Agility instructor Karen Laker, of award-winning Wag & Tone, believes that dog owners nationwide should make a New Year's Resolution to get active with their animals.

It would help to halt the increase in the number of obese dogs and make the lives of both humans and pets much more rewarding, she says.

"Teddy, a French Bull Dog is a great example of a breed that people don’t often associate with exercise or dog training yet he loves his classes, has changed shape and is much more mobile," says Karen.

After learning that Wag & Bone had won the 'Get Pets Fit' award, Karen spoke to Pet Trade Xtra.

How did you come up with idea for Wag & Tone?
My friend Sue Holstead and I were planning an agility foundation class and then discussed what fun class we could offer for people not interested in competitive dog sports but that people would enjoy doing with their dogs.

When was the company launched?
We had a lot of fun with our own dogs and other classes we took so decided to do an eBook which was launched at Crufts 2014

What kind of exercises do you undertake?
Some examples of our exercises include: stepping over cavaletti bars, side stepping from side to side, lunge strides (dog goes under legs), step ups, and even sit ups if you are ok with the potential for your dog climbing on you. In total in the ebook there are 12 exercises and we have since developed further exercises ready for another ebook and for the people in class to do different exercises.

Do you hope to expand nationwide?
We loved how the class worked and the enjoyment people and their dogs got from movement together but realised that we wouldn't be able to get out and train the nation. It is quite an easy class to teach if you know about dog training and the exercises are explained well. So we decided to write an ebook to give people access to do it on their own. We also added some extra information on how to run a class for dog trainers nationwide to set up their own. We have been to a few places and helped them set up their own classes already. You mention nationwide but there is even a dog training centre in California that is planning to run classes there from early next year. 

What message would you give to owners of overweight pets?
The way I look at it dogs choose to live with people and will gladly share our lives. However, they were not made to be inactive and we weren’t either. Combining exercise with spending time with your dog is more rewarding than you would have thought. I personally find sit ups hard work but can do twice as many when I am thinking about rewarding my dog for sitting up when I do. 

It doesn’t have to be difficult. Even just moving from sit to stand to sit to stand is quite physical for your dog so just start with a few things. 

Daily walks are great too for dogs just to stretch out. There are a lot of hobbies for dogs from CaniX, Agility, Fyball, Scenting etc – just pick what interests you and find a club to join. You are guaranteed to find like minded people - they will all be dog lovers.

Are obese pets on the increase?
I hear on the news that more pets are becoming obese and hope that classes like this can help encourage people to get out and get the most out of their relationship with their dog with exercise.

What can owners do who can't get to your lessons?
Our eBook has 12 exercises and although some need equipment other do not. We also helped the Kennel Club with their Get Fit with Fido campaign and we did some exercises with them that can be done in a park. Just check out the Get Fit with Fido page on the Kennel Club website.

Who's involved in the business? Wag & Tone consists of myself and Sue Holstead (pictured above with Dexi) and we wrote the eBook with our friend Ruth MacGill. Vivienne Wells from Vivebooks assisted us and produced the ebook.

Classes are run either as stand alone classes or as part of other ongoing training. My weekly class is in Lincolnshire. Sue incorporates the exercises in her weekly train and maintain class in Salisbury.

There are other classes being set up countrywide - Andover in Hampshire, Newbury in Berkshire and another in Devon. We advertise these if the instructors want us to but we do not employ anyone – all they need to do is buy the ebook.

Important links
Ebook https://www.vivebooks.com/shop/wag-and-tone/?affiliates=16
Website www.thelakers.co.uk
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