Assessing Fatigue

It’s not easy with canines to determine when an exercise is too hard or when they’re getting tired. With a bit of observation and practice, there are signs that let us know when this may be the last rep or that it may be time to take a break.

General Principles

We recommend gradually increasing the amount of repetitions for an exercise for what we call “progressive overload” in order to see strength adaptations. At first it might be slow, as dog’s need to learn what exactly we are asking of them and gain the neuromotor skills to move their bodies in a way they may never have before. We want to make sure the dog is able to complete an exercise with proper form before asking them to complete a large number of repetitions. 

When we workout, we can think wow that last rep of my squat was really hard, I don’t think I can do another rep, and we end that set. Dogs cannot directly tell us that, so what do we look for to know if they are tired?

How do we know when to end that set of exercises?

Your dog was executing the exercise with proper form, and is now completing the exercise with improper form, decreased range of motion or is making mistakes. 

If your dog has become proficient at an exercise with proper form and can do many reps perfectly and all of a sudden they don’t squat as low for rep 7 or they start moving their foot, take this as a sign your dog’s muscles are starting to feel fatigued. I usually let one bad rep slide in case something with my handling was off or it was a fluke, but 2 bad reps in a row, END OF SET! They can no longer perform this exercise appropriately and they need to take a rest. 

If you have another set to complete, keep an eye out for the same signs and when they show, end that set and consider the ending the workout depending on how other movements are looking.

Your dog is not wanting to engage with you or is resisting performing a known exercise. 

If you find your dog hesitating or resisting your commands to complete an exercise they know and could previously perform, it’s time to take a break. Also consider the potential for pain being a source of their hesitation, this is something to continue monitoring and talk to your vet about.

Your dog becomes over aroused and frustrated 

Over arousal and frustration can present multiple ways in our dogs, some of those ways being: vocalization/whining, becoming frantic, offering behaviors/tricks we didn't ask for, and pacing/circling. It’s important here to evaluate your situation- did you just start your fitness session? Are you teaching a new exercise? Or are you towards the end of your session and doing exercises your dog knows? In either case, you should take a break to evaluate what might be going on and down-regulate your dog. 

If this occurred towards the end of your fitness session, take it as a sign of fatigue. Just as children can start to throw tantrums when they’re tired, the same principle applies to our dogs. Consider ending this fitness session by scattering a few treats on the floor and allowing the dog to find them, and then wrapping up.

If you have just started your fitness session and your dog starts displaying these signs, consider decreasing the value of your reward or asking the dog for calm behavior before continuing. 

If you are finding overarousal and frustration while teaching a new exercise or movement this can be a combination of fatigue and/or frustration. Consider taking a break, tossing a few “reset” cookies, and then either trying a new method of teaching the behavior or completing a few repetitions of an already well known and successful command before returning to try the new exercise again. If you’re towards the end of your session, consider ending the session and trying the exercise again at a later time.

How do you know when it’s appropriate to increase the amount of repetitions?

Your dog is able to complete their current amount of repetitions with proper form.

If your dog is able to complete the amount of repetitions you are currently asking for with proper form maintained throughout, it is appropriate to begin to increase the amount you ask for next time.

You should be making adjustments in small increments, add just 2-3 reps until your dog can again show proficiency at that amount. More is NOT alway better. 

Note: They will not be able to do more reps every time. They will have good and bad days and muscle soreness. Just like us, their progress is not linear.