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HOW TO USE YOUR PROGRAM
PROGRAM GUIDE
Our programs are built around goal repetitions and structured progressions. Here's what those mean, how to use them, and how to adjust so every session is working at the right level for your dog.
See how to ASSESS FATIGUE for more
WHAT GOAL REPETITIONS ACTUALLY MEAN
EXAMPLE FROM YOUR PROGRAM
4 sets of 8–10 reps
This isn't a number to just get through, it's a target that tells you what difficulty the exercise should be at.
THE RULE
By the last few reps of a set, the exercise should feel moderately hard — not impossible, but your dog should be working for it while maintaining form.
THE GOLDILOCKS TEST
Is the difficulty right?
Watch your dog through the full set — their body tells you.
Goal reps are your feedback tool. If your dog breezes through all 10 reps with perfect form and barely any effort — the exercise is too easy and you're leaving adaptation on the table. If they're falling apart by rep 4 — it's too hard and form suffers before that desired goal is being achieved.
TOO EASY
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Breezes through all reps
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Perfect form start to finish
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No- minimal effort visible
JUST RIGHT
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Reps with proper form
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Working hard by reps 8–10
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Form still solid but maybe needs mild adjustments
TOO HARD
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Form breaks down before the goal reps
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Frustration or other signs of fatigue
We can adjust the exercise difficulty — not just the rep count. If something is too easy or too hard, the answer isn't necessarily to just add or drop reps. We can change the exercise so the goal rep range hits the right intensity.
PROGRESSIONS & REGRESSIONS
THE CONCEPT
Every exercise has a ladder
Easier and harder versions of the same movement
Every exercise in your program has a built-in spectrum of difficulty. A regression makes the movement easier — less load, more stable, smaller range of motion. A progression makes it harder, more load, less stability, greater range of motion.Your job is to find the rung on that ladder where your dog can complete the goal rep range with proper form and moderate effort by the end. That's the version they should be doing right now.
The goal version of an exercise is not always the hardest version. It's the version that makes the goal reps appropriately challenging for where your dog is today.
EXERCISE EXAMPLES
EXERCISE 01
SIT TO STAND
Adjust front limb elevation to dial in difficulty
In a sit to stand, raising the front feet onto a platform shifts more load onto the hindquarters, making the movement significantly harder. Lowering or removing the elevation makes it easier. Use this variable to land in the right rep range.
Front feet stay elevated on a tall platform
Maximum hindquarter loading, greatest demand on lumbar spine
Front feet elevated — low platform
Increased hind loading with more stability than a higher surface
Flat surface — all four feet level
Standard sit to stand, balanced loading front and rear
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Rear feet slightly elevated
Shifts load forward, reducing hindquarter demand — use when building early strength or confidence
If your dog is flying through 4 sets of 8–10 on a flat surface, add front foot elevation. If they're struggling to hit 6 clean reps on flat, try elevating the rear feet slightly to reduce the load.
EXERCISE 02
Plank
Adjust rear limb elevation to change core demand
A plank on flat ground is a solid core and shoulder stability exercise. Elevating the rear feet increases the load on the core and forelimbs by shifting the dog's center of mass.
Rear feet elevated - height of the elbows
Increased demand with more manageable angle
All four feet flat
Standard plank — foundational core and forelimb stability
Extended stand - feet flat but hips not as far extended
Reduces core demand, good starting point for dogs building plank endurance
For plank, goal reps are usually measured in duration (seconds held) rather than repetitions. The same rule applies — the hold should feel moderately challenging by the end of the set, with them starting to fidget their feet.
EXERCISE 03
Pivot
Adjust front limb elevation to load the hindquarters
A pivot asks the dog to keep their front feet stationary on a target while their rear end walks around it. Raising the front feet onto an elevated surface increases the hindquarter engagement and proprioceptive demand — making it a more advanced movement.
Front feet on elevated platform
Front feet elevated so elbows are at 90 degrees
Front feet on medium height target
Front feet elevated to about elbow - shoulder height
Front feet on mildly elevated platform
Standard pivot — front feet stationary, rear end driving the movement
Partial pivot arc only
Reward smaller steps around — build range gradually before asking for a full 360°
WHEN TO MOVE UP OR DOWN
THE DECISION
Progress up, regress down — both are wins
There's no failure in adjusting — it's the whole point
If your dog is consistently hitting the goal rep range with clean form and it's starting to feel too easy — move to the next progression. If they're struggling to reach the goal reps with good form — drop to the regression and build from there.
We can adjust the exercise difficulty — not just the rep count. If something is too easy or too hard, the answer isn't necessarily to just add or drop reps. We can change the exercise so the goal rep range hits the right intensity.
The program is a framework, not a rulebook. The exercises, sets, and rep ranges are built around what produces results — but your dog is the variable that matters most. Use the goal reps as your guide, adjust the difficulty until they land in the right zone, and trust that consistent quality work at the right level will always beat grinding through reps at the wrong one.