Home Exercise Plan for Mazzy Lopez

Please rotate exercises daily regarding the order that they are done, unless
otherwise noted:
1. Continue with leash walks, including circles of varying sizes, equally in
both directions and including figure-8s.
2. Tug of war: great exercise to have Mazzy do for 2-3 minute sessions.
Be sure to have her only pull straight backward and not side to side.
3. Have Mazzy walk over 2 x 4s, poles, towels rolled into cylinders, etc.,
spaced at varying distances and in differing patterns.
4. Sit to stands: have Mazzy sit, with her hindlimbs squarely under her
body, then have her rise up to stand, take 2-3 steps, repeat. Begin
with 5 sit to stands and add 1 daily (or every other day) up to 20 per
session.
5. 3-legged stand: Lift each of her limbs individually off of the floor for 10
seconds, then release. Rotate lifting, holding up and releasing all of
her limbs 10 times each per session with 2-3 sessions daily. Continue
to add 10 seconds every week to the length of time that her limbs are
lifted off of the floor (up to 30 seconds per limb), then advance to this:
Alternate leg lifts: lift one front leg and the opposite rear leg off of the
floor for 10 seconds then release; lift the other front leg and opposite
rear leg for the same time then release; rotate through lifting each
pair of legs 10 times per session with 2-3 sessions daily. Continue to
add 10 seconds every week to the length of time that her limbs are
lifted off of the floor (up to 30 seconds per limb). Try to not allow
Mazzy to lean into your body for support while doing this exercise.
When she is proficient with this, you can then progress to continuing
with this alternate leg lift but extend and stretch out the legs that you
have lifted off of the floor, again starting with 10 seconds per session,
increasing 10 seconds every week up to 30 seconds per repetition.
Sit up and beg: Have Mazzy sit, then use a treat to prompt her to rise
up to a begging position, ideally holding this for 5 seconds before
coming back down to a sit again. Continue with 5 repetitions of this
per session. From the begging position, you can try to get Mazzy to
rise up and stand on her hindlimbs, again holding for 5 seconds,
before coming down to a begging and then sitting position. Increasing

time held in the begging position for 5 seconds at a time or increasing

repetitions per session can be done to advance this exercise.
6. Balancing: have Mazzy stand with a block or paperback book under
each foot for periods beginning at 30 seconds for 5 repetitions per
session to begin. Time or number of repetitions can be added to
increase the challenge of this exercise.
7. Place a 2 x 4 on the floor with small blocks or books placed under it to
give it support and walk Mazzy along this slowly 5 times per session.
Increase the number of repetitions of walking down and back to
progress this exercise.
8. Try and teach Mazzy to roll over using a treat to guide her head and
neck, and using a verbal command that she can associate with it. Try
to keep the number of rolls equal in each direction.