The Animal Physiotherapist

20/04/2025

14/04/2025

🤓Agility dogs need to...🤓

1. Absorb impact forces of jumping
2. Keep Balanced on equipment
3. Negotiate wide and tight turns
4. Push off strongly with hindlimbs
5. Set off at speed

🐕‍🦺This requires
1. Flexibility of the spine
2. Full joint range of motion
3. Strong hindlimb engagement
4. Engagement of abdominal muscles
5. Advanced balance reactions

🐕‍🦺Physiotherapy can help keep your agility dog in peak condition by
1. Maintaining joint flexibility and spinal health
2. Strengthen muscles supporting the joints
3. Build power in locomotor muscles
4. Improve fitness
5. Improving balance reactions and proprioception

11/04/2025

🙌Want to smash the agility season and have your best year ever? That’s what happened to participants of my pre-season agility course last year, and you can be the same.🙌

🐾 It’s the start of the season and I have a fantastic online agility course available now which will give you quick, easy and effective strategies to help you and your dog feel ready and prepared for this season.🐾

🤓Suitable for all levels of agility and covering topics such as warm up and cool down routines, massage and easy conditioning exercises. The course is designed to be done at your own pace but can easily be done in 4 weeks and will not take much time out of your day. 🤓

🤩The start of the season is the perfect time to get support developing a strong fitness and conditioning plan for your fantastic agility dog.🤩

➡️DM me the word “STRATEGY” and I’ll send you the link with course information.

09/04/2025

🥰I met my younger self today. We ditched the coffee shop and headed to our old agility class.🥰

🐾She was so excited to be spending a whole day reliving competition courses and running different dogs.🐾

🐕🐴🐈‍⬛ She couldn’t believe I had retrained as an Animal Physiotherapist and had left the NHS and was now working with dogs, horses, cats and other animals every day. 🐕🐴🐈‍⬛

😀She was so happy that I’d turned my passion into a business and that taking the plunge to go back to university to study veterinary physiotherapy had really paid off.😀

➡It’s a popular trend right now but actually meeting a younger version of yourself is incredibly helpful.

➡It’s powerful, it’s healing and it unlocks your next level.

➡What would a younger version of you tell you today?

07/04/2025

🐾You didn’t sign up for your first agility shows to worry that your dog may not be ready after a long, cold winter.🐾

🐕Let me help you feel confident in your dog’s fitness and ability to have the best season ever by having a clear plan for getting them in peak condition.🐕

⭐Get my 4 week agility course where I will help you develop quick, easy, effective strategies to have a dog who is stronger, fitter and more connected to you.⭐

➡DM me the word “AGILITY’ and I’ll send you the information link

03/04/2025

🧐You see other agility handlers ‘smashing’ the course and wonder how on earth they make it look so easy but you are anxious about if your dog can manage it and if they are ready for the new season.🧐

So you tell yourself…

🐾I don’t mind how we get on as long as we are enjoying ourselves but really you hope your dog will smash it too. You tell yourself this to stop yourself reaching out of your comfort zone and just hope for the best.🐾

🧐But this is holding you and your dog back from reaching your full potential and having as much fun as you can together.🧐

⭐Let me help you and your dog feel ready and prepared to have your best season ever with my 4 WEEK AGILITY COURSE. ⭐

➡The course is designed to be done at your own pace but can easily be done in 4 weeks and will not take much time out of your day. Topics include warm up and cool down routines, massage and easy conditioning exercises. If you are ready to take control for the start of the season and have your best year yet, this is for you.

➡DM me the word “READY” and I’ll send you the link with course information.

02/04/2025

🤓You don’t need to worry about whether or not you and your dog are ready for the start of the next agility season.🤓

🐾You don’t have to stand on the start line unsure if you will both manage the course after a cold, long winter of not training as much as you wanted.🐾

🐾 You don’t need to wonder if your dog is as fit as they were last season or how much condition they may have lost.🐾

🐾 You want to help your dog be ready for this season but aren’t sure how or what else might be useful.🐾

🧐Believe me when I say, I totally understand and have been in your shoes! I know the nerves before the first shows of spring and wondering what else I could do to help my dog’s fitness and condition.🧐

⭐That’s why I designed this early season agility course to help other agility dogs, and their handlers feel ready and prepared for the new agility year. The course is designed to be done at your own pace but can easily be done in 4 weeks and will not take much time out of your day. Topics include warm up and cool down routines, massage and easy conditioning exercises.⭐

➡️If you would like to help your dog have their best season ever and be as ready and prepared as you can, DM me the word “READY” and I’ll send you the link with course information.

01/04/2025

⭐Agility Enthusiasts...⭐

🐕You didn’t become a dog agility handler so you could worry about your dog getting injured or if they were fit enough.🐕

➡You became a dog agility handler because you wanted something fun to do with your dog.

➡You wanted to strengthen the connection between you.

➡You wanted to see what you were capable of together.

➡You wanted a training challenge and to delight in the pair of you mastering it together.

➡You wanted to keep your dog fit and give them a mental work out at the same time.

🐕 I get it. 🐕
🐕‍🦺 I’ve been there. 🐕‍🦺

🤓The start of the season can be both exciting and scary. You may not feel you have done as much training as you wanted over winter and aren’t sure if you and your dog are ready.🤓

🧐The important thing is to start back gently, have a plan in place, and remember to have fun with your dog.🧐

🍀 🐾Good luck with the start of the agility season! 🐾🍀

29/03/2025

⭐“If you believe, you will succeed” (Anon)⭐

🐾This quote applies to so many areas of life- business, personal and the sports we enjoy with our dogs. 🐾

🍀Good luck to everyone competing in agility competitions this weekend!🍀

28/03/2025

🥰Here are 5 facts about my amazing agility dog, Tess🥰

1) Tess loved the water and swimming was one of her favourite things.

2) No squirrel was safe when Tess was around, especially in Autumn when they were collecting supplies for Winter!

3) Tess was a real ‘people person’ and made friends quickly with whoever she met.

4) Tess’ friendly nature made her the perfect Therapet and she made many elderly people smile on her regular visits to a local care home.

5) Tess and I enjoyed almost 10 years of agility together and got all the way to competing at Championship level.

26/03/2025

⭐New Resource for Dog Agility Handlers - Available Now⭐

📢🐕‍🦺 I am so excited to have launched my online 4 week agility course this week. This ran for the first time last year and was very well received by all those who participated.🐕‍🦺📢

🐾The purpose of the course is to help you and your dog feel fitter, stronger, more connected and ready to take on the new agility season. If this sounds good to you, I would love to help you!🐾

This year the course is on a new, virtual platform giving you instant and easy access to all the content to work through at your own pace. Previous participants found the course;

➡Insightful
➡Valuable
➡Interesting
➡Achieveable
➡Manageable

⭐🐾 Ahead of the first outdoor shows of the season, be your dog's secret weapon and have new, quick and easy strategies to use to have your best agility year yet! Course information available via the secure link in comments.🐾⭐

23/03/2025

10 Things You Can Do to keep your agility dog in peak condition

➡️1. Regular exercise: Ensure your agility dog gets daily exercise to maintain their physical fitness and agility skills.

➡️2. Balanced diet: Provide a balanced diet tailored to your dog's specific needs to support their overall health and energy levels.

➡️3. Mental stimulation: Engage your dog in mental stimulation activities such as puzzle toys or training exercises to keep their mind sharp.

➡️4. Proper hydration: Always provide access to fresh water to keep your dog hydrated, especially during training sessions.

➡️ 5. Regular health check-ups: Schedule regular check-ups with your veterinarian and qualified physiotherapist to monitor your dog's health and address any potential issues early on.

➡️6. Warm-up and cool-down: Implement proper warm-up and cool-down routines before and after agility training sessions to help prevent injuries.

➡️ 7. Consistent training: Practice agility training regularly to maintain and improve your dog's skills and performance.

➡️8. Rest and recovery: Allow your dog to rest and recover adequately between training sessions to prevent overexertion and fatigue.

➡️9. Cross-training: Incorporate a variety of exercises and activities into your dog's routine to work different muscle groups and prevent boredom.

➡️10. Positive reinforcement: Use positive reinforcement techniques during training to motivate and reward your dog for their efforts and achievements.

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