Conditioning Your Canine Athlete -What You Need to Know

I’ve been getting a ton of great questions lately about conditioning your canine athlete, and it’s a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. You can have all the training, all the talent, and the best genetics in the world—but if your dog’s body can’t keep up, they’ll never reach their full potential.

That’s why I sat down with Dr. Jennell Appel, a leading expert in canine sports medicine, for a Purina Masterclass that every serious dog handler needs to watch.

Why Conditioning Matters More Than You Think

I’ve seen it time and time again—dogs with all the drive in the world whose bodies fail them before their minds do. We’re asking a lot from these athletes. Whether it’s retrieving a long mark, handling grueling tests, or competing at the highest level, their muscles, joints, and endurance need to be just as strong as their desire to work.

This is exactly why prevention is the name of the game.

As Dr. Appel pointed out in our conversation, proper conditioning does three major things:

1. Prevents injuries before they happen.

2. Improves endurance and stamina.

3. Enhances performance in the field.

   
   

Key Takeaways from the Masterclass

Here are a few quick conditioning tips from my talk with Dr. Appel that can make a huge difference for your dog:

1️⃣ Endurance Conditioning: Build Lasting Stamina

One of the best ways to improve endurance while reducing impact on joints is through structured swimming and roading. Both are fantastic for building lung capacity, strengthening muscles, and keeping dogs conditioned without excessive wear and tear.

🔹 Swimming: Provides resistance while keeping stress off joints—great for total body conditioning.

🔹 Roading: Builds controlled strength and endurance when done at a steady trot (more on that in a minute).

2️⃣ Strength & Balance: Injury Prevention Starts Here

If you’ve ever worked with an athlete—human or canine—you know that muscles don’t just work alone. Strengthening core stability, balance, and smaller stabilizer muscles play a massive role in preventing injuries.

✅ Resistance exercises (like Beco bands or hind limb weights) help build power.

✅ Balance drills (peanut balls, Cavaletti poles) improve coordination and joint stability.

✅ Controlled movement exercises (slow treadmill walking) help strengthen muscles while keeping things low-impact.

3️⃣ Watch the Trot: The Best Pace for Spotting Issues

This was one of my biggest takeaways from our conversation. The trot is the best gait for identifying subtle lameness and gait abnormalities.

Why? Because at this pace, the dog has to use diagonal pairs of legs equally, which makes any issue immediately visible. If your dog is offloading weight or shortening their stride, this is where you’ll catch it before it becomes a bigger problem.

Your Next Steps: Keep Your Dog Sound & Strong

The difference between good dogs and great ones isn’t just training—it’s how well they’re physically prepared for the demands of competition and work. A solid conditioning program keeps them in the game longer, helps prevent career-ending injuries, and ensures they feel as good as they perform.

If you want to go deeper into this topic, watch the full Masterclass here

See you in the field,

Pat