Strong hindleg muscles not only improve mobility—allowing your dog to walk, run, and play more comfortably—but also enhance stability, helping protect joints from excessive strain and minimizing the risk of injuries. By incorporating specific exercises like sit-to-stands, slow leash walking, and balance work, you can target these muscles effectively. Such exercises also strengthen the bond between you and your dog, as they rely on your guidance and encouragement. Tailoring exercises to your dog’s individual needs and consulting a veterinarian or canine rehabilitation specialist ensures a safe and effective approach. Maintaining strong and healthy hind limb muscles helps your dog enjoy better joint health, reduced pain, and an active, happy life.

Why These Exercises Help

• Why You Should Incorporate At-Home Exercises
• Beneficial for These Pets
• Why We Target These Muscles

Hindlimb Exercises You Can Do At Home

• Slow Leash Walking
• Weight Shifting
• Unloading of One Limb While Standing
• Sit-to-Stand
• Incline/Decline Standing & Walking
• Walking on Different Surfaces
• Cavaletti Rails or Hurdles
• Balance Discs/BOSU/Yoga Ball
• Download These Exercises & Simple Instructions: WDOW Rehab Exercises for Hindlimbs

A Few Notes About These Exercises

These exercises, while intended for dogs, can be done with cats and other four-legged animals. You only need to adjust them to fit your pet’s size.

All of these exercises can be done with the addition of a sling if needed to help keep your pet stable. If using a sling, only keep it taut enough to prevent your pet from falling. They must be allowed and able to bear some weight on all limbs for these exercises to be effective.

If your pet is not able to bear any weight on one or more limbs these exercises are not appropriate and your pet should not do any exercises until cleared by your veterinarian.

Note, dogs and cats put approximately 60% of their body weight on their front limbs. If your pet is a “tri-pod” please consult with your veterinarian prior to asking your pet to perform these exercises. All exercises should be conducted on a non-slip surface to provide adequate traction to reduce the risk of falling.

Why You Should Incorporate At-Home Exercises

Incorporating at-home exercises into your dog’s routine is an essential part of maintaining their strength, mobility, and overall well-being. These exercises are practical and accessible, often requiring no fancy or expensive equipment—just items you likely already have at home or even just your time and effort. The beauty of at-home exercises is their convenience, allowing for consistent practice, which is critical for seeing long-term benefits. Frequent exercise sessions help build muscle memory, improve joint function, and enhance your dog’s comfort and quality of life. For areas where specialized canine physical therapists are unavailable or too costly, at-home exercises provide a cost-effective and feasible alternative. They are also a lifesaver for dogs who don’t travel well, have mobility challenges, or are difficult to load into a car, especially senior pets. Additionally, at-home routines strengthen the bond between you and your dog, as they rely on your guidance and encouragement. By making these exercises a regular habit, you’re empowering your dog to live a healthier, more active life, even in the face of age or mobility challenges.

Beneficial for These Pets

Strengthening your dog’s hind limbs through home exercises is essential for their overall mobility, stability, and quality of life. These exercises are particularly important for:

1. Injury Recovery: After an injury or surgery, targeted exercises can rebuild strength, restore muscle mass, and improve range of motion, helping your dog return to normal activity faster.
2. Senior Dogs: Aging dogs often experience muscle loss and joint stiffness. Regular strengthening exercises can slow muscle atrophy, improve balance, and make everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs easier.
3. Arthritis Management: Dogs with arthritis benefit from stronger hind limbs, as improved muscle support reduces stress on joints, alleviates pain, and enhances their ability to move comfortably.
4. Arthritis Prevention: For dogs at risk of arthritis, maintaining strong hind limbs can delay its onset by supporting joint health and overall physical fitness.

Incorporating exercises like sit-to-stand transitions, gentle resistance training, or balance work into your dog’s routine can make a significant difference in their long-term health and happiness. Always consult your veterinarian before starting a new exercise regimen.

Why We Target These Muscles

Muscles of action in the hindlegs. Image obtained here.

Strengthening the correct muscles in your dog’s hind limbs is essential for improving their stability, mobility, and overall health. The key muscles to focus on include the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles, calf muscles, and the core. Each of these muscle groups plays a vital role in supporting your dog’s ability to move safely and efficiently while minimizing strain on their joints.

Quadriceps (Front Thigh)

These muscles are responsible for extending the knee and supporting weight during walking, running, and jumping. Strong quadriceps are essential for activities like climbing stairs or rising from a sitting position.

• Role in Stability: The quadriceps stabilize the knee joint during weight-bearing activities, ensuring your dog can stand securely and move without their legs collapsing under pressure.
• Role in Mobility: These muscles extend the knee and play a major role in forward motion, allowing your dog to walk, run, and climb effectively.

Hamstrings (Back Thigh)

The hamstrings work to flex the knee and extend the hip, helping your dog propel forward during movement. Strengthening these muscles improves gait and overall agility.

• Role in Stability: The hamstrings provide counterbalance to the quadriceps, helping to stabilize the hip and knee joints. This balance is critical for safe, coordinated movement.
• Role in Mobility: They flex the knee and extend the hip, enabling propulsion and powering your dog’s stride during walking and running.

Gluteal Muscles (Hip)

These muscles provide power and stability to the hips, aiding in weight-bearing, climbing, and running. Strong glutes help prevent hip injuries and support joint health.

• Role in Stability: The glutes stabilize the hip joint, helping to keep your dog’s hindquarters steady during movement. This is especially important when navigating uneven terrain or during sudden directional changes.
• Role in Mobility: These muscles generate power for running, jumping, and climbing, supporting the body’s overall movement.

Calf Muscles (Gastrocnemius)

Located on the back of the lower leg, these muscles are involved in extending the ankle and stabilizing the leg during movement, especially on uneven terrain.

• Role in Stability: The calf muscles stabilize the hock (ankle joint) during weight-bearing and walking, preventing the leg from giving way under the body.
• Role in Mobility: They enable the extension of the ankle, which is vital for pushing off the ground during each step or jump.

Core Muscles (Abdominals)

While not part of the hind limbs, a strong core is essential for supporting the spine and pelvis, providing a stable foundation for hind limb movement.

• Role in Stability: A strong core supports the spine and pelvis, ensuring proper posture and reducing strain on the hind limbs. It also helps with balance during standing and dynamic movements.
• Role in Mobility: The core provides a stable base from which the hind limbs can generate movement efficiently, improving coordination and overall performance.

Why Stability & Mobility Matter

By maintaining strong and healthy hind limb muscles, dogs can enjoy better joint health, reduced injury risk, and an active, pain-free life.

• Stability: These muscles protect the joints from excessive strain, minimize the risk of injury, and allow your dog to remain steady during standing, walking, or quick directional changes.
• Mobility: Well-functioning muscles ensure smooth, efficient movement, allowing your dog to engage in activities like running, climbing, and playing without pain or difficulty.

Continue reading to learn how to target these muscles with your pet at home.

Slow Leash Walking

Slow leash walks are the most important exercise in the early rehabilitative period and walks in general are a great exercise to keep your pet active as they age. Unfortunately, slow walks are commonly performed incorrectly.  Walking your pet slowly encourages the use of all limbs in a sequenced gait pattern.  Walks must be slow enough to allow weight-bearing; if your pet is walking too fast, the tendency is to simply hold the affected limb up in a flexed position and not bear any weight on it.

• Slow leash walking is indicated when your pet is reluctant to use a limb as a result of pain and/or weakness. Slow leash walks encourage placement of each limb on the ground, increasing stance time and weight-bearing.
  • If there are no contraindications to weight-bearing, slow leash walks may begin very soon after most orthopaedic procedures.
• Some training may be needed. Your pet should be praised when touching the limb to the ground, and not praised when the leg is held up.
• As your pet regains use of the affected limb and is consistently able to place the limb at a slow leash walk, the pace of the walk may be increased.
  • Faster walks further challenge balance, coordination, proprioception, and cardiorespiratory endurance, as well as functional muscle strengthening and endurance.

Watch an example of slow leash walking:

Weight Shifting

When a pet is able to stand safely, activities to improve balance are helpful to re-establish appropriate proprioception and increase dynamic balance. Dynamic balance is your pet’s ability to maintain balance while the body is moving, such as while walking. Proprioception is your pet’s ability to understand where they are in a space. The following exercise may be performed to challenge your pet in these areas.

• While your pet is standing, a treat may be used to encourage weight-shifting.
• Your pet should follow the treat up and down and side to side.
• Start with small movements and progress to larger, more challenging movements.
• The movement of the head causes your pet’s center of gravity to shift. As the center of gravity shifts, your pet must shift its weight to maintain its balance.
• To maintain the unassisted standing position, your pet is required to use strength, coordination, and balance.
• As your pet progresses and becomes stronger you may attempt to disrupt your pet’s balance by gently nudging your pet at the hips or lifting the unaffected limb.
  • The goal is to disrupt their balance just enough so your pet can recover, being careful not to nudge with a force that may cause your pet to fall.
  • Generally, nudging your pet to the more affected side challenges your pet sufficiently to allow the activity to have the desired effect.
• Some dogs become conditioned to this activity and shift their weight toward you to prevent being pushed toward the affected side. In this case, a rebound weight shift may be effective.
  • For this maneuver, gently nudge your pet toward the affected side. When your pet shifts its weight to resist the movement, suddenly release the pressure, and simultaneously push gently toward the unaffected side, but to keep from falling, they immediately shift their weight back toward the affected side.
• When your pet has progressed further weight shifts may also be performed during walking.
  • As your pet is walking in a straight line, gently bump your pet to one side to challenge your pet to maintain its balance. Caution should be used to tailor the force of the push to your pet’s strength and/or stage of recovery to avoid falls and injury.

Watch our patient, Shimmy, practice these weight shifting exercises:

For more demonstrations of weight-shifting, read this blog or watch this video:

Here is another demonstration of weight shifting  (exercises start at 3:47):

Unloading of One Limb While Standing

Lifting and holding a single limb off the ground while your pet is standing causes a shift in your pet’s center of gravity. Your pet shifts their body weight and center of gravity to maintain the standing position.

• While your pet is standing, lift one of their good front legs off the ground very slightly. Preferably start with the leg opposite the injured leg. As your pet gets stronger you can lift their foot higher.
  • If your pet is unwilling to perform this exercise they will not shift their weight properly, but instead will bear the weight on your hand or collapse to the ground.
  • A technique to avoid bearing all of the weight on your hand is to slowly pull the leg away from your pets’ body, which allows transfer of weight from you to the desired limb to avoid falling.
    • Lift the leg in a backwards motion, behind your pet, not to the side, to prevent hip injuries should your pet fall.
• As your pet progresses, you may teach “shake” or “high five”.

Start with your dog standing with their bodyweight centered.

Keep your dog standing and lift one of their paws off the ground. Notice their bodyweight shift to the opposite side to stay balanced.

Our patient, Shimmy, had Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) on her right hindleg. To strengthen her hindlegs, Shimmy reaches for shake with with her front left paw.

Our patient, Shimmy, had Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) on her right hindleg. To strengthen her hindlegs, Shimmy reaches for shake on with her front right paw.

For a demonstration of shake and high-five, watch this video (please note, to strengthen hindlegs, we recommend teaching this skill while your dog is in a stand):

Sit-to-Stand

Sit-to-stand exercises help strengthen the hips and stifle extensor muscles and improve active range of motion. The act of sitting, then standing up, requires muscle strength of the quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscle groups. Some training may be necessary, and low-calorie treats may be offered as a training aid to provide motivation to perform the movement.

It is important to perform these exercises correctly. Attention should be paid to sitting and standing straight, with no leaning to one side, and the joints of both rear limbs should be symmetrically flexed so that your pet sits squarely on its haunches.

This exercise may be particularly beneficial for dogs with osteoarthritis of the hips. Patients with arthritis of the hips generally feel pain when the hip joints are extended. Additionally, there may be atrophy of the gluteal muscles. The sit-to-stand exercise allows active contraction of the gluteal muscles, but the hip joint is not extended to the point that results in pain. This allows strengthening without creating undue pain.

• While on the leash, after a sufficient warm-up period of walking, ask your pet to sit squarely for a few seconds and then ask your pet to stand, take a few steps forward, and then again sit. The sit-to-stands may be repeated a number of times before your pet is allowed to rest.
  • It may be easier in some cases to back your pet into an area just wider than their body when standing with the affected limb next to a wall or other solid blockade so that your pet cannot slide the limb out or tilt to one side while standing or sitting.
  • Start with 5-10 Sit-to-Stand repetitions once or twice daily, and gradually work up to 15 repetitions three to four times daily.

(Side View) Our patient, Shimmy, is practicing a square sit. Notice her weight is even between her two hindlegs. This is what we want to see.

(Front View) Our patient, Shimmy, is practicing a square sit. Notice her weight is even between her two hindlegs.

(Side View) Here, Shimmy is sitting unevenly with the majority of her bodyweight on her left hindleg. This is common for dogs with osteoarthritis, mobility issues, or who had hip injuries or FHO. For this exercise, focus on avoiding this uneven sit & instead encourage your dog to sit squarely between both hindlegs.

(Front View) Shimmy sitting unevenly with the majority of her weight on her rear left hip. Try to avoid this type of sit.

(Side View) Our patient, Shimmy, is practicing standing from a sit.

(Front View)  Shimmy, waiting for a treat after practicing standing from a sit.

For demonstrations of Sit to Stands, watch these videos:

There are a few ways to teach sit-to-stand, which you can also read here.

Incline/Decline Standing & Walking

Having your pet stand on or walk up inclines aids in strengthening of the quadriceps and hamstrings with relatively low-impact activity. Muscle strength in the hips and stifles (knees) is required for your pet to propel themselves up an incline.

Types of inclines you could use for this exercise:

• Ramp: E.g., a ramp you use to load your pet into your SUV.
• Outdoor Grassy Incline or Small Slope: Just be sure to monitor ambient and surface area temperatures.
• Stepstool or exercise step
• Klimb
• Agility Ramp: Ideally one where you can adjust the angle of incline

If you are unable to find appropriate areas or make inclines at home using the weight shifting exercise would be an appropriate replacement for these exercises.

• Start with standing on an inclined surface, like a ramp, but preferably not stairs, yet.
  • If your pet is comfortable with standing at an incline, but is not yet strong enough to walk up an incline, you can have your pet place their front feet on a step and use the weight shifting exercises.
• Walking should be done slowly and on leash once your pet is comfortable standing and shifting weight on an incline.
  • In addition, if the head is held up slightly, the weight will be shifted to the hind limbs, requiring your pet to drive up the hill with the rear limbs and use the muscles to a greater extent.
• Weight-bearing while in an incline position promotes extension at the knee and hip. When the limb is in the stance phase and the body begins traveling forward, the knee and hip must extend to propel your pet forward. If extension is painful, your pet’s stance time on the limb is shortened and an altered gait results (limping).
• Inclines and declines should be introduced slowly, beginning with gradual 1-2% inclines. As your pet’s range of motion and strength improve, your pet may be challenged by walking up longer, steeper slopes and by increasing the duration and speed of the climbing exercise.
• Walking down inclines is typically more difficult because it requires your pet to reach under the body with the hind limbs, requiring flexion of the hock, stifle, and hip. Start with gently sloping, short-declines and progress to steeper ones as your pet is able.

A car or pool ramp work well. Be sure to adjust the incline appropriately and ensure it’s secure at both ends.

Blue-9’s The Klimb is a great training tool that can function as a level platform or a height-adjustable incline/decline for your dog.

Having your dog stand with their front paws on an elevated platform creates the same muscle engagement as standing on an incline. Here, Shimmy is using The Kilmb as a level platform. By putting her front paws on it, she shifts were weight to her hindlegs for balance. Learn how to use the Klimb at an angle here.

Don’t have a step or The Klimb? That’s ok! Use a stepstool. Just make sure there are no holes in the stool that might cause your pet to fall or catch a paw.

We added a dog rehab section to our garage home gym. An exercise step is a great way to create an incline. We also add balance pads to it for added stability challenge.

Watch our patient Shimmy demonstrate incline/decline walking & other progressions:

Watch another demonstration & explanation of incline walking here:

Watch a demonstration of weight shifting on an incline (using a Klimb) here:

Watch our patient, Shimmy, use a step as an incline while she demonstrates how to pivot:

Walking on Different Surfaces

Altering the texture of the ground surface over which your pet walks provides a challenge to your pet’s functional walking proprioceptive ability.

• Standing or walking on foam, rubber, egg-crate mattresses, normal bed mattresses, air mattresses, sand, and trampolines allows your pet to negotiate various surfaces that have some resiliency.
• Having different surfaces on either side of your pet while walking or changing the type of surface your pet must negotiate with all limbs during a walk provides additional challenges that may be integrated into the rehabilitation program.

Watch a demonstration of walking on uneven surfaces here:

Shimmy is slow leash walking on the beach to challenge stability in her hindlegs.

Shimmy is walking over a thick pilates mat to challenge her hindleg stability.

Shimmy is walking over a thick memory foam dog bed to challenge hind leg strength.

Shimmy loves standing on the fitness trampoline. We often stand on it with her and gently bounce, creating even more challenge to her hindleg stability.

Shimmy’s happy face after bouncing on the trampoline.

Shimmy is standing with both front limbs and both hind limbs on separate foam balance cushions.

Cavaletti Rails or Hurdles

Cavaletti rails, sometimes referred to incorrectly as “hurdles”, are poles that are spaced apart on the ground at a low height. Whereas hurdles are poles spaced apart at the height of the hip or higher. Cavaletti rails may be used to encourage greater active range of motion and lengthened strides in all limbs. The goal is to get your pet to lift all 4 limbs, independently over each pole.

1 inch PVC pipes make a great pole and are the perfect height to start this exercise with for most pets. Thinner wooden dowels may be appropriate for pets under 10 pounds when starting.

• One or more poles may be used and should be spaced at appropriate distances apart, determined by your pet’s natural stride length.
  • After your pet becomes accustomed to the task, you can further challenge your pet by:
    • adding more poles
    • increasing the height of all the poles
      • Raise the Cavaletti, slowly, over time, as high as their elbow joint to allow for greater active range of motion.
    • putting the left and right sides at different heights
  • An alternative to Cavaletti rails is to use a ladder and allow the rungs of the ladder to act as the low rails.
    • Although ladders are readily available in most households, they have limited flexibility to change the distance between the rungs and the height that your pet steps over the rungs.
  • As your pet progresses, adding different surfaces under the Cavaletti rails allows your pet to negotiate with all limbs simultaneously and provides additional challenges. (See Walking on Different Surfaces for more information.)

Shimmy is walking over these hurdles. We put a rug underneath them for added stability. We also prop up a hula hoop, for an added “rung”.

A propped up hula hoop can function like a hurdle. Just ensure you have it at the proper height for your dog.

If you don’t have hurdles or an appropriate sized ladder, sit on the floor with your legs extended out in front of you. Lure your dog to walk over your legs.

Make sure you have your legs separated enough that your dog will step each leg evenly over your legs.

Watch our patient Shimmy practice Cavaletti Rails:

Watch a this demonstration of Cavaletti Rails:

Balance Discs/Bosu/Yoga Ball

A balance disc, Bosu, or yoga ball may be used as options for your pets when they advance past the descriptions in all of the exercises above.

• These may also be used to help your pet practice proprioceptive positioning by placing the hind limbs on the disc while the front limbs remain on the ground, or have your pet place all feet on one or more of these tools.
  • Used to actively assist your pet with stance, weight-bearing, weightshifting. Unless your pet is small, this technique may require two people to properly perform this exercise.
  • Your pet is placed in a standing position over an appropriately sized yoga ball.
    • The size should allow your pet to touch the ground with all four feet. If the ball is too tall, it may be deflated to meet your pet’s height. Balls that are slightly deflated are softer, more stable, and easier to work with than those that are fully inflated and very firm, and conforms to your pet’s body better.
  • After your pet is secure on the ball, one person stabilises the front of your pet and another stabilises the rear.
  • While your pet is supported in a standing position with all paws on the ground, the handler can generate a very gentle up-and-down bouncing motion through the patient and the inflated ball.
    • This provides proprioceptive input and may stimulate contraction of the supporting limb muscles.
  • Weight-bearing in the back legs may be promoted by shifting the ball forward bringing your pet’s front feet off the ground.
  • As your pet becomes stronger, these same techniques can be performed at faster speeds to provide greater challenges to neuromuscular function and balance.

Other exercises for these tools:

• Using one balance disc under each limb will not only help increase your pets proprioceptive positioning but it will also help with muscle building.
  • Use these along with weight shifting exercises.
• As your pet progresses and becomes stronger you can work on more advanced exercises using a Bosu. Turning a Bosu upside down and having your pet stand on the bottom of the Bosu helps to increase proprioception, limb strength, and core strength.
  • If your pet is too large to fit on the Bosu a large Yoga ball, or two, can be used in the same way.

 

Shimmy balancing on a BOSU. Here, the BOSU is placed on top of a Klimb. In this position, we often have her put her front legs on first (like a step), pivot, then balance on top.

The BOSU also works well on the ground.

An example of how we set up stability tools inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another example of our home gym set up.

Shimmy balancing with front paws on an inflatable balance cushion and back paws on a foam balance pad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author: Cheryl Miller, RVT, CVBL, FFCP (Veterinary), VCC

 

If you’d like to schedule an appointment or discuss home exercises for your pet, please call or text us at (843) 966-3362. If you’re a current client, you can also schedule an appointment with Dr. Doug online or a virtual appointment directly with Cheryl here.

Learn More

Want to learn home exercises to strengthen your dog’s forelimbs? Check out our blog here.

Think your pet might be in pain? To take our online pain assessment to know for sure

Read our blog to learn more about other common conditions for which your pet may be at risk:

• Signs, Prevalence, & Risk of OA in dogs & cats.
• How OA is Diagnosed & Treated in dogs & cats.
• Why Your Pet’s Weight Could  Add or Subtract Years of Life

Read our blog to learn more about pain relief for your pet:

• Everything You Need to Know About CBD for cats & dogs.
• How Laser Therapy Works & Why It’s Our Most Popular Pain Relief
• How Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy (PEMF) Works & Why Dr Doug Uses It For His Pets

To see all the products we recommend to help keep your pet strong, mobile, and active:

• Cats
  • Joint products here.
  • Activity products here.
  • Healthy cat treats here.
  • Automatic feeders here.

• Dogs
  • Joint products here.
  • Enrichment products here.
  • Healthy dog treats here.
  • Automatic feeders here.

• Cats & Dogs
  • Joint products here.
  • Food & pet scales here.
  • 24/7 remote monitoring (health, activity, GPS tracking) here.

• Dog Exercise Equipment:
  • Klimb
  • Blue9 Balance Cushion
  • Fitpaws Balance Cushion (Bone Shaped)
  • Fitpaws Balance Cushion (22″ Disc)
  • Fitpaws Trax Donut
  • Fitpaws Trax Peanut
  • Fitpaws Balance Pad (Foam)
  • Fitpaws Balance Ramp
  • Fitpaws Paw Pods (aka Hedgehog Balance Pods)
  • Fitpaws Wobble Board
  • Midlee Dog Hurdles
  • Fitpaws Set of 2 Mini Balance Bone Cushions
  • Original BOSU
  • See all our recommended rehab & exercise equipment here

Our mission is to provide convenient, fear-free, personalized pet care and our blog allows us to share important educational content. To support our efforts, this page may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after using them, we earn a small commission, which helps support this blog at no cost to you. Keep in mind, we only link to quality products we use ourselves and feel are beneficial for our clients and patients.