There seems to be no shortage of inflatable equipment options for canines these days which is terrific.  But are they right for puppies?

 

A great deal of the research we have for canine fitness is extrapolated from human fitness studies. There is limited research or studies on the effects of instability or inflatable equipment in puppies and human children under the age of 7. If you look at the life of a puppy in their first year, it is similar in age span to a human’s first 15 years for a medium size dog. A 6 month old medium size dog would be approximately in age to a 7 year old child. Small children under 6 or 7 years learn motor skills and fine motor skills like holding a spoon or tying their shoes. They can learn balance skills by walking across a balance beam, holding one foot up, holding one foot up with eyes closed, etc. Both motor and balance skills are important in a child's development. 

 

What is balance? Balance is the ability to maintain your center of gravity within a base of support.  Balance is either static or dynamic. Static balance is for example being able to stand and maintain your posture without falling over. Dynamic balance is being able to maintain balance when in movement such as turning 360 degrees while maintaining your balance. 

 

Studies in regards to healthy children using inflatable instability equipment to balance such as inflatable discs, are limited. A study in 2015 looked at instability strength training over a person's lifespan, but their search could not find any studies related to young children. There was one study found that used balance equipment such as therapy balls, foam pads for children born with biological risk factors, but most of the positive results from the study were based on numerous balance metrics apart from just equipment.  

 

So what does this all mean? Since we extrapolate many human studies to canine fitness, we know that teaching young children balance helps them improve their motor skills which is an important component to their physical development. Development of motor skills and balance are also essential skills for growing puppies. We know from human studies, there are a variety of ways children can learn balance that don't necessarily utilize inflatable equipment. Based on the limited research we have in the human field, and the lack of studies on canine puppies in regards to instability equipment, it's best to err on the side of caution when using this equipment for young puppies.  

 

In order to balance on an inflatable or a wobble board for duration, a dog will have to utilize their stabilizer and postural muscles around their joints to balance and stabilize on the equipment. We know for an adult dog, this can be a challenging core strengthening exercise.  For a puppy who has growing joints, muscles, bones and tendons, we want to focus on body awareness activities rather than conditioning exercises for the purposes of strength training. 

 

Can a puppy still learn balance or improve motor and fine motor skills? Of course they can. An elevated plank to a puppy is a balance challenge. If you have ever seen a small puppy encounter for the first time an elevated plank or board, you can see them really have think to stand with all four feet on the plank and balance. If they walk over the plank, they have to balance to stay on the plank. Learning to turn 360 degrees is also a balance challenge. There are many body awareness exercises suitable for puppies that help them learn balance and body awareness and hone their motor skills while being safe for their growing bodies. 

 

The video attached is my 5 month old puppy who has performed safe body awareness activities and has never been on an inflatable piece of equipment.  In order to perform spins right and left on a plank, he first needs to understand turns on the flat.  To execute 360 degree turns on a plank, he needs to know how to balance with all four feet on the plank, be aware proprioceptively where he is on the board, be aware of his foot placement as he turns to keep all four feet on the board and then come back to center for reward.  He is using his balance skills that have been developed to execute the exercise. 

 

We want puppies to have adequate body awareness to improve their functional movement, reduce chance of injury and build their confidence. There are many ways to accomplish improving their balance and body awareness skills that are safe and effective.