Agility dog owners love their dogs and take excellent care of them.  They need to because dog agility is a sport that is highly demanding on a dog’s body, especially when it is done repetitively.  There are varying obstacles that the dogs need to maneuver (jumps, contacts, obstacles, tunnels, weaves). Every performance is dependent on the confirmation of the dog, training, the surface, and the handling at that moment. Even a well trained and conditioned dog can get injured if their biomechanics are off due to joint dysfunction in the spine or extremities. 

Agility dog owners are very in-tune with their dog and generally notice immediately when their dog “seems a bit off”.  Some of the common things that I will hear when they bring their dog in for an assessment are: they are knocking bars, refusing weave poles, popping out of the weave poles, missing contacts, or just generally running slower.  Each of these instances directs me to a different area in the dog. 

For example, If they are knocking bars, the first thing I will assess is the pelvis and hind limbs because it is likely they are not able to power through the jumps and that is why they are knocking bars.  If they are refusing to do weaves, I will assess the shoulders and ribs. 

In my experience, these well conditioned dogs respond very well to Chiropractic treatment and often enjoy the hands on treatment. Keeping these animals on a maintenance plan is crucial to keeping them in top shape to compete.

If you have any quesitons regarding Animal Chiropractic for your four legged friend whether they are a high perfomance animal or just an everyday pet, don’t hesitate to reach out.  I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding this part of my practice.