Doga – doing yoga with your dog

I did yoga a few years ago, but while I liked the philosophy of the discipline, I couldn't make it a part of my daily life… Little by little, I gave it up. Then, recently, I started hearing about "doga": doing yoga with your dog . I read a few things here and there about this new activity to share with your canine companion . Since it's the height of the school holidays, I think it's the perfect time to try a new activity with your dog. Everyone is relaxed, it's the perfect time to experiment and add a new activity to your back-to-school schedule that will allow you to enjoy your dog and strengthen your bond. Woof-tastic! I wanted to learn more, so I decided to interview a doga practitioner: Andreea!

Let me introduce you to Andreea, who agreed to tell me more about the doga she practices with her two dogs, Whiskey and Loulou. Andreea is a dog and sports enthusiast. She has two dogs: Whiskey, a hyperactive 5-year-old border collie , and Loulou, a 3-year-old French bulldog who loves her sofa. She's given them little nicknames that made me laugh: Whiskey is the lieutenant in the Hundred Sheep Army, and Loulou is the whoopee cushion!

She and her husband adopted Whiskey because they wanted a dog that could keep up with their activities: a dog full of energy, with stamina, and above all, intelligent. A sporty dog! Her husband knew the breed well because he had one as a child, and Andreea loved the temperament of herding dogs. So, a Border Collie was a pretty obvious choice. As for the Bulldog, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision on her part. They had a cat, rescued from the street, but she was very old, and when she passed away, Whiskey was lonely and sad to have lost his playmate. They thought it would be wonderful to have a permanent friend for Whiskey and for them to grow up together. They wanted another cat. A second dog was out of the question at that point… Loulou, the Bulldog, came into their lives somewhat by chance. They were spending a weekend in the countryside, and a friend took them to see her uncle's German Shepherd breeding kennel. He had several breeds, including bulldogs, and the story of one puppy deeply touched him. It was an only child (like Andreea), the last litter of a dog who was about to retire. Unfortunately, she had a heart condition. The breeder hadn't found anyone who wanted to adopt this little one with her heart problems. She was going to have to be euthanized. So Andreea called her husband from the road, telling him she wasn't coming home empty-handed :D It was impossible for her not to give this little girl a chance at life… Andreea isn't usually a big fan of small dogs, but the bulldog quickly won her over with its cheerful, clownish personality, its ability to cuddle all day long, and its adorable little face.

Now that you know everything about Andreea and her four-legged family, let's get to the heart of the matter: the doga. Through this interview, you will learn a lot about this new activity to do with your dog. I hope this will make you want to get started….

Doga is simply doing yoga with a dog . It's a sporting and spiritual activity that brings a lot of happiness to its practitioners and strengthens the bond between humans and animals.

Not yet very well known in France, this activity which comes to us from the United States is very popular on the other side of the Atlantic, several gyms already offer this type of course there! They are lucky to be able to do yoga with their dog.

I've always done sports with my dogs. They've always been involved in what I do :D In my garden, as soon as they see me get out my exercise mat, they're right there by my side. They lick my face while I do push-ups, they run between my legs when I do squats, they jump with me when I jump rope. Sometimes, I have fun picking them up in my arms or on my shoulders, like weights, and they find that very amusing.

One day, a friend told me that it resembled a discipline called doga. So I learned about this activity and I really liked it.

I'd already tried yoga on my own, but without much success… I can't sit still, and gentle activities frustrate me more than anything. But sharing a quiet moment with my dogs, that I love, so I've taken it up again thanks to them.

The best place to practice yoga remains, from my point of view, where you feel the best and for me this place is my garden with my dogs. It allows me to feel comfortable and relaxed enough to control my breathing, which is easier said than done.

Dogs are real emotional sponges, they sense when their master is agitated and when he is calm and, most of the time, they adopt the same attitude.

Mine are real electric batteries by default. Moments of calm are rare and I have found that when my heart rate drops because I am focused and relaxed during a yoga or stretching session, they are calmer too. And it feels good. So I thought that if I gradually integrate them into my routine, it could soothe them too. And it works quite well!

I often watch doga videos on YouTube and try to practice the postures at home. Books are also a good source of inspiration and information on this still relatively unexplored subject, especially those by Mahny Djahanguiri (book in English).

Since then, I have created my own hiking and doga trips , organized several times a year in France, to welcome and accompany people who wish to discover yoga with their dog.

That's the beauty of doga, you don't need anything other than his good humor and the desire to spend time together, otherwise. And for humans, a yoga mat is welcome. Otherwise feet in the grass, that's fine too.

Like any activity that we share, doga helps to build a deeper relationship based on mutual trust. I feel closer to my dogs since we have fun together taking completely improbable poses and laughing.

I think my favorite part is the bond you develop with your dog. We learn to trust each other and that strengthens the bonds.

There are no rules in doga and I love that. The dog is free to participate, to let it go or to go away, to sleep or to be manipulated.

We often forget in the practice of yoga to have fun above all. The doga does not take itself seriously, the goal is to have a good time.

Definitely. Small dogs (finally light dogs) are more easily manipulated in certain postures, but nothing is impossible. Above all, doga is fun and relaxation. It's made for everyone, dogs and masters alike.

Personally, I do not integrate rewards into the practice of doga, because for me it is completely different from dressage. We spend a moment of complicity and exchange with the dog, he must do it because he wants to, not because he is in a learning approach.

Doga is even recommended for dogs that are injured or elderly. This practice is gentle, it involves a lot of massage, light stretching and sometimes big dodos. Above all, do not disturb the dog if he decides that he wants to sleep during a session.

👉 I organize doga courses and retreats in France. You can find them on my Yoga Dog website.

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