Some Examples of Cavaletti Equipment my Clients Have Used in their Home Environments –

Since my practice is mobile, I look around the client’s home or workout environment to find cavaletti equipment or tools to get the (obstacle) work done. These drills are for proprioceptive benefit as well as range of motion and isometric strength building.

Cavalettis should technically and scientifically be done only after establishing a base with this program.

First…

I look around the home environment to help people with ideas that are inexpensive and easy to set up the right size and spacing of cavalettis for their pet. Finding options for the right kind of obstacles in the home environment makes it easier for the people and the pets to be compliant with the work. Less time demand and easier access makes for greater compliance. Even if people have to buy stuff to use for these drills, sometimes pool noodles or something from the home supply store, these tools are inexpensive.

I lined up these bricks along a house to make range of motion and isometric drills for a mid-sized herding dog with non-surgical rehab of torn cruciate ligament.

Later, her person caretaker raised the bar by raising the bar and building a more elaborate brick-scapade across the back yard!

Second –

This was the cavaletti path for a large Pit/Lab X doing non-surgical rehab for torn cruciate ligament and torn meniscus. She also had a tarsal (ankle) injury that I discovered at the same time!

This client was unable to work her large, happy, strong dog outside with much success. She had great success doing all the advanced drills inside the home.

She also didn’t have the right size and type of items for the drills lying around the home, so she spent a little bit of money on wood. After doing the introductory drills at this height, the client then placed flat 2×4 blocks under the ends of the boards to raise them.

After several successful sessions at an introductory level, pets need to continue the drill at increasingly higher bar levels. For videos of cavaletti instructions, click here!

This client bought wood, nails, and pvc –

This was level 2 cavaletti height for a Goldendoodle doing non-surgical rehab for torn meniscus and torn cruciate ligament. She also had hip pain issues that after muscle atrophy from the knee injury. This resolved after she started my program for muscle-building and received the proper pain medications from her veterinarian.

The next level for her was to put 2 x 4 blocks under the pvc. You already see that in the picture.

 These were from the woodpile out front at this mid-sized dogs home. I set them up to help her recover from her neurological event, an FCE (fibrocartilaginous embolism). I directed them to begin this work only after completing my base work of fitness and muscle strength.

Yes, these ARE speaker stands inserted into milk crates. Only in Austin, TX (and maybe Nashville…)

I DO work with many cats. This one is Kacey, and there’s a vid on this site of her doing cavaletti repeats…

And this guy is getting a start using his own standard cavaletti equipment he usually uses for agility training. Recovery cavaletti drills are much different than agility training work with jumps. There is no jumping in recovery cavaletti drills.  He was working on this drill to help with his disk disease and degenerative myelopathy.

(Original Post November 3, 2014. Updated March 27, 2018)