Courtesy of Zen and Zip Fitness
It’s hard to find time to exercise and bond with a furry friend. A new company, Zen and Zip Fitness, is here to help.
Greg Mallin and Kristen Duhr started Zen and Zip Fitness in May, and the name came easily: Zen is Mallin’s dog’s name and Zip is Duhr’s dog’s name. Currently offering 28 classes, the company helps people get their workout in and bond with their dog—while the dog receives obedience training.
“Each class incorporates exercise in the form of strength intervals and cardio intervals while dog obedience is occurring 100 percent of the time,” Mallin says. Zen and Zip Fitness uses code words to tell class participants what to tell their dog next, like “sit” or “stay.” An example of something one might do in the class is tell their dog to sit and stay. Then, the dog owner may hop one-legged around the dog.
Courtesy of Zen and Zip Fitness
“Our program creates time and plus saves money,” Mallin says. “You don’t have to pay for your dog training separate from your exercise training for yourself; you can loop it all into one activity, saving you time and money.”
Mallin and Duhr have ACE Group Fitness Certifications and have their Thank Dog! Bootcamp certifications. “We’re Thank Dog! Bootcamp rebranded,” Mallin says.
In the future, they are looking to grow by hiring new trainers and expand to more cities. They are also starting to work with shelters by holding classes at shelters with their volunteers and dogs.
Courtesy of Zen and Zip Fitness
“We want to work with those volunteers and those adoptable dogs to help create a better adoptable dog,” Mallin says. Duhr is a dog behaviorist and Mallin is a behavioral and psychiatric mental health nurse, so the pair knows that the behavior of a dog matters. He adds, “If we can help those behaviors before they become problems, we can help decrease the adoption return rate.”
Courtesy of Zen and Zip Fitness
Bring a dog to class is encouraged but not required. If you do have a furry friend you would like to bring, a consultation is needed before a class is taken. There are free group consultations as well as private consultation for $75.
Classes are held in the morning and evening at in Forest Park on Lindell and Cricket field. For more details about the classes, visit the website.
