Need some input
Not a lot of muscle to brag about, been with me for 3 days here.
Derria has now lived with me for about 2 1/2 months. Since then she has changed a bit. When she came she had the most adorable and sad look in her eyes I’ve ever seen. That look has changed. There’s more energy in her look now, and the clicker training we’ve done means that she will no longer stand still and whine. She has become inventive when she wants something.
Physically she has changed quite a bit as well. She was a bad mover when she came. Walking through the forest she would jump over a log at speed, land a bit wrong for the next take off and you could hear the air going from her lungs.
A bit more mass now - In a well fitted harness
She rarely trotted, but would gallop entire walks. This has changed as the dogs are off lead on every walk. It’s the best available way of building muscles – running through the forest. She had a very bouncy movement in the beginning, she got very much air with every step, now she moves with power and forward momentum. She now has a very elegant trot that takes her wherever she would like.
Even though she has gained muscle and power, I recently got reminded that it’s not that long ago that she was a city dog. As you might know we have been doing some ski-joring since the snow arrived.
It takes it's toll
While this is a lot of fun, it is a strain on a dog’s body. When I was massaging Derria yesterday she turned her head when I reached her lower back, right where her chest stops. I gave that place a thorough rub againg this morning. She was still bothered by it. It’s two days since our last ski trip.
On today’s walk I took the Non Stop harness to see if it actually was adjusted properly. I had spent a good ten minutes adjusting it first time around, but it needed some tweeking. Sorry Derria. So, so, sorry.
When we got back from our walk she got another massage, and she’s now wearing Bajnok’s indoor Back on Track cover. Hopefully this will help her somewhat. From now on I’ll take it more slowly with her. She hasn’t been a working dog all her life and needs more time to build some muscle. Does anyone jave any tips to help her restitution? Anything that will make it easier on her?
I want to be fit and healthy for the rest of my life!
Moody Mudi 
Argh, we had the same with Viva. You can only take baby-steps to train them into fitness. We had setbacks as well 😦 Most important is that you discovered it in time though.
What builds muscle for a dog very well is swimming, or walking in low water, or walking up- and downhill. With emphasis on walking, not running, as they mights get injured. Most important thing is never to push them or take it too far. A healthy dog should be on track again after a couple of months. In Viva’s case, with all her issues, it took more than a year to get her muscles back on track.