How to do yoga with a dog

Yoga classes with a dog are called doga. Dogo yoga exercises will help diversify your daily routine.

These home-based practices are perfect for cold winter days or times when for some reason you can’t get out of the house to take a long walk or play in the backyard.

This is a great way to give your dog individual attention, combined with some nice stretches and mental bonding.

What is doga yoga?

What is yoga for dogs

Some owners take their pets with them to yoga classes, where they can roam among people standing in “downward dog” or “warrior” poses. For the dogs themselves, this pastime is quite passive. Doga is a form of yoga that people and pets practice together at home. It can help improve their physical and mental health.

Yoga with a dog has many benefits: a good doga workout helps to improve the owner’s posture and the quality of sleep in the pet, as well as strengthening his bond with his beloved owner. In addition, with the help of reduce stress and anxiety and make the pet feel important and needed. This contributes to the solution of various behavioral problems.

“Most behavioral problems stem from a lack of focus,” Danni Szemansky, a veterinarian who teaches doga classes at the Hilton Veterinary Hospital in New York, told WHEC, “so dog yoga is a great practice that can go. for the benefit of both the dog and its owner.

Is My Dog a Good Candidate for Yoga?

Is dog yoga suitable for a pet?

The founder and creator of dogi is Suzy Teitelman, who began to develop this direction in 2001, writes Newsweek. According to the information posted on her website Dogdog, doga is suitable for all dogs and people and it is never too late to start practicing it.

The main thing to remember is that every dog ​​and every person is an individual and has unique needs, depending on age and health. Therefore, before embarking on dogoi or any other new species physical activity with the dogyou should consult your veterinarian.

Heart rate fluctuations or unusual movements are not recommended, especially if the pet is on prescription medication or has a health problem. But yoga is just a combination of quiet moments, focused breathwork and gentle movements. The degree of intensity and speed of such movements can be changed to suit the needs of almost any dog.

How to practice dogo

As explains Your Dog, the simplest doga exercise may look like doing breathing exercises in a comfortable position. They can be done on the floor, with the dog lying next to you, and adding slight rotations of the shoulders or turns of the head to relieve muscle tension. You can make these lessons more advanced by using other positions:

●         “Comfortable posture”also known as sukhasana. To do this, you need to sit on the floor with a straight back, legs crossed, and allow the dog to come closer. Sitting in this posture, one should take long breaths in and out, directing attention to the breath. The dog will definitely be interested in how the owner breathes, and will be filled with peace with him. She may try to sit on her knees and begin to breathe in time, or lie down on the floor nearby.

●         Forward tilt, or uttanasana: from a standing position, you need to bend over, stretching your hands to your toes, and then stretch your hands to the dog and gently stroke it. Then you should straighten up, fold again, touching the pet while tilting. After a few repetitions, the dog will understand the movements and begin to enjoy the warmth of physical contact – from gentle stroking or a more active massaging movement, depending on what your pet likes best.

If the owner wants to use more active ways to wiggle the dog’s limbs and massage the dog’s muscles in yoga sessions, a physical therapist should be consulted. He will teach you how to make safe movements with your pet’s limbs, which will strengthen his muscles and increase mobility.

If you spend more time with pet, it will benefit everyone. Doga makes it possible to be with the dog more often. In addition, this is a very interesting practice and you can do it without leaving your home.

Already want to spread out the mat and start stretching with your four-legged friend? Still, it is worth calling the veterinarian first and talking about the possibility of incorporating a dogi into the daily life of your beloved dog.

See also:

• Why does your dog need physical activity?
• 3 ideas for active pastime with an older dog
• How to walk with a puppy and what physical activity is good for him
• Running with a dog: where to start