Official CCC Postnatal Mini-Program

Program Description:

The best way to ensure your girl returns to function quickly after whelping, is to make sure she’s in GREAT SHAPE ahead of time… But what if formal conditioning wasn’t part of the routine ahead of time? Is there something I can do now to help my girl recover, and regain her strength and stability?? YES!! This program is designed for Mama Dogs new to conditioning and experienced in conditioning to help their body recover from  the demands of pregnancy, whelping, c-section, and the hormonal changes associated with motherhood.

Some people are totally fine immediately after giving birth and are able to return to their previous activities without missing a beat… But that is not the norm. The vast majority of people need some help returning their body to its previous condition. That’s done by implementing a gradual loading process, starting with short lever, stable, closed kinetic chain exercises that encourage the deepest abdominal muscle to contract, the stabilizing muscles that cross the hip, and sacrum to re-engage, giving the soft tissue (tendon, ligament, and myofascial system) a chance to return to their pre-pregnancy length and tensile strength.

The Principle of Reversibility, a human physiology principle, states that the body begins adapting to disuse as soon as 1 week. Since your girl has been managing different demands on her body for several months now, it’s important  to use a mindful approach when returning her to activity. This increases the likelihood things will go smoothly, and decreases her risk of injury.

The hormone Relaxin shows up in measurable amounts around 4 weeks post LH surge. Not only does Relaxin “relax” the musculature in the abdominal wall, allowing the belly to expand to accommodate the litter, it actually impacts the soft tissue in the entire body… Muscle, ligament, tendon and fascia. This leaves the lumbar spine, SI joint, and stifle particularly vulnerable. Relaxin also breaks down collagen, and prevents it from synthesizing, leaving your girl more vulnerable to sprain/strain type injuries… especially if load or forces are increased abruptly.

And Relaxin levels don’t return to normal levels in your girl’s body until 4-9 weeks post whelp, so your girl is more vulnerable until then.

This Program can be started as early as week 3 post whelp, or after suture removal post cesarean, as long as your girl is feeling ok, and has been cleared by your vet to begin a slow return to activity (and assuming you have enough sleep and brain power to be training). But there’s no rush. Waiting is perfectly fine as well.

This Postnatal Mini-Program can ALSO be implemented before breeding to ensure your girl starts her journey into motherhood with a strong core, appropriate mobility and body awareness that can help her navigate the coming changes. This would actually be considered “Best Practice”.

I made sure my BC Hot Rod was in tip top condition before she was bred… but after her pregnancy, cecesarian, and puppy raising, she needed a little help addressing the subtle and not so subtle muscle imbalances that resulted from the changes to her body. Those aren’t really 100% preventable.

Your girl deserves the strongest, most stable, resilient body after her months off… This is how you can help that become a reality.

If you’re unsure if this is the right program for your pup or your goals, shoot me an email annalee@canineconditioningcoach.com

 

Don’t love email? We can always schedule a 30 min Discovery Call to go over things face-to-face.

*The Postnatal Mini-Program is intended for girls recovering well from their pregnancy, and after she has been cleared by your vet to start the gentle return to normal activity.

Circuit Progression: