For many dog owners, relaxing with their dog on the couch is one of the many pleasures of living with a dog. In some households, the dogs even have their own couch. While we enjoy having our dogs sitting up with us, what effect does the action of jumping up and down onto the couch or bed have on your dog’s muscles?

How do dogs jump up on the bed or couch?

The action of jumping up onto the couch or bed requires the dog to shift their centre of gravity. For the dog to jump up they need to shift their weight back onto their hind limbs to propel their body upward and forward. This action loads the dog’s hind limb joints and activates the muscles in the back legs.

During the “take off” phase, the range of motion in the dog’s hind limb joints: tarsal (hock), stifle and hip, increases as does the activation levels of the supporting muscles, compared to walking on the flat.

In the forelimbs, there is significant flexion of the shoulder, elbow and carpal joints when jumping up followed by an extension to land. The muscles that support these joints are also activated during this action. The level of muscle activation during jump take off is greater than that required for other activities such as walking on the flat.

Additionally, in most cases, the dog is jumping onto a soft surface like a couch or bed which requires the dog’s muscles to contract eccentrically to maintain stability. Eccentric contractions are known to contribute to muscle fatigue and strain in dogs and humans.

How do dogs jump off the bed or couch?

The action of jumping down from the bed or furniture requires the dog to apply significant braking forces with their forelimbs to maintain front to back balance. The dog’s forelimbs normally bear about 60% of their body weight. This is significantly increased when descending from an obstacle.

Functionally, when jumping down, the dog’s shoulder flexes and the elbow extends to brake and stabilise the body. The shoulder and forelimb muscles are activated to support the joints and brake the body’s downward and forward movement.

What are the risks of letting my dog jump up on the couch or bed?

The frequency with which some dogs jump up and down onto the couch or bed exposes their joints and muscles to very high loads on a daily basis. We know that performing the same task repetitively can result in overuse and repetitive strain injuries in humans and animals. Symptoms of these conditions include dysfunction and pain.

The risk of injury is exacerbated if the dog is overweight which adds load to the joints and muscles.

How to keep my dog’s muscles healthy and still let them up on the couch?

Training

For smaller breed dogs, train the dog to wait to be lifted up onto furniture and down again. This avoids the compressive forces on the shoulders and forelimbs on descent and overloading muscles.

For larger dogs, train the dog to use a step to get up and down on furniture to reduce the muscle load. While stairs or steps require greater joint range of motion in both the front and back legs than walking on the flat, the shift in the dog’s centre of gravity is reduced with the lowered height the dog needs to negotiate.

Flooring

The load on the dog’s joints and muscles increases on ascent and descent, if the flooring around the couch or bed is slippery like tiles or polished timber. Dogs require good foot friction to enable them to safely jump up and down. Without good foot friction, the likelihood of a slip and fall increases.

Access

Providing clear access to the bed or couch is also important to reduce the risk of muscle strain. Clear the area of impediments such as objects on the floor so the dog can naturally adjust their stride for a “clean” take off and landing. Ideally, the dog should be able to take off and land without twisting or turning which can lead to strains in back and neck muscles.

Good muscle maintenance

For dogs that regularly jump onto the bed or couch, watch them carefully for changes in their jumping motion or reluctance to jump. These could be signs the dog has strained a muscle. Seek out a vet diagnosis and for soft tissue injuries consider a massage treatment or stretching programme to relieve muscle tension and pain.

What are your tips for letting your dogs up on the couch with you and preventing injury? Full Stride provides remedial massage and exercise therapy to keep dogs active and pain free. Please contact me for more information.

Until next time, enjoy your dogs.

Sources:

Bove, G. M., Harris, M. Y., Zhao, H., & Barbe, M. F. (2016). Manual therapy as an effective treatment for fibrosis in a rat model of upper extremity overuse injury. Journal of the neurological sciences, 361, 168-180.

Croney, C.C, Daigle, C.L, Hurt, M & Stella, J.L 2015 “Effects of flooring on animal health and well-being: Implications for kennelled dogs” Purdue Extension

Cullen,K.L, Dickey, J.P, Brown, S.H.M, Nykamp, S.G, Bent, L.R, Thomason J.J and Moens, N.M.M, 2017 “The magnitude of muscular activation of four canine forelimb muscles in dogs performing two agility-specific tasks” BMC Veterinary Research

Richards, J., Holler, P., Bockstahler, B., Dale, B., Mueller, M., Burston, J. & Levine, D. (2010). A comparison of human and canine kinematics during level walking, stair ascent, and stair descent. Wien Tierarztl Monatsschr, 97, 92-100.