"Finicky eaters are made, not born." - Sue Ailsby

​And that means there are steps we can take to create a food motivated dog. A food motivated dog will reduce your frustration and the dogs when teaching fitness and rehab exercises. ​

Try following these 3 EASY STEPS for improving your dog's eating habits and their willingness to work for food.

1 Set a time limit for eating. It may be difficult to change at first, but your dog will start to understand they have a meal time and it only lasts so long. Dogs often do not want to eat because they don't need the calories - they're already full. To help increase the value of food, it should not be available all the time. Set a limit - it could be 60 seconds or it could be 10 minutes. Stick to the limit! 
If you feel like your dog is really going to miss the meal and that they did not know it was going to go away, you can re-present the meal a couple hours later, but DO NOT add anything "better" to get then to eat it.
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2 Ditch the bowl! Turn food time into training time. Studies have shown that animals are contra-freeloaders. This means they would rather work for their food than get it for free. Instead of just giving your dog their food in a bowl, try making them do exercises for the food.   
Ask them to do know behaviors to earn a food reinforcement. You can also use puzzle toys to work for food.                _________________________________________________________
3 Teach your dog to eat. Eating is operant, meaning you can teach them to eat. For this option, it is okay to use a bowl. When your dog takes a lick or a bite of food, reward them with a treat in their bowl. For example, if your dog takes a small bite of kibble, say "Yes" and then put your dog's favorite treat in the bowl. As your dog keeps eating, keep telling them what a good dog they are and placing their favorite treat in the bowl. It's important the treat is placed in the bowl, not coming from your hand. 
Avoid coaxing your dog to eat. It can often increase anxiety around food, which leads to more reluctance to eat. Your dog can learn that not eating immediately leads to "something yummier" being added to the meal. This is how a picky eater is created.

Unsure if this will work for you? Give it a try, then contact The Total Canine if you still need help.

What is a Total Canine Telehealth Consultation?
 
A telehealth consultation is a Zoom meeting (video and audio capabilities) that happens between a clinician and dog (or cat or other animal) owner for the purpose of discussing rehabilitation, sports medicine or fitness practices for their pet. Often, diagnostic or therapeutic education/advice occurs and Dr. Leslie creates a therapeutic plan. Dr. Leslie excels at explaining previous findings in a way the owner can understand and make sense of what needs to happen next.
 
Total Canine Telehealth consultations allow easy and convenient access to veterinary recommendations for out-of-state and international owners unable to travel to The Total Canine for a consultation with Dr. Leslie.  Dr. Leslie can provide you the information to better advocate for your dog when having an in-person evaluation, if it is decided that seeing another professional is the best next step for you.
 
Dr. Leslie offers telehealth consultations for canine companions and performance dog owners related to musculoskeletal injuries, lameness, undiagnosed orthopedic conditions, performance-related issues, and crucial early identification and prevention of injuries. Dr. Leslie is happy to offer treatment plans for previously diagnosed issues, fitness and conditioning plans, as well as one to one coaching. She can also provide information on nutraceuticals and supplements, rehabilitation therapy, prevention and conditioning, and diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound.
 
Owners will submit a consultation form, patient histories, diagnostics, medical records and videos of the patient prior to the telehealth consultation being scheduled.  This will be discussed during the free Discovery Call. The materials will be reviewed in advance and often reviewed with the client during the meeting. The telemedicine coordinator may reach out in advance for additional information, materials and videos if needed.
 
The fees for review of all materials, an 80 minute teleconsultation, and written plan is $265.00. This will be paid in advance via the link provided after scheduling the consultation.
​
The Total Canine team does their best to answer all your questions and get you and your dog back to the best life possible.
consultations on nutraceuticals and supplements

What people are saying about working with The Total Canine:
​
​"Dr. Eide is a terrific veterinarian - but she has an incredibly rare skillset of being a world-class competitor in canine athletics while also practicing medicine. This combination informs her ability to diagnose and treat injuries as well as offer extensive preventive strategies.
There's no substitute for someone who knows both the sports, and the medicine, inside and out. Highly recommend."  
- Monique Feyrecilde

I cannot recommend Dr. Leslie Eide enough! My border collie Hops was showing lameness that our veterinarian was unable to diagnose. Dr. Eide was not only able to diagnose him right away (rip in a shoulder ligament, fall of 2016), but she was with him through his surgery, through his recovery, through his months of rehab, then through his successes as he returned to agility. She took Hops from being a broken border collie in hobbles to a champion. Hops not only returned to agility, he returned just as strong as before! After returning, Hops won his 3rd National Agility Championship (2018), ran on the European Open team (2018), was an alternate for AKC's World Team (2018) then was a full World team member, running at the FCI Agility World Championships in Finland (2019). I know the reason we were able to return so strong was because we followed Leslie's rehab plan to the T! Thank you Leslie!
- Sarah Baker

Leslie is awesome!! Skeeto Bear, my 7.5yrs old Chesapeake Bay Retriever tore her CCL while competing in dock diving Aug of 2019. She had TPLO surgery Sept 10th 2019. Started working with Leslie at 6 week's PO. She was there from day one helping me, guiding me. She set up a personal page so we could communicate. She would give me different exercises with videos to show you how to do them correctly and have you video your dog so you are doing them correctly. If I had any questions she was there. At 5 months PO TPLO surgery she competed at Dockdogs, jumping 16ft 11in, which is close to her normal distance which is 18 to 20ft. She made it into the finals!! She also took 4th place in Express Speed Retrieve! I couldn't have done it without her kindness and expertise. I would definitely recommend Leslie to help you and your dog!!
- Sandy Thiel

"There's no right way to do it, but you're doing it wrong."

Is there one right way to teach a fitness behavior? No. But more and more I'm hearing certain training techniques are bad or not appropriate for learning or for fitness. 
And I'll be the first to admit that I use an amalgamation of different techniques to get the final behavior, then turn it into an exercise and finally include it into a workout. I think it's important to understand all the different techniques, know how they work best, and know when to use them individually and in combination. 

My first consideration when training a new behavior:
Setting the environment:

• How can I best create an environment to get the behavior to happen and then be able to reinforce it? (Remember reinforcement means getting the behavior to increase). This is a form of shaping called capturing.
• Using certain equipment for certain behaviors is one way to do this, but you can also set up equipment in relationship to each other and to yourself to get behaviors.

Why I like capturing:

• Rather than building the behavior little step by little step, I can be more efficient by figuring out how to get the final behavior in less steps. 
• The dog is doing the work and offering behaviors based on the environment.
• The environment can become the cue or modify the cue. 

Pitfalls of Capturing:

• Similar set ups for different behaviors can create confusion. 
• Using a set up or environment the dog is not comfortable working in.  

My second consideration when training a new behavior:
Will luring help?

• In most cases, yes, because if the dog understands luring it can help the behavior occur quicker for reinforcement.
  
• If there is any movement in the behavior, often luring will help the dog understand the movement. (Remember luring doesn't require food, it can be done by using targeting as well).
• Luring can also allow you to achieve subtle movements like a small step to get the dog into good posture. 

Why I like luring:

• Controlling the speed of the behavior. This is extremely important when it comes to fitness and proper movement and engagement of the muscles. Often dogs will use momentum or gravity to do the exercise. By slowing things down, it encourages the dog to engage muscles to control the movement and their body. Remember, slow is fast - by controlling speed, we can increase strength and power. There is an optimal amount speed of a movement to produce the most force or power. 
• Ability to show the dog what movement I'm looking for in the exercise and get it to happen quickly.

Pitfalls of Luring:

• Coercion by getting the dog to do the behavior through luring when they aren't really comfortable doing it. It is important that you can recognize uncomfortable body language in the dog you are working with. If the dog is uncomfortable, you need to build comfort first before trying to lure a new behavior. 
• Depending on your technique, you may get dogs that appear thoughtless in their movement or dogs that are not paying attention to their body (lack of body awareness). 

My third consideration when training a new behavior:
Can I use capturing and luring together to decrease frustration?

• Most likely the answer is yes! My process starts with capturing and using luring to get the posture of form I desire for the behavior. 
• Often, I want to chain together multiple behaviors and using a combination of capturing and luring can help the dog understand how to do this. 

Examples of Lured Fitness Behaviors:
Down to Stand
Circles
Figure 8s
Side Steps
Walk Backwards
​Hiccup

Examples of Captured Fitness Behaviors:
Posture Standing
Front Paw Target
Rear Paw Target
Sit
Down

Examples of Exclusively Free Shaped Behaviors In Fitness
______

Stay tuned for how I teach dogs to lure to decrease frustration and food mania. 

Working with June Bug to capture 3 new behaviors on a platform. 

Five years ago, myself and Sarah Stremming developed an online class to help agility dogs jump better. The class was created around a program of fitness and jumping exercises for my dog Stig. The combination of fitness, jump grids, and training techniques is like nothing I’ve ever seen anywhere. Now I use this program for all my agility dogs and for all the dogs that come to me for agility fitness training.
 
There are SO MANY different things you can learn in this class. It was a hard task to narrow this down to the top 5 concepts you will learn, but here they are:
 
1)The 5 Phases of Jumping – Approach, Take-off, Aerial, Landing, and Departure
The approach and departure are affected by the set up and handling. The dog depends on the information we give them to know how to approach the jump and where they are going after the jump. The Take-off, Aerial, and Landing phase can all be affected by strength and conditioning.
 
2)Correct Jumping Form – Not every dog jumps the same and that’s okay! Jump form will change with extension, collection, and different departures. Learn to analyze the dog’s jump arc, and how to manipulate the environment (including what parts of the body to strengthen) to improve it.
 
3)Use of Grids as Plyometric Exercise – plyometrics are a form of reactive exercise that usually takes the form of jumping. Specifically, the muscles are loaded and then quickly allowed to unload, like loading a spring and then allowing it to explode. Plyometric exercises are not only a great way to strengthen the muscles, but also to quickly build power.
 
4)Whole Body Conditioning – the whole body needs strength for powerful jumping, not just the core. All the muscles need strength and power and must fire the correct amount and in the correct order to create amazing jumping.
 
5)The Joy of Jumping – often we take jump training for granted. We expect the dog to figure it out with little help from us. Both you and the dog will learn to love jump training.
 
To learn more about jumping fitness, check out Jumping Gymnastics at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Class opens for registration on July 22, 2020 and starts August 1, 2020. The class runs for 6 weeks and has 3 levels of participation. Gold spots (12) have full participation, posting videos for feedback and asking questions for discussion. Silver spots (25) are allowed to ask question and post a very limited amount of video (2 x 1min) for feedback. Bronze spots (unlimited) are allowed access to all material and all student threads. The bonus for bronze students is the opportunity to join a Facebook group to get feedback from other students and our teaching assistant, Jenn Bennet. Every student has access to the material as long as you take one FDSA class or workshop a year. For more information, click on the link: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/11652
​

Let’s break down each of the movements.
The Tuck Sit is mostly a core exercise, especially as the rear legs move together into the sit position. It also engages the muscles that help attach the shoulder blades to the body. You get some pelvic limb involvement but the load on those muscles is very low.
The Rock Back Sit engages the muscles of the rear legs, similar to the muscle activation during the down portion of a squat. The quads are working eccentrically, while the hamstrings and gluteal muscles activate. There is also front leg activation of the supraspinatus, biceps, and triceps muscles. The front limb muscle activation is not more than walking backwards, so it is typically not the focus of this exercise.
The Combo Sit – works a combination of the above muscles, but less than the each individually. This is why I typically avoid this type of sit in fitness exercises.

Is one type of sit better than the other? NO!!!
They both are important because they work different muscles and are progress very differently. The Rock Back Sit becomes a squat. The Tuck Sit becomes a Hop. If your dog does any sport or job that includes jumping, both of these exercises are of utmost importance. 

Learn more with Leslie!
Check out the Weekly Webinar: Battle of the Sits, Friday April 3, 2020 at 4pm Pacific time.

Week 4: 
Week 4 coming at ya! Join me in taking the FitPAWS® Conditioning Challenge. 
All 4 on 2 with front limb lateral stepping.
Equipment used: a Donut with Holder and K9 FITbone. Have fun! Post videos in the comments and share with all your friends!  #powertothedog #trainbetterdomore #musclesneedtobechallenged

Week 5!
Week 5 is now live! One of my favorite exercises, especially if you compete or play in any activity that requires jumping.
Equipment used: the Peanut. Check out the new Trax Peanut from FitPAWS.  
​I'm absolutely loving it and can see a lot more Trax 40cm Peanuts in my future. Awesome!  #trainbetterdomore  #powertothedog  #musclesneedtobechallenged

Week 6: 
​Week 6, The FitPAWS® Hurdle Set! Used a lot for walking and trotting straight through, here's two more ways to try them out.
#trainbetterdomore #powertothedog #musclesneedtobechallenged

Week 7
​Week 7, The FitPAWS® Giant Disc and Paw Pods! Instead of posting a perfect, completed exercise, I am posting a mostly unedited training process. The exercise is back paws on the disc, front paws on the pods and side step front paws. Hope you enjoy seeing something a little different!

That's okay! We can make it work! 
Fitness can happen anywhere, but if I only had one piece of equipment to use, I would pick a K9FITbone™. I can work the rear, the front, the core. I can also get multiple planes - sagittal and frontal and possibly a little bit of transverse. I can also make sure I hit isometric, concentric and eccentric exercises. I can also make exercises more difficult by adding air to the K9FITbone™. As you add more and more air, it rocks more, engaging more of the stabilizer muscles and the core. 
It's always nice to have more than one piece of equipment, but don't give up on conditioning just because you only have one thing. 
This is a video of LaBlanca, a cocker spaniel that competes in agility. She was having some shoulder and back pain and has been in a conditioning program for the past 16 weeks. I love her enthusiasm and focus on maintaining good form. She demonstrates a total of 8 exercises done with the K9FITbone™.

It all used to be so simple! If your dog had a problem you went to a veterinarian, which was easy to find based on the initials after their name: DVM or VMD (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary Medical Doctor). Now a days, everyone has initials behind their name; but what do they all mean and how do I know that is the right person to go to?
Typically, letters behind a person's name indicate a level of education and where that education took place. I'd like this blog to serve as a reference guide for the animal rehabilitation/sports medicine/alternative medicine world; a place to learn what the letters mean, where the education possibly took place, and what those letters give the individual the right to do. These letter designations are mainly used in the United States. It is important to remember that not all certifications are created equal and just because some one is certified, it does not mean they are perfect. 
"Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification."        - Wikipedia Definition

DVM - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; Veterinary schools in the USA and Canada; A 4 year post-graduate degree; does not correlate to a license to practice veterinary medicine

VMD - Veterinary Medical Doctor; University of Pennsylvania; 
A 4 year post-graduate degree; does not correlate to a license to practice veterinary medicine

CCRT - Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist; Canine Rehab Institute; Restricted to Veterinarians and Physical Therapists - Depending on State Practice Act both can diagnose and create treatment plans. http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/CCRT.html


CCRA - Certified Canine Rehabilitation Assistant; Canine Rehab Institute; Restricted to PTAs and Veterinarian Technicians who currently work with a CCRT. Not allowed to diagnose or create treatment plans, allowed to carry out treatments prescribed by a veterinarian or physical therapist.                       
http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/CCRA.html


CCRP - Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner; Northeast Seminars (University of Tennessee); No differentiation between Veterinarians, PTs, Veterinary Technicians and PTAs. Veterinary Technicians and PTAs should not be diagnosing or creating treatment plans. 
http://ccrp.utvetce.com/


DACVSMR - Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation; 
http://vsmr.org/certified.html

DACVS - Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons; A 3 year residency at a program approved by the ACVS, publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and passing of the board examination.

PT - Physical Therapist; 3 years at an accredited CAPTE program (doctor of physical therapy degree)

PTA - Physical Therapist Assistant; 2 years at an accredited CAPTE program (associates degree)

CVT/RVT/LVT - Certified/Registered/Licensed Veterinary Technician; 2 or 4 years at an accredited program (associates degree or bachelors degree) Designation depends on state practice act.

CVPP -Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner
http://ivapm.org/for-professionals/certification/

CAC - Certified Animal Chiropractor
http://animalchiropractic.org/animal_chiropractic_certification.htm

FABAA - Fellow of the American Board of Animal Acupuncturists
The ABAA has established two routes of eligibility for certification in Animal Acupuncture: Individuals may qualify to take the ABAA examinations by meeting all of the requirements specified under one of the following routes: If you are applying to sit for the examination, you must: 1. A. Be certified or licensed by a State acupuncture licensure board, and B. Have graduated from a program of instruction in Animal Acupuncture that meets the minimum competencies as listed below and is comprised of a minimum 120 hours of instruction with clinical training. Or 2. A. Be certified or licensed by a State acupuncture licensure board, and B. Have had tutorial instruction equivalent in nature to the minimum competencies and over 6 years of actual practice of animal acupuncture. In order to complete the process for certification in Animal Acupuncture, the following documentation is required: 1. Proof of Acupuncture License – a current copy must be submitted with the application. License must be verifiable and applicant must be in good standing with their state licensing board or agency. 2. a. - Proof of graduation from a certification program in Animal Acupuncture that meets the ABAA’s minimum requirements; or b. – Proof of tutorial instruction and 6 years of practice of animal acupuncture. 

FAAVA - Fellow of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncturists
The certification process involves completion of two phases a formal application and the examination. The application includes:  curriculum vitae; a synopsis of clinical practice; peer evaluation forms; documentation of a minimum of 50 hours of AAVA approved acupuncture/TCM continuing education; and submission and acceptance of two acupuncture clinical case reports. The second step is the examination process. The exam currently consists of two three hours section, with 150 multiple choice questions per session.

CVA - Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

1. Licensed veterinarian in good standing
2. Attendance at all four sessions of the course
3. Attendance of the Mentored Internship
4. Passing scores on the written and two practical examinations
5. Submission of a log book documenting a minimum 10 cases within 6 months of completing the course
6. Submission and approval of one peer-reviewed case report