5 Blue-9 KLIMB K9 Fitness Exercises
One of my favorite dog fitness brands that I’ve actually been using for 4+ years now is Blue-9 Pet Products. I first discovered Blue-9 when my dog Annie took the AKC Fit class. That’s also where I discovered FitPaws!
If you sign up for the 3 levels of AKC Fit, you’ll learn basic K9 fitness exercises and get an introduction to the different kinds of canine fitness equipment, including Blue-9’s famous KLIMB dog training platform and propel air platform (both of which I use all the time to this day!).
Something I realized earlier this year was that many people don’t realize how versatile the KLIMB dog training platform is! It can do numerous beginner, intermediate and advanced canine conditioning exercises, and in this post, I thought I’d introduce five dog fitness exercises using the Blue-9 KLIMB.
By the way! You can save 20% on your next Blue-9 order when you use code Sparkles20 at checkout! The code does not apply to limited edition KLIMB colors.
Important Note:
Before you begin any dog fitness exercises, it is important to note that K9 fitness is intended for healthy dogs to prevent injury. It is not a replacement for surgery. If your dog has any underlying conditions or is currently in rehab for an injury, please speak with your veterinarian, orthopedic specialist, Canine Fitness Specialist (CSCC, CPCFT, etc.) or any other specialist before beginning the exercises with your dog to keep them safe.
Dog Fitness Exercise 1: Front Paw Targeting
Before we dive into the first exercise, I want to start by saying, depending on your dog’s fitness level, some of these might be harder than others or take more time to understand and build confidence with.
The first dog fitness exercise is called front paw targeting. This is one of the first exercises you would ever learn in the AKC Fit class and is the foundation to numerous K9 fitness exercises! There are no prerequisites to this dog fitness exercise.
Important Tip: If you do not have a KLIMB yet, grab a stable, non-slippery surface like a book or dog bowl (big enough for your dog to put their feet on). If the surface is slippery on either of those two, you can also put a piece of a yoga mat on top or something similar to add some grip.
Dog Fitness Exercise Goal: Your dog’s front feet should step up onto the KLIMB while the rear feet stay on the floor.
Dog Fitness Exercise Benefits: When weight is shifted to the rear, this works the hind end. This exercise also works the triceps and biceps to stabilize the shoulders.
Step 1: Ask your dog to walk their front feet onto the Blue-9 KLIMB. Immediately reward.
Potential Issue & Solution: “My dog is afraid of the KLIMB, what do I do?” If your dog is nervous to step up onto the KLIMB dog platform or surface, you’ll want to start by creating a positive relationship with it. You can do this by rewarding your dog for interacting with the KLIMB. To do this, ask your dog to do something they know (i.e. touch command) and toss a cookie behind them. Then, every time they come close to the KLIMB, reward with your marker (clicker or verbal “yes”) and toss the treat away. Do a few sessions of this (2-3 rounds of 10 treats) and reward with their favorite activity like tug or ball tossing to end the session. Your dog will start to gain more confidence with it and start putting their feet on it!
Proper Form: The correct position we’re looking for here is a flat back, neutral head position, front feet directly under the shoulders and feet hip distance apart.
Dog Fitness Exercise 2: Rear Paw Targeting
The next dog fitness exercise that is also at the foundation of many K9 fitness exercises, is rear paw targeting! In order to do this on the KLIMB, I highly recommend learning how to do this without any equipment first for confidence building, safety and strength reasons. I’ve shared a super quick and easy tutorial of this on my Instagram account! If you have any questions about it, leave a comment on this post or the reel! For this post, I will be sharing information on ways to level this up using the KLIMB.
Important Note: For all of these canine conditioning exercises, make sure to use the Blue-9 KLIMB dog platform’s short legs or Sure Feet (plugs you can put in the top holes to keep the platform low) until your dog is confident and has developed enough strength. You don’t need to be adding in the tall legs for any exercises until they’re ready.
Dog Fitness Exercise Goal: Your dog’s rear feet should step up onto the KLIMB while the front feet stay on the floor.
Dog Fitness Exercise Benefits: This exercise works the triceps, biceps and superficial pectorals to stabilize the shoulders and forelimbs.
Step 1: With the KLIMB short legs or Sure Feet plugged in, using the cue you’ve taught your dog, ask your dog to go into rear paw targeting position. Immediately reward.
Level it up: To start adding in some challenges as your dog gets stronger, you can start by taking the short legs off one half and putting them on the top to create a slightly angled KLIMB. Just this little bit of an incline provides an added challenge and requires your dog’s shoulders to stabilize more. From here, you can then switch the short legs for the tall legs (confirm your breed should do this before doing so) and add even more incline. If any challenge is too hard for your dog, lower it back down and continue to build strength.
Dog Fitness Exercise 3: Spin & Flip
This is one of my favorite dog fitness exercises to use as part of my warm up and overall canine conditioning routine. This dog fitness exercise is great for keeping sport dogs agile, keeping senior dogs mobile and more.
The only prerequisite for this exercise is for your dog to know how to spin and flip on the ground and to have worked on a KLIMB before. We don’t want to add in any equipment if they don’t know that first.
Dog Fitness Exercise Goal: Your dog should do a tight circle in both directions on the KLIMB without coming off of it.
Dog Fitness Exercise Benefits: This exercise increases flexibility and mobility in your dog’s spine. When used on the KLIMB, it also adds in hind end awareness.
Step 1: Ask your dog to walk onto the KLIMB.
Step 2: Using your cue or treat, ask your dog to spin on the KLIMB. Immediately reward and repeat in the other direction.
In this exercise, the KLIMB creates a smaller space to do the exercise, requiring your dog to have more hind end awareness before making the turns and it also can create a tighter turn, creating more flexibility.
Dog Fitness Exercise 4: Tuck Sit
Another great foundation exercise that can be learned on the KLIMB is the tuck sit! This is also one of the first exercises you would learn in the AKC Fit class and proper form with this exercise is key to continue building off of! There is no prerequisite to learn this exercise!
Dog Fitness Exercise Goal: Your dog’s front feet will remain stationary while the back feet and rear come to meet them in a sit position,
Dog Fitness Exercise Benefits: This exercise strengthens your dog’s shoulders and spinal flexors.
Step 1: Have your dog begin in a standing position.
Step 2: Ask your dog to walk up onto the KLIMB (close to the edge if you can) and ask them to sit. As you do this, pull your hands towards you to pull your dog towards you.
Proper Form: You’re looking for knees and feet tracking forward, a flat back and head in a natural position.
Dog Fitness Exercise 5: Pivoting
I love it when dog tricks double as k9 fitness exercises! One of my all-time favorites is pivoting! The only prerequisite to this exercise, is front paw targeting.
Dog Fitness Exercise Goal: Your dog’s front feet will be elevated in front paw targeting position on the KLIMB while the back feet will rotate around the KLIMB on the ground.
Dog Fitness Exercise Benefits: This exercise strengthens your dog’s shoulders, teaches hind end awareness and strengthens the abductors and adductors in the rear.
Step 1: Ask your dog to go into front paw targeting position on the KLIMB.
Step 2: Get close to your dog and slowly walk into them. You don’t need to be pushing on them, but you can slightly touch them with your body to reinforce the slight spatial pressure that’s also helping to tell your dog to move away from you.
Step 3: Let your dog take 1-2 steps and immediately reward. Repeat in the other direction.
Important Tip: Your dog isn’t going to get all the way around on the first try. Rewarding a few steps at a time will not only help your dog understand what you’re asking them to do, but also build their confidence so they get excited to do so! A common issue I see is when an owner doesn’t reward their dog enough during training. This usually leads to the dog getting bored, leaving work and not wanting to try because their confidence is a bit crushed since they think they never achieved what you were asking. Always reward your dog!
If you loved these Blue-9 KLIMB dog training platform exercises, we’re only just scratching the surface! Not only are there more canine conditioning exercises you can teach your dog, you can also use the Blue-9 KLIMB for everyday activities like grooming, bathing, and more! With every single canine fitness equipment purchase, I always make sure it’s extremely versatile and has many uses so that it’s really worth my money! As we all know, this stuff ain’t cheap, ha!
If you found this helpful, grab a copy of my Mini K9 Fitness Exercise Guide below, check out my YouTube channel for tons of K9 Fitness videos, and of course visit some of my other posts below for even more exercises & tips so you can learn all about dog fitness!
Don’t fur-get! You can save 20% on your next Blue-9 order when you use code Sparkles20 at checkout! The code does not apply to limited edition KLIMB colors.
- 3 FitPaws Balance Disc K9 Fitness Exercises
- 3 Beginner FitPaws K9 Fitness Exercises
- 3 Easy Stretches For Dogs
- 5+ K9 Fitness Exercises with FitPaws Balance Pad
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Photography: Kate Kelley Photo