunning. Reagan especially loves to sun. 90 degrees out and she loves the sun beating down on her. As long as we are dealing with an injury (not an illness), I like for my greyhound patient to heat up and even start panting for a few minutes. Panting and having to cool down will burn a little energy. Of course, Reagan is one of the few greyhounds that handles the heat really well. She rarely pants.

Kongs. I love Kongs. I probably have 20 Kongs. A very easy Kong stuffing is to fill the Kong with kibble and then use a knife to mix in canned pumpkin, creme cheese, canned dog food, or peanut butter. For kibble eaters, I will stuff entire meals into several Kongs and turn that 30 second meal into 30 minutes of entertainment. If your dog is very food motivated or has Kong experience, pack it tight and freeze it. For Reagan, I am stuffing her Kongs with chunks of meat I am cutting off of the turkey necks, beef, rice, veggie mix, and the offal of the day.

Grooming. If your hound has hair, its a good time to get the Furminator or the grooming mitt out. With Reagan, I just go over her coat with a soft brush (I don't want to lose any more of it).

Massage. Massage is a great way to calm and relax your hound. Some people constantly touch their dogs mindlessly. Massage is a great way to make you step back and pay attention to what you are doing and to find out what your dog actually likes. Katie loves for the loose skin around her neck to be massaged.

Depending on the injury, clicker training might be an option. For example, Travis stepped on glass and it had to be surgically removed. He was bandaged, sore, and wasn't ready to run yet, but I kept him busy by teaching him to play dead.

Reagan and I have been working on sit stays, dumbbell holds, and have started some preliminary scent article work since she can do all of these from a stationary position.

Entertaining the injured can be tricky, but it is worth the effort to keep the canine patient happy.