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External mechanical forces impair postural stability in dogs

   The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of external mechanical forces on postural stability (PS) in dogs using the centre of gravity (COP). Thirteen healthy adult dogs were included in the study. PS was tested while standing still on a pressure plate. Conditions included standard standing and external mechanical force measurements performed using six settings on a motorized training platform with varying speed and amplitude. Compared to standing measurements, external mechanical forces resulted in significant increases in almost all COP parameters, suggesting a challenge for PS. Moreover, the increase in amplitude had a greater effect than the increase in velocity, while the combination of the highest amplitude and velocity intensities was not well tolerated by the dogs. The mediolateral COP shift was significantly greater than the craniocaudal COP shift during standing measurements and low amplitude conditions, whereas no significant difference was observed in the elevated amplitude settings. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the effects of a balance training device in dogs. Therefore, the intensity of training programs on motorized platforms or similar devices can be controlled by the amplitude of the platform's oscillation.

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