What the science really says about manual facilitation, motor learning, and canine posture If you’ve ever watched a conditioning session, in person or online, you’ve probably seen a handler gently placing their dog into position. It’s a common instinct: If I put the dog in the right position, they’ll learn what “right” feels like… right? But motor‑learning research tells a more nuanced story. Across human rehabilitation, neuro‑physiotherapy, and motor‑skill acquisition, one m

Many canine conditioning plans fall short because they blend strength, power, and stamina work into one vague category of “exercise.” But these three qualities are not interchangeable. Each one relies on different physiological systems, different muscle fibres, and different training variables. When we train them as if they’re the same, we lose the ability to create meaningful, safe, and targeted adaptations. Understanding the difference is what turns random activity into pur

There’s a worrying trend in the dog world: trainers and owners labelling dogs as stubborn  when they don’t immediately comply. I recently watched a video of a dog that stopped walking during a training session. Instead of asking why , the trainer applied pressure on the lead and dismissed the dog as being stubborn. But the dog was clearly uncomfortable—overweight, stiff, showing poor gait, low head carriage, and reduced range of motion. None of that is stubbornness. That is a

Myths, Implications, and How to Improve Alignment with Canine Conditioning Cow hocks are a frequent topic of conversation with my clients, and it’s something many owners worry about. But what actually are  cow hocks, and what do they mean for your dog? Cow hock posture is characterised by an inward angulation of the hocks, where the lower part of the hind legs turns toward the midline and the back paws point outward. You can see this clearly in the photo below of my border co

Essential Elements in Your Dog’s Fitness Routine When we think about keeping our dogs healthy, we often picture long walks, energetic play sessions, and routine vet visits. While these are all vital, there’s another key component of canine well-being that often goes unnoticed: body awareness and balance. Just as in humans, these skills influence how confidently and safely dogs move through the world. Improving them can enhance performance, reduce injury risk, and support life

Hi everyone! I'm really excited to chat with you all about something that is very passionate to me, and that is Canine Fitness. Today we're going to be looking specifically at groundwork and why it's so important, but before we do, I feel like I need to introduce myself. My name is Hannah, and I am a qualified small animal hydrotherapist. I began my career in 2012 as an apprentice, fresh out of studying animal care at college. I quickly became qualified as a hydrotherapist, d

Stressful Events - Aftercare We all know stressful events can happen, and although we try as hard as we can to prevent them, some things are out of our control. Loud noises happen, like crow scarers, thunderstorms and gunshots. Car collisions can happen or even just an emergency break can be enough to stress our dogs. An off lead dog running up to your dog causing a reaction, or even worse a dog attacking your dog. We try our best to keep our dogs safe, but the reality is, yo