Building up a dogs muscle?

RubysGold

RubysGold

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I was wondering if anyone has any ideas that will help

We have a dog that won't turn sharp right. He can twirl to the left no worries, but if you try asking him to go right he sits down and looks worried. He seems very stiff to the right.
He's an agility dog, so we do need to try and help him become more flexible to that side.

We have booked him into hydrotherapy to see if that helps and I was thinking about asking a physio to have a look. But is there anything I can do at home to help?
 
This prob won't help but Will had a physio check before he went in. Boy did he love it. The hop a long arthritic old boy jumped in! He was meant to walk down a ramp lol. The lady kept him on a shorter lead 2nd time.

But after two sessions you can see the difference in his shoulder.
 
Have you had his hips checked? My friends dog did agility but was always wide on his turns, when he was 7 years old she found out he had severe hip dysplasia, the vet was surprised he could jump, but this was what the reluctance to turn sharply was put down to, the agility had kept good muscle tone on him so the hips didn't cause him too many other problems.
 
Has the dog seen a vet? I would want x-rays to be on the safe side before you go into any intensive exercise/muscle building and I would not be jumping the dog either until you get to the bottom of it.
Sorry, there is something not right and I'd want to eliminate a hip, elbow, back, or other problem if it were my dog.

If all reasonably OK then swimming, sand work, road work for muscle building.
 
Have to follow the flock here, would definitely get him checked by a vet first, sounds like a discomfort/pain problem to me. Also I suspect you will find that a hydrotherapy unit will want him checking by a vet first, they are usually happy for you to go if its just for fitness but in cases like yours require a health check.
 
hi
i spoke to my dad, told him what you all said.
He said that a physio is better then vet as they are trained specifically in that sort of area.
Bill is not a dog just anyone can go up to, so he's currently getting to know a physio person.
He's not really my dog, so I can't do more then that. But I will make sure he is fully looked at by either vet or physio.
 
Have to totally disagree with your dad then, how can a physio know which area to treat without an x-ray.
Vet first, then physio.
I think it was Flamehead who's bitch was planting herself (sitting down rapidly) and she has turned out to have pretty bad hip dysplasia.
Hence my suggestion of a vet.

And he's a competitive agility dog, who can't be approached?!

Don't know why you asked for advice for a dog you couldn't do anything about anyway?
 
you know CC, sometimes rescue dogs DO have trust issues. That doesn't mean he can't do agility. No one else needs to touch my dog for him to compete.

I asked about a dog I "cant do anything about" becuase I thought I could just help him build the muscle. I will keep saying to my dad that he needs to go see a vet, but I cant do any more then that.
 
I already do work with dogs :D (cant think of anything better)
I know his history, so I know alot of it at least, is his past.
But maybe your right. I will continue to have words with dad
(parents can be knowitalls sometimes Lol)
 
Just to add, it's not just me who is suggesting consulting the vet.
Think of if your mare started acting like this, not turning in a certain direction, I bet the vet would be the first person you would call.
There are so many behaviours associated with pain that we don't immediately think of.
 
Hello!

Your dog, or your dads dog, is in pain. It is trying to tell you through signals. I know this because I have been there with Chloe. It started with slamming her butt into the floor. Then a reluctance to do tight turns, then to do any turns at all. Then she stopped walking unless necessary. It was only after shed been suffering for about 6months that I got a grip, took myself to the vet and she got diagnosed.

A physio will not treat your dog without a vet referral so either you're lying or they're not a physio. Talk to us when you've seen a vet.

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