Before you begin, there are few things to consider. Firstly, make sure that the environment is safe and quiet- you want your dog's attention to be on you. Then make sure the ground surface is appropriate- you don't want to carry out the stretches on a slippery floor because your dog may lose their footing. It takes time for dogs to understand what you are asking them- be patient and don't expect to be able to do them perfectly the first time. It is likely your dog will have one side they find easier than the other so don't feel you have to get them symmetrical straight away. Finally, always be aware of signs of pain or discomfort and stop if these are detected. Don't continue until you have had your dog checked over by a vet to make sure there is nothing which is causing them pain.
Make sure you have your treats ready in your hand and your dog is aware that you have them. If they are not used to exercising in this way, they may take a bit of calming down. Try to get your dog to stand a squarely as possible before you begin.
Choose a side to begin. Here I started to work towards the left with Flo. Using the treat as bait, encourage the head to follow your hand towards the tail, so that the spine makes a 'c' shape. Initially, you may only get the nose to the shoulder, as in the picture, but as you practice and flexibility increases, you should be able to get it further backwards, towards the top of the hind limb. Try to keep the stretch slow and controlled. It is not unusual for dogs to try to rush and get out of it quickly.
Now look at the above picture of Flo. Can you see how she is evading the stretch by arching her back? This is something you want to try to avoid. She is also loading more weight into the right forelimb, to again try to position herself to avoid the stretch. Instead, aim for the posture in the first picture. Can you see how the spine remains more neutral and the forelimbs are evenly loaded. This allows her to make the stretch and maintaining this posture also means she has to engage her abdominal muscles. Can you see how she has them tucked in? This is how baited stretches improve core stability, and once this is strengthened, less impact is put onto the limbs.
Here Flo stretching to the right. Do you think she finds this more difficult than to the left? Why? Look at the position of her spine- what is it doing to help her avoid the stretch? Here I had to be patient until her flexibility gradually increased.
Once you have stretched to each side, you can use the bait to encourage your dog to stretch out in front, upwards and forwards and then forwards and down, as in the pictures below. It can be difficult to get your dog to stretch forwards- as you can see in the photos from Flo's foot positions, she wanted to travel forwards to the treat instead of stretch for it.
Finally, using the bait, ask your dog to stretch down between his legs. Begin at chest height and then start to take it further back and between the legs as he becomes more confident and flexibility increases. This isn't something that a majority of dogs understand straight away- it can take time for them to understand what you are asking, even if they find the movement easy to do.
Contraindications
A contraindication is a condition which indicates that a certain technique or therapy shouldn't be used. In the case of baited stretches, as they are active stretches, meaning that the horse or dog does the stretching themselves, they are relatively safe because they won't take the stretch further than they are able. However, there are a few things you should be aware of and look out for.
If you have a very greedy animal, they might take the stretch further than they are comfortable with, just to get the food. To try to prevent this, take the stretch in stages, not asking for much movement to begin so that you can monitor their response and stop before they begin to rush and snatch, which might suggest discomfort.
If you horse or dog has known neck or back issues, check with your vet or vet physio before carrying these stretches out- you do not want to exacerbate any know injuries.
If at any point you have any concerns or doubts, cease carrying out the stretches until you have discussed the issue with your vet.
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