¿Qué es el DOGA? - ¡Descubre el YOGA con perros!

Hi everyone. My name is Patricia Guerrero, better known as Pat the dog trainer. Well, these are my canine companions, Vespa and Bongo. Well, one of them, because there are six of us in the canine family. Well, I dedicate my life to sharing my knowledge about dogs, spreading it through canine madness activities, doggy weekends, online courses, in person courses, trips, whatever comes to mind. And here we are. What we are looking for in the end is to share our day to day life with our dog. And today we are going to talk to you about Doga. Let's see what it is and what it is. Doga is the union of yoga and dog. It is yoga for dogs with dogs too, but it would be more for them. Why? Because it is a practice dedicated exclusively to them. We are just extras who are there to do the activity. That's on the one hand. Then what you have to always keep in mind is that it is a moment to share and to enjoy petting both us and them. And that will depend on each dog. I don't think there are dogs that don't like to be petted, but there are dogs that haven't been able to be petted, which is something different. Think about how when handling a dog, whether it's through petting, grabbing its paw, stretching it or whatever, we have to respect its space and time. And what's fast for one dog may be very slow for another. And above all, we have to respect its space. As you can see, Vespa already knows what he's here for. He's seen the mat and the first thing he did was lie down. Jambo. Well, now he's decided to leave. No problem. In other words, we have to respect our dog's time and space at all times. Ideally, you should create an environment conducive to relaxation. For example, dim lighting, you can play music, you can use aromatherapy, that is, you can put lavender essential oil or even plug in pheromones like an adaptil or something like that. The environment should really be conducive to tranquility. It's ideal to start at home. We could also start with group sessions, but that would always be more complicated. Home is the best place to start. Then it would be great if you had a math. In fact, you've already seen that. Vespa, who has seen the math, already knows what it's about. Little by little they will understand what the activity is about. The activity is a fantastic way to calm down after a walk, whether it's a sporty one, because you've done sports together. Or simply going to the park with your dog. Why? Because sometimes we go from 100 to zero. That is, we're in the park, playing with other dogs, having a lot of fun, we're running in the forest and suddenly we go home and the walk is over. Doga is a fantastic activity to calm down, both physically and mentally. Why? Because we're going to combine several things that promote that tranquility, such as massages, stretching, a shared moment of relaxation, and the only objective in the use is really to enjoy the caresses. Doga has several parts. The first part would be massages. We're not talking about a physiotherapy massage, but rather a relaxation massage. And there are many techniques that you probably don't know about, so that our dogs are relaxed and we can well massage them without ever hurting them and always respecting their natural movement. Then in the second part, we would have the postures. They are yoga postures. You are going to be doing yoga, you are going to do the posture correctly, but your dog is going to be doing doga. That is to say, we are going to adapt to your dog. In some postures, your dog will be the protagonist, and in others it will be you, and in others it will be both of you together. And finally, the last part, which is the most popular, is total relaxation, which is when you simply lie down, listen to the music, close your eyes, touch your dog and let yourself go and relax completely, both you and your dog. In the postures part, you can perhaps imagine the posture that we have appeared in many media outlets with a Vespa on my legs. This would be acrod Oga. I made up this word. But anyway, it would be like acro yoga, which are postures in which balance and perhaps a little more balance are the most important thing, because that would be a very advanced posture. Forget about it, that's the last thing. And it would be the icing on the cake. These are very advanced postures in which, in the end, there does have to be a very, very strong mutual trust and also a balance. But that would be the last thing. The most important thing is that your dog enjoys being petted and that you enjoy this moment together. For your dog to really enjoy this activity, you have to know how to interpret when they are comfortable and when they are not. So understanding their canine language is essential, and also respecting them. A very easy way to know if they are enjoying it is to stop and see if they really want you to continue. As you can see, Vespa is very clear about this. If Your dog, for whatever reason, leaves the mat, it's okay. In other words, it's an activity for them. We are not obligated at any time to have to do the postures. So let's relax and let him come and go as he pleases. What is not Doga? Doga is not a physiotherapeutic massage. That is to say, we are not in any type of rehabilitation, nor are we doing therapy to improve injuries or anything like that. These are completely superficial massages in which the only thing we seek is for you to relax together and enjoy being petted. It is not a human yoga practice. Yes, you will be practicing yoga, but your dog will be doing doga. So don't expect to spend the same amount of time as you would in a practice like yours. Instead, we will do sessions. For me, the ideal time is 12 minutes maximum. That time will depend on each dog and its situation. You also have to remember that just like us, there are better and worse days, and we have to respect what our dog is feeling at all times. Doga is not about putting the dog in a yoga pose with a shoehorn. In fact, you might often think that doga is only for small dogs because they're the ones you've seen catching or doing different poses. In the end, what we have to look for is for the dog to not only enjoy it, but also work its muscles. In other words, we're not going to do a pose just for the sake of it, but rather we're going to try to strengthen the hind and front legs. And that also requires a little knowledge of our dog's muscles. Another benefit of Doga is that it includes stretching. And although you might not think so, your dog can also get injuries and contractures and needs to stretch after doing sports. And as we said before, sports aren't just about running 10 kilometers in the mountains, going to the park and playing with others, but they're also sports. So if you dedicate a few minutes a day to properly stretching your dog's muscles, you'll prevent injuries and greatly improve your dog's quality of life. And I'm not even talking about if they reach the golden age. At that age, it is super important to exercise the muscles in a gentle way, such as with Doga. This activity is not only designed for sporty dogs or dogs that can really be flexible, but it would be for everyone, for puppies, because from a very young age you get them used to gentle handling and truly respecting their space for young and dynamic dogs, because it helps them find that calm that is often difficult, especially in adolescent dogs. And then for golden retrievers, for dogs that are already a certain age, it is fantastic because they probably won't be able to move the same way they did when they were young. But thanks to this activity, we can continue exercising the muscles in a way that there are no impacts and it can't affect them, always taking into account, well, all their ailments. If they have arthritis, dysplasia, well, all the ailments they may have, either due to age or because they have been dragging them from other ages. In short, doga is for all types of dogs, regardless of their breeds, ages, colors, everything. Anyone can practice it, because the secret is to adapt it to each one of them. And finally, doga is not training. There are what are called canine skills, which is great. Also on this channel you can find a lot of very interesting videos where some of them are explained. But in this case, this activity would not be about that, but rather about sharing a moment. And that really our dog, the prize itself would be the practice, the fact of being here. Well, lying down, stretching, massaging themselves, well, massaging them, that would be a bit of doga. In short, doga is a mix of things that I love and that are very beneficial for dogs. It would be massages, stretching, sharing a moment of relaxation together, and yoga, but all of that adapted and designed for them. So I encourage you to dedicate a few minutes a day to practicing it. I hope that after watching this video, you'll be encouraged to spend 10 or 12 minutes a day relaxing with your dog, taking into account their muscles, what they like and don't like, and enjoying it together. If you also want to practice it in more depth, you can find the doggum webcourse pattydukadoraina.com and if you don't have it, you can find more resources on the blog as well as other expert animal videos that you can practice with us. Sam.