The Immediate Effect of Parachute-Resisted Gallop on Heart Rate, Running Speed and Stride Frequency in Dogs

Abstract

Physical fitness is required for canine athletes and working dogs to optimize performance in various disciplines. There is a lack of research on the effects of resistance exercise on cardiorespiratory variables in dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of parachute-resisted (PR) gallop on heart rate, running speed and stride frequency compared to unresisted (UR) gallop in dogs. Five N-of-1 trials RCTs with alternating interventions were implemented. Dogs ran on a 200 m course with and without resistive force applied by a parachute attached to their harness while cardiac inter-beat intervals (IBI), running speed and stride frequency were measured. The results were visually displayed and interpreted in graphs and percentage of non-overlapping data estimated effect size. Both interventions showed large effects on heart rate compared to resting values. Mean IBI increased (10–17%) during PR gallop compared to UR gallop although this change was small relative to decreased running speed (19–40%) and increased stride frequency (18–63%). Minimum IBI showed no difference between interventions indicating similar maximum heartbeat per minute. In conclusion, parachute-resistance resulted in dogs galloping at lower speeds at the same cardiorespiratory level of intensity, which may be useful in canine physical rehabilitation and fitness training.