🐾TOTOFIT--it's not just for Performance Dogs & Orthopedic Rehab...a personal experience.🐾
You've seen Elsa in my videos and photos over the last 9 years -- she's helped demonstrate our products at shows and online. She's a dog I bred and she grew up on TotoFit, as have her puppies. So she's always been strong and fit -- and fierce and fiesty!
🙄On April 15th, after a horrific day of traveling to different vets and ending up in the absolute right place, Elsa was diagnosed with a ruptured gallbladder. Yes, ruptured. The only option was surgery - on a 9 year old Berner who was in critical condition. Odds of survival were 50/50 BUT if she came through it, the doctors believed she could lead a quality life. Ultrasounds, x-rays showed no cancer, definitely a factor in our decision-making, but what tipped the scales for us is that
💜SHE's ELSA!💜 Small and mighty, a determined girl with a strong spirit.
😞At 11:30 that night we were told she had made it thru surgery as well as could be expected. The next morning vets and nurses were very cautious about where this all was headed (bile peritonitis, inflamed everything)...but I knew because 💜SHE's ELSA!💜 The next day they suggested we come and bring some food for her because they couldn't get her to eat. We did and she ate. The next day they took out her IV and drain and one vet whispered to me: She's amazing. I replied, 💜SHE's ELSA!💜 We took her home the following day.
🫤 It's been a long six-weeks of managing meds/diet nausea/diarrhea, but also because she was generally weak, particularly in her hind end and she had difficulty standing. We explored possible reasons for this with a local vet and decided to give it time and start back with some easy fitness exercises. Her hind end is much improved now and we're working on abdominal core, as you'll see in the video. T-O-U-C-H on our K9 Kore ORBit is her favorite.
🙂I truly believe that one of the factors contributing to this happy endi
Last night was Week 3 of our AKC Fit Dog Level 1 class. One of the strength/fitness skills the dogs learned was to spin to the left and spin to the right. As I previously mentioned, this is a stellar group of students and most of them already knew how to do this. After making sure they were performing this with proper form and balance on the ground and on an elevated mat, I put on my K9 Parkour hat and we took the spins to a Novice/Intermediate Level Go Around, in both directions – Novice Level sends the dog 3 feet to an object, Intermediate Level sends the dog 5 feet to an object. I think this is a great warm up exercise because it incorporates trotting – sustained trotting is a great cardio warmup (lunging horses!) as well as bending and stretching.
In Week 2 we learned Cookie Stretches and then played around with having our dogs weave around our legs in a figure eight pattern – another great warm up exercise.
This morning Levon and I went out to the Aiken Horse District public jump field where he loves to go over the lower-level jumps that are set up in there. We found some jumps arranged in a circle, so to warm him up, I used his K9 Parkour Go Around skills and his Trick Dog Weave skills to wrap him around some jump standards and over a ground pole. Then I sent him out in an arc over a jump feeling confident that his muscles were ready to bend, stretch, push and stop!
When you're making a video and you want the sign on one side and you need to be on the other side....you employ a PARKOUR move to help the dog get on in good form ==> Through!
AKC Fit Dog Level 1 Strength/Fitness Skill - Shake a Paw
We start by having the dog sitting on a platform (in this case an awesome foldup Mat that is affordable and has incredible versatility!) and increase the challenge/difficulty by doing it while standing and/or having the dog raise its leg higher and/or increasing the time the leg is in the air and/or doing it on an unstable object and/or doing it on two unstable objects -- aka TotoFit products!😉
#akcfitdog #TotoFit #caninefitness #BuildingBetterDogs
TotoFit AKC Fit Dog Fun Fitness Walk
Levon and I walked a mile in the beautiful Hopelands Gardens for our second AKC Fit Dog Virtual Walk this month. We incorporated some Fun Fitness exercises along the way that your dog can do, too!
When introducing fitness exercises to your dog, please remember the following: don't ask your dog to do more than he/she is able, we don't want to cause any pain during or after exercise; the experience should be positive for both you and your dog; make sure you are doing the exercises in a safe environment on safe surfaces and watch out for others who may be walking, too.
[Always this advice: consult with a veterinarian before starting any exercise program with your dog!]
5 BASIC CORE STRENGTHENING EXERCISES YOUR K-9 BFF CAN DO ON A WALK:
1. Standing stilll for 10 seconds (sounds easy? maybe....maybe not!)
2. Weight Shifting (don't know what this is? watch/listen to the video!)
3. Sit-to-Stand (your dog knows this, right? the way that builds core strength effeciently?)
4. Walking Backwards (getting a little tougher, but you can do it!)
5. Lateral Movement (pivoting, side-stepping or in equine speak half-pass)
Just mix it up along the way, keep moving and have fun!!
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TotoFit Fun Fitness AKC Virtual Fit Dog Walk - Walk #2 for Janauary
For those familiar with the process, here are the particulars:
1. Complete your one mile walk between January 15 and January 31, 2024
2. Document it in a tracking app - I like images 😁, maybe a photo of your dog on the trail, a map of your walk. Documentation must show the date and the distance you walked. TotoFit just may hold a contest for best picture in a couple months!
3. Fill out the official AKC Documentation Form.
4. Email the distance documentation and the AKC Documentation Form (jpg or pdf) to: [email protected] It would be helpful if you had FitDog Walk in the subject line so I can spot them quickly.
5. I will check it out, sign it and em
🆒Here it is--our TotoFit New Year 2024 AKC Virtual Fit Dog Walk #1!
For those familiar with the process, here are the particulars:
1. Complete your one mile walk between January 1 and January 15, 2024
2. Document it in a tracking app - I like images 😁, maybe a photo of your dog on the trail, a map of your walk. Documentation must show the date and the distance you walked. TotoFit just may hold a contest for best picture in a couple months!
3. Fill out the official AKC Documentation Form. I have one filled out in the comments, but feel free to use one that you may have pre-filled with your info.
4. Email the distance documentation and the AKC Documentation Form (jpg or pdf) to: [email protected] It would be helpful if you had FitDog Walk in the subject line so I can spot them quickly.
5. I will check it out, sign it and email it back to you and you send it in with your Title Application!
For those who want a little more info, check out the video and keep watching this page.
And VERY IMPORTANT: We have stickers....you can see them in the video. First walk is HOLOGRAPHIC; second has GLITTER! This month, we'll send you a sticker for your first walk with us; a sticker and a magnet for your second walk! Just provide your mailing address in your email and we'll cover the postage!
Please feel free to ask questions and remind me if I have forgotten anything!
Levon [FITG] and I will walk a mile for each of TotoFit's virtual walks. If you guys are doing it, we're right there with you! We actually have a lot of fun and do most of our training on the trails! We'll show you how to incorporate some canine fitness exercises into your walks! You can meet him tomorrow.
[CORRECTION to what I said in the video: you only need ONE Class C2 walk to earn 3 points towards your Bronze title! Sorry about that, but it's good news!)
Have you experienced our K9 Kore Disk and ORBit products? There's so much you can do to help your dog's balance, body awareness, and core strength with this package, and we're taking $10.00 OFF shipping when you order it before 1/2/2024! Use Discount Code SHIP10 at checkout!
http://totofit.com/product/k9-kore-disk-base-orbit-package/
I like to work with my youngsters on our Nubby TotoPAWDS. They help develop balance, core strength, confidence, body awareness and muscle memory for the conformation ring.
I also use a grooming table because it's easier for me to adjust their feet and/or the PAWDS. This table has a yoga mat on it for traction, the pup (4 mths old) has a harness on for safety and she is comfortable on the grooming table. She has had her paws on the PAWDS previous to this and has learned to keep them in place.
I typically don't ask a puppy to find the PAWDS themselves initially, but instead place their paw on it and reward them when they leave it there. This way I can make sure it's placed correctly. I want her front legs coming straight down from her shoulders and her hind legs straight from paw to hock, and under her hips.
I start with just the front feet on PAWDS and then add the hind feet. I am playing simple weight shifting games with her by luring her head back and forth and asking her to "Touch." This throws her slightly off balance, but since she knows to keep her feet in place, she uses her core muscles to stay balanced and upright.
Keep it Simple. Keep it Safe. Keep it Short. Keep it Fun!
Have you seen our TO-TOE MATZ? They are a unique paw and leg strengthening product, also used by K9 PTs to improve sensory awareness. Each MATZ has a slight incline and decline, along with a level surface on top, which allows for more specific targeting of areas you wish to improve.
Check them out in this video.
Sold in sets of TWO or FOUR: http://totofit.com/product/to-toe-matz/
#TotoFit #K9Fitness #AllThingsPAWS
Playing catch on the Infinities! Two 85 cms...
Check out the muscles at work to stay balanced and keep his feet in place!
TotoFit Burst Resistant Quality Purple Physiorolls made for dogs = INFINITY: http://totofit.com/product/the-infinity/
TotoFit INFINITY - Burst Resistant Quality Demonstration!
Back in 2016 during a photo shoot [winter - you can hear the wind in the video background, lol], we decided to see just what Burst Resistant meant. Having great faith in our manufacturer's claim, Deb said: Just Do It!
So without even puncturing a 'test' Infinity, she sat on one of our 70 cm products with her dog, and we poked some serious holes in it!
~And lo and behold, it deflated slowly, just like it was supposed to!!~
We also tried to do this with a non-burst resistant product made with much thinner material (stuffed animal on it only), but to our surprise, it burst while we were inflating it so no video. Thankfully, our photographer got a few shots!
This is why you need to use quality CANINE products for CANINE FITNESS exercises. Dogs have sharp nails, teeth and often do the unexpected. TotoFit products will stand up to this kind of use (well, maybe not a Malinois bite, right, Deb?) -- and we stand behind our products with a THREE YEAR warranty.
K9 Kore DISK w/Base - POST 4 of 4
6 Week old PUPPIES!!
Using two disks, one with the nubby side up and one with the rings up, one in a 'donut' bed and one in the base, on a safe, padded surface with good grip, this little guy is carefully supervised while learning about soft, unstable surfaces with different textures! And he's having a blast - confident and balanced.
*Be sure and check out POSTS 1-3*
ToTOE MATZ - POST 4 of 4
[please see posts 1-3 in this album]
The unique texture makes the dog's toe and paw flexor muscles grip more actively, which helps to strengthen them.
🆒 HURRAY ALL PRODUCTS are back IN STOCK SALE!!🆒
We're celebrating a full warehouse--finally--and want you to join us!
🟣For the next two weeks, all individual products are on sale--yup, they are! February 1st-February 14th🟣
🟪You can purchase 1 or 2 items and get 5% OFF the retail price, or purchase 3+ items and get 10% OFF retail with the Discount Codes in the video.
Included in the sale are our LIMITED EDITION PURPLE ToTOE MATZ!
Find all products here: http://totofit.com/products/shop/
[NOTE 💬 - offer is for the US only, product packages are not included, use Discount Codes at check out]
"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."
[John Muir]
And you never know what you might find along that path, like an interesting fallen log. Most people would admire it and walk on by....but I saw a great opportunity for K9 Fitness exercises!
Up and down on a fallen tree, a spin around the stump, a walk in the water to cool off and he doesn't even know he's been working out -- fun, fun, fun.
But alas, the weather is getting too hot for this, so we'll have to move inside and use our #TotoFit!! 😉
NCFM #2 - Balanced Movement
One of our favorite exercises for improving balance and reach in a dog's gait is Cavaletti or trotting poles.
Start by asking your dog to walk through them, then trot. Start with 4 poles and increase up to 8 poles. Start with the poles on the ground and then raise them, if you want to -but NEVER above the height of the dog's hock.
To determine the distance between poles, you can measure
elbow to ground and double that. So, if your dog measures 12" from the ground to its elbow, the poles would be 24" apart.
You can also measure the dog's height at the shoulders to the ground and use that number. This will work if you do not have a short legged breed. If your dog is short legged then use the elbow to ground measurement for the best results.
Ideally, at the trot, you want the paws to land in the middle of the two poles, as with the Berner. In the video, the poles are a little too far apart for the BC but appropriate for the Lab and Berner.
**WHAT OTHER EXERCISES COULD BE DONE TO IMPROVE BALANCE & REACH? **
TotoFit Cavaletti: http://totofit.com/product/cavaletti/
Medium and Big Dog exercises with the #TotoFit ORBit and K9 Kore Disk!
TotoFit K9 Kore ORBit - size and how to create suction in base!
#MeetTheProducts #TotoFit FACEBOOK Live Week 3, March 23rd
The TotoFit INFINITIES!
Dr. Debbie Torraca talks about one of our favorite products!
We stock them in 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm Nubby, 70 cm and 85 cm. [size is diameter when fully inflated] All made from our thick, Burst Resistant Quality material.
Watch the video until the end to get a DISCOUNT CODE for 10% off all individual INFINITIES, through March 31st. USA only.
The #TotoFit K9 Kore Wedge is one of my favorite products for introducing very young puppies to different surfaces, textures, instability and incline/declines.
Here are some 18 day old puppies experiencing supervised wedge 'play' with me -- they are on a vet bed for traction over a padded gym mat, with mom for confidence and in a familiar setting. Set up for a successful, stress free, informal learning and fitness session. :)
Enjoy the puppy breath! Martha
[Noise Alert: squealing puppies and a screaming Cockatoo]
