This weekend I took Guinness for an MOT check-up with my good friend whose a McTimoney Chiropractitioner. I’m pleased to report that she was mega impressed with his muscle definition. His back legs are feeling really good and even, his core is doing well and overall condition and fitness is gooood. Way improvement on last time!

I’m so pleased to see all the work I’ve been doing with him is paying off and it will give him so much more protection during agility. It’s a tad annoying that I can get my dog so fit yet I can’t get myself there ;).

Of course there’s always something to improve on and we came away with homework:

Rollover 

A great exercise for core strength. It should be done slowly and under muscle control rather than using momentum. It’s a trick Guinness can already do but not to a great level so I’m excited to work on it and slow it right down.

Side stepping 

Straight line side stepping firstly then progressing to side stepping over poles or noodles on the floor. This might be a little trickier to teach but I’m ready to accept the challenge! I’ve seen it taught in heelwork for competitive obedience but I don’t know the method to do it so time to get researching.

Beg

Guinness’ beg is looking good and he can hold it for about 10 seconds now but he’s still leaning forward a little too much so we’re going to work on that. Also asking for a high five in a beg should help him to work harder to balance and lean back, otherwise he’ll topple over when he tries to put his paw out.

One jump work 

From a still position right up close to the jump you ask them to leap straight over. It’s really tough as they need to spring and power over without a run up. I’ve got a jump in my back garden so now I just need to actually motivate myself and get out there to do it!

Cone wraps 

You may have heard of noddles before but it’s been decided that circling around a slightly bigger object is better as they power round more rather than just whipping their back end around in a tiny circle.

Keep up the exercise 

Jogs, runs, sprints, swimming. I’ve got to make sure I’m not being lazy and keep up our exercise levels. It’s tough in winter as you don’t have the light for an off-lead walk down the fields after getting home at 6pm, but there’s other ways to keep a dog fit in the dark.

It’s all exciting news! The future is looking bright for Guinness.