Exercise to Help Stabilise the Hock

Purpose – Highly effective for working on strengthening the small stabilising muscles. Works on adductors, abductors that helps strengthen a weak hock similar to weak ankles. 

Criteria – Dog can maintain correct stand without falling over. 

Placement of reward – For this exercise I tend to have food out in front of the dog on a chair in a container. I teach them that I am going to reward them when marked from that container. This allows me to get forward focus while being beside them and doing the weight shifting. 

Increasing difficulty – Moving to angled board for extra weight on the rear. Unstable equipment like the Propel air. Increasing how much you push (as long as they can maintain position). Also increasing the amount of time held. 

NB - When reading your program number of reps are per leg. Each rep should start on a lower number of 5-10 secs and build up to 1 min.