3 Easy Stretches For Dogs – Sparkles and Sunshine Blog

When Annie and I started our dog fitness classes I had no idea how much fun we were going to have. Fast forward to when I’m writing this, we are currently doing our Level 3 AKC Fit class and have learned and continue to learn so much about K9 fitness!

Something that’s really important when doing dog fitness is making sure you’re doing dog stretches to begin and end your dog fitness exercises. Dog stretches can help make your dog more flexible and agile, which is not only good for their everyday life, but also for dog sports like dog agility, NADD dock diving, Fast CAT or any others. These stretches for dogs can aid in your dog’s overall performance and training!

In this post, I’m sharing 3 easy stretches for dogs you can do with your dog at home with no dog fitness equipment needed (just some treats, ha!).

P.S. Want to join over 100 fellow K9 fitness lovers (of all levels) for weekly exercises, tips and more? Join my K9 Fitness With Caitlin Facebook Group to start learning more about K9 fitness today!

3 easy stretches for dogs sparkles and sunshine blog

1. Cookie Stretches For Dogs

The first of three stretches for dogs is one of my favorites, cookie stretches! This was the first one that I learned in my level one AKC Fit class and it’s great for building flexibility across your dog’s entire body. The order of this dog stretch is chest, shoulder, hip, sky (on each side). Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Place your dog in a sit + stay, stand over them and have some treats ready.

Step 2: With a treat in hand, reach towards your dog’s chest, asking them to reach their head to their chest. (I don’t have a photo of this step – oops lol – but I do have a quick 3 minute how-to YouTube video shared below the photos for additional visuals!)

Note: Don’t worry if your dog paws at you to get to the treat when you do this. Annie’s been doing this for weeks now and occasionally she still paws at the treat because she knows if she slaps hard enough she can get it out, ha! Your dog is just learning what to do and what you’re asking!

Step 3: With a treat, reach to your dog’s shoulder on the right side of their body, reward when they do it. Repeat step 2 and step 3 a few times.

Step 4: With a treat, now reach to your dog’s hip on the right side of their body, reward when they do it. Repeat steps 2-4 a few times.

Note: Reaching the hip can be hard at first! You’ll also notice that your dog will have an easier time on one side than the other. For instance, Annie’s easier side is her right side.

Step 5: End each direction with a treat towards the “sky” in the center, completing the full sequence: chest, shoulder, hip, sky!

Step 6: Once you’ve done this on one side, now repeat the same steps on the other!

k9 fitness cookie stretches easy dog stretches sparkles and sunshine blog

Shoulder stretch to the left

Hip stretch to the left

Sky stretch in the center

2. Leg Weaves Dog Stretches

The next, and another one of my favorite dog stretches is leg weaves. This is a great dog fitness exercise to add into your agility dog training if your dog does that dog sport. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Grab some dog treats in both hands and place your dog either beside you in a sit + stay or between your legs in a sit + stay like in the previous dog stretch (I place Annie between my legs).

Step 2: With one hand, guide your dog around your outside leg until they are behind you. Meet them with a treat from your other hand and guide them around the opposite leg (see photos below). Reward when the come through.

Pro Tip: If you have a bigger/taller dog like my boy Diesel, I like to start with him either beside me or with my legs a little staggered. This helps account for his height and room he needs to get through. Annie is the one demonstrating this but just know you can do this with dogs of many sizes!

Step 3: Repeat a few times in both directions, rewarding every time.

Pro Tip: If your dog gets stuck in one direction, focus on getting them to go through on one side and immediately reward. Build their confidence going one way and then add on as they learn!

leg weaves dog stretches sparkles and sunshine blog

dog fitness exercise leg weaves dog stretch sparkles and sunshine blog

3. Spin Left and Right Dog Stretches

The last is one of the easiest stretches for dogs, the spin and flip. This is also known as the spin and twist on the dog tricks list from the AKC trick dog novice title. I love doing this dog stretch with both Diesel and Annie, and like all of these shared, your dog will have one direction that’s easier than the other. Let’s learn how to teach your dog to spin!

P.S. Below the photos I’ve shared a quick two minute how-to video with Annie on how to teach your dog to spin!

Step 1: Grab some treats and place your dog in front of you (doesn’t matter if they’re in a stand or sit!).

Step 2: With a treat in hand, guide your dog around in a circle until they make it all the way around. Reward once they do and repeat a few times.

Step 3: Once they’ve started to get the hang out it, add in a verbal command and hand signal. My verbal command is “spin” and my hand signal is twirling my pointer finger around in a circle (like a little tornado, ha!). Practice with these added and reward every time.

Step 4: Now you can follow the same steps in the opposite direction.

Pro Tip: Make sure you’re using a different verbal command (like “flip” or “twist”) and that your reversing the direction of your hand signal (twirl in the opposite direction).

Note: Do not be discouraged if it takes some time for your dog to learn a second direction. Every dog learns different and as mentioned before, has a stronger and weaker side. For example, Annie did both directions super quick and easy. Diesel on the other hand, took longer to do his second side. He learned the spin trick when he was a puppy (we call it your tail’s on fire, ha, but he also knows it as spin) and only ever did one side. Until Annie’s class, I never thought to teach him the other direction. Within a few weeks he was able to do the second direction just as good as the first! Don’t give up!

What did you think of these easy K9 fitness easy stretches for dogs? Nothing to it, right? They’re quick and easy dog fitness exercises that you can teach your dog that will have such a positive impact on your dog’s overall health and wellness, which I think is pretty cool! Plus, this canine conditioning is great for dogs of all breeds and sizes.

If you loved learning more these easy stretches for dogs, check out more of my K9 fitness posts featuring some awesome dog fitness exercises with and without some of my favorite dog fitness equipment brands like FitPaws. Plus, check out my huge collection of dog enrichment ideas that will provide tons of mental enrichment for your dog just like K9 fitness:

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Photography: Kate Kelley Collection