Help your dog live its strongest life
With Lisa Petterson of LPCF & the Introductory Fitness Foundation Course
Congrats on taking the first step towards a healthy, injury-free life for your dog!
Fitness training can benefit ANY dog:
From the couch potato, to the weekend hiking partner, to the elite athlete.
In order to reach your fitness goals with your dog, having the correct foundations in place is key.
This course will help you secure those foundations in place,
to prevent injury by building strength, confidence, and body awareness!
**LIMITED Working Spots ONLY and dogs must be healthy, sound, & free from injury to participate**
FALL 2022 POSTURE RESET CLASS IS FULL!
Join the waitlist for 2023 offerings below.
Does your dog struggle with:
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Knocking bars in agility?
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Long heeling patterns in obedience or rally-o?
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Jumping into the car?
Are you tired of:
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Missing out on that Q because you were over the SCT by only a few seconds?
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Leaving your dog at home when you run, because he just can't keep up?
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Watching your senior dog struggle to do things he once found easy?
How Does Fitness Training Help Your Dog?
By focusing on safety, form, and proper progressions of the exercises, the benefits of canine fitness training are incredible!
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Increased
- body awareness & body control
- coordination, balance, and proprioception
- overall strength
- endurance
- performance and speed in sports
- mobility for aging dogs
- confidence
- quality and length of life
- Decreased risk of injury
- Stronger relationship with dog
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Better knowledge and understanding of your own dog's body
What’s not to love?!
What's Included in the Course:
8+ Lessons
with 12 weeks of access
The *new & improved* version of this course (updated fall of 2020) is well organized and has easy to follow lesson plans and progressions!
The course is broken into 3 Levels. Each Level has 5 Lessons, and each Lesson has at least 3 Exercises!
We will cover static strength, dynamic strength, body awareness and proprioception, body control, and flexibility.
Every exercise can be easily modified to suit your dog's individual level of training and fitness!
Lessons include detailed written descriptions, video demos, and photos.
User Friendly Classrooms
Facebook and Kartra
Lessons will be available online through a Kartra classroom.
There are downloadable files of each lesson, so you can download it to your device and have it forever!
Homework (videos, photos, questions) can be posted in the private Facebook group.
You will get access to BOTH classrooms for 12 weeks. Plenty of time to work at your own pace through the course!
Unlimited Feedback
within 48 hrs
Post your homework and I will provide feedback within 48 hours*!
Post unlimited videos, photos and questions to the group for unlimited feedback during the 12 weeks of access.
(*Monday to Friday, unless I am traveling - but I will let you know before hand and make arrangements to compensate)
Results
See your dog get stronger**!
**of course... there are no guarantees. It is up to YOU to do the work, and then you will see the results!
All I can do is provide you with the information.
There are baseline test, and assessments throughout the course to see the changes in your dog's fitness level.
As well, you will receive a Fitness Tracker document, to track your dog's fitness progress through the course!
FAQ's
Here's some answers to common questions!
What equipment do I need for the course?
Most exercises in this course do not require equipment, and can be done successfully ‘on the flat’ at the beginning! However it is recommended that you have 2 platforms that the dog can stand on naturally (sized appropriately for the dog). For example: 2 stools, 2 cinder blocks, yoga blocks, bricks, etc. Or even one large plank or aerobic bench!
Further along in the course it is helpful to have access to balance equipment (ie disc, wedge, pods, peanut etc) but this is not required. If you are creative, you can find many things around the house that work just as well - pillows, cushions, etc!
I’ve done fitness courses before with my dog. How basic are the exercises?
I strongly recommend this course to anyone, whether or not you’ve done a fitness course before! There is a huge focus on the foundation of each skill, and making sure the foundation is solid before progressing. The exercises are very "simple" - but that does not mean they are easy! That being said, I do think my approach is quite different. We do less "flashy" exercises, with more of a focus on form and posture.
My dog has a full life. How can I fit in fitness work when I already do so much with my dog?
My own dogs have very full lives too - agility, hiking, trick training, social outings, etc - so it can be hard to fit in. The way I see it is when you start out, you should make an effort to try to do a bit every day. 5-10 mins per day per dog is usually enough. But when the dog is understanding the exercises and YOU are starting to see a change, then for maintenance it is fine to do 3-4 times a week. The key is also to make it into a routine - my fitness usually happens at meal time, once a day.
Once you find something that works in your lifestyle, it is easy to fit it in!
What pre-requisites are there to this course? Does my dog need to know anything before we start?
It is recommended that your dog have a basic grasp of the following skills: stand, sit, down, leave a piece of food, stay or wait (hold a position), 2 paws up on an object, 4 paws up on an object, and how to follow a food lure (or hand target). These skills do not have to be perfect before you begin, and it is possible to do the exercise without having these skills - but they help!
How much time do we need to commit to the course every day or every week?
It is a big course, so I'm not going to lie it IS a lot of commitment on the human's part. But remember, you can work through it at your own pace.
It is recommended to spend approx. 5-10 mins, a day for the first 4 weeks, then 10-20 mins 3-4 times a week after for the best results. Something is always better than nothing!
How old does my dog have to be to start this course?
I will allow puppies older than 6 months of age join the class, however I will recommend that fitness sessions are kept SHORT and with a focus on quality over quantity!
My dog is just coming back from an injury. Can I do this course with him?
Unfortunately, there are legal requirements for CPCFTs.
As a result, I am only allowed to work with healthy, injury-free dogs for prevention purposes.
However, IF your dog has been cleared by a veterinarian to participate in the course, then yes you can participate - BUT I will need to see proof of vet clearance. I would still highly recommend seeing a canine rehabilitation therapist or vet first (or instead) to ensure you are targeting the dog’s specific weaknesses.
How long do I get access to the course?
Upon registration, you will receive an email with instructions and a link to log in to the course, as well as an invitation to join the private Facebook group. You will have access to both sources for the entirety of the course.
The course has a lot of material, but you will have access to the lessons for 12 weeks. There are downloadable files for each lesson, so you can save the material onto your device forever!
I see you use a lot of rewards in your fitness training. What do you use for treats so the dog doesn’t get overfed or fat?
If you feed kibble or dry food, I recommend using the dog’s daily meal portions to train. That way, they are not getting any extra calories! If raw fed, you can use low calorie treats (cheerios, small portions of kibble, or freeze dried/dehydrated treats), or even use the dog’s meal if desired! Squeeze tubes, or bowl and spoon work well for ground raw foods.
Are there due dates or a timeline for when we should be posting or completing each task?
Nope! You can work through the material and lessons completely at your own pace. There are check-in points throughout the course to keep you on track if you wish to follow along that way.
Less is more with canine fitness.
That means…
… you don’t need fancy, expensive equipment to be able to participate.
… you can skip the complicated, flashy, ‘tricks’ that require hours of training and practice to perfect.
… if you focus on form and quality of movements, your dog can get stronger in less time.
By the end of this course, you will have:
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A new understanding of your individual dog’s body. You’ll know their strengths, their weaknesses, and their areas of interest that your body worker can assess!
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Developed a routine to continually assess your dog’s body condition and fitness levels, even after the course is finished.
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Improved your ‘eye’ for seeing your dog’s stance and movement. (You will not look at your dog the same way again after this course!)
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Figured out your dog’s ‘baseline’ fitness levels through photo, video, and measurements, which you can use to compare any time in the dog’s future.
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Learned the skills to safely start a basic fitness training program with ANY of your current or future dogs/puppies!
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Decreased your dog’s risk of injury by more than 25%!
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Created a routine to implement fitness into your dog’s life!
Lisa Petterson CPCFT
Course Instructor
Lisa has been involved in dog training and agility since 2009, and started teaching in 2015.
She currently has a large online following for canine fitness training, and teaches agility classes in Salmon Arm, BC. Growing up, Lisa was involved with many team and individual competitive sports, so she has experienced/understanding of the physical demands of playing a sport. Lisa was naturally drawn to the complexity and competitive side of agility. It's Lisa's belief that all dogs who participate in agility should also be seen as and treated as athletes, so that they can be physically prepared to safely train and thrive in the sport. Having trained her own dogs to an international competition level, Lisa understands the process of building and maintaining fitness in a sport dog, and specializes in helping other teams do the same with their own dogs.
Lisa got her certification as a Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer (CPCFT) through the Wizard of Paws Canine Rehabilitation Center in CT, USA in 2017. She recently participated in a CPCFT continuing education workshop and is continually taking courses/seminars/online classes to learn more about how to better help the teams she works with. More than anything Lisa is dedicated to helping dogs live their best lives, for as long as possible. Whether that's competing in high levels in a sport, or retired and loving life as a couch potato.
All dogs deserve to be fit and strong!
Course Investment:
Less than $5 per day of unlimited Fitness support!
$405 CAD
for 12 weeks of access
Fitness is an investment that you will NEVER regret.
© 2021 Copyrights by Lisa Petterson. All Rights Reserved.
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