Getting dogs fit

[skycat 6,173]

This has probably been done to death before, but with the end of July not far off, I normally start building up to proper fitness training, as opposed to just mooching about for an hour or so with the dogs every day.

 

I wondered what sort of distances the serious dog men and women would do on a bike (OK, or on a treadmill ) when they first start getting the dogs fit. Of course it depends on whether or not the dog has done absolutely zilch for the past few months or whether it is semi fit from mooching about.

 

I have a friend who used to do miles and miles on the bike, but has, over the last few years, cut it down to about 5 or 6 miles a day, combining this with lamping once the dogs are reasonably fit.

 

Does anyone see the benefit of doing over 10 miles by the bike? Have they noticed any difference in how the dogs ran if they'd been biked for those sort of distances? Or is a 5-7 mile jog by the bike achieve a good enough level before starting to run long ears?

 

And for how many weeks would you do this type of steady endurance training?

 

Just thought it might be worth a discussion to help people who are starting out on the fitness training.

 

I'll start: I walk my dogs all year round, around an hour's mooching, playing, swimming etc right through the summer. Around this time of year I get the bike out and start biking, usually about 5 miles, very steady to begin with: some of this is off lead across fields, and there are also plenty of stops for me to lift the bike over gates etc.

 

Then I move on to the 14 miler. Again, very steady (I can't bike fast cross country anyway ) and again, a lot of this is along a rough river path. I let the dogs run around as much as they want to begin with but once they know the route they settle down fast as they know what distance they're going to be travelling and they get into the swing of it.

 

Once they are doing this distance easily I go a bit faster on the smooth bits, so that they are cantering instead of trotting. I don't do this distance every day, but I aim at doing the 14 miles about twice a week, with a walk or bike ride of about 5 miles on the days between.

 

Then we start lamping to get the sprint work in before moving on to the serious stuff. And I've recently started throwing balls as well for those dogs which like to fetch things: gets their reactions sharpened up as they race each other for a heap of tennis balls. This is good when there's no rabbits about.

 

Be interesting to hear how other people get their dogs fit for the season.

[simonrocco 175]

hello pal i run my dogs behind the van on an old road where no cars go just going slow enough for the dogs to jog behind it for between 6-7 miles about 2 or 3 times a week thats if its not to hot. i start doing this about a month or two before the season starts to get them fit and in shape again.

[Guest dances]

i walk the dogs every day for an hour before work, this consists of 5 minutes upto the field then 50 mins of throwing the lead. the reason i chuck the lead is that it takes more for the dogs to get down to it and does eventually teach them pace of strike. then obviuosly 5 mins home. after work ill then give them another hour up the field and 2-3 hours roadwork with the treadmill chucked in every now and then.

this isnt the routine i used to use but i dont live at the family home anymore so ive had to create my own routine and i believe this works.

 

Also one thing that i believ to be vital is the food you give the dogs, mine each have a pound of minced chicken after there walk in the morning and the same in the evening with flaked maize and veggies chucked in every couple of days. i will also use bran flakes if the dogs seem hungry but putting weight on as this is just a filler. however should i be definately lamping the dogs wont be walked of the evening and will be fed soft bread or pasta about 3-4 hours before and then the pound of meat afterwards to build any muscle damage back. the morning walk will then be determined by the amout of work the night before and the time we got home as im up at 5 to walk them as i have to leave for work at 6.

 

As far as mooching goes i dont do alot of it as i dont particularly like it as i have 2 bullxs that are 26.5 and 28 and dont wish them to hunt up when im lamping. the problem down here is that there is never far from the next hedge so the rabbits dont really come out to far and are quickly in, i do however occasionally go with my mate and his jack russel.

 

yours in sport

Dances

[rabbit mad 10]

5 miles every day all year round and the lamping tops it of.

[trigger2 3,145]

to be honest my dogs are very rarely unfit as i always like to keep on top of there fitness, rather than let it go down hill then have to get it back. i walk for 2 or 3 hours most days with the dogs and i take them running with me when i go.

 

i think loads of walking is good for stamina building. they do there fare share of breviting about on each walk which keeps them somewhere near.

[mintstick999 485]

I keep mine ticking over all through the summer and winter, (but then i don't lamp any of mine). their all just pets.

[sandymere 8,263]

I run with the dogs through the summer 3 or 4 times a week, about a mile on the road then 3 or 4 free running across country and on the beach then a mile road return, 5 miles for me but they likely do an extra couple backwards and forwards etc. I also do ball work on the beach, in the hot weather a couple of runs will overheat them but on the beach every third time a throw into the water keeps them cool and adds another dimension to the exercise, with this method they can keep going till muscular tiredness rather than heat exhaustion. The odd day each week as a general mooch that gives time for a little obedience work and a gentle introduction to the lamp for the first couple of outings and Bobs your uncle. It helps that I live in the North Devon.

 

 

 

 

Ps I did try biking but found I had to go so slow as to be mind numbingly bored or totally wiped the dogs out till they couldn’t keep up.

Edited July 14, 2011 by sandymere

[Born Hunter 17,775]

Do many people whos dogs are at reasonable off season fitness anyway get their dogs fit through ever increasing amounts of work? I think it helps to have access to lots of decent lamping ground if this is the method of choice. Not that I do this, just a question?

[robert michem 314]

like some on here av said,, never unfit,, in the months of [summer] i wait till late in the day, and take them out the back of the motor, 4 times a week, but there wid me all day on the go has well,,they run the full distance, no more than 3 mile,, at a steady speed,,, more so snipe gets this// has old dogs become old in the summer,,, not all dogs beifit from geting to much of this,, it can get to the stage were the body muscels can tie up giving the dog less energy////////

Edited July 14, 2011 by robert michem

[skycat 6,173]

"old dogs become old in the summer"

 

Very good point there: old dogs need as much steady exercise as they can manage as they do go down hill a lot faster when they're allowed to become unfit. And once an old dog has become unfit and lost that muscular strength,they can never really get it back again. I've seen this all too often in my retired dogs, especially bitches, who lose a lot of muscle tone after they've been in season.

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Informative thread Skycat

 

Till now I've never biked the dogs. This year tho I've got a friend's lad to bike the bitch out for me, starting off maybe 2-3 nights a week. What sort of distance is best to start from scratch? She's 3, and in reasonable shape for this time of year. She tends to get a bit softer over the 6 weeks break when the kids are home - only because they can't physically keep up with me marching along when I do the roadwork, and the roadwork turns into ambling along with three sprogs in tow

[slips 114]

trottin on the bike is good to keep then half senable i keep em on the lead all the time and set em at a pace like a trotin horse not lettin em get to gallop

[TOMO 26,271]

behind the motor on a private road a mile to the bottom and back,, build up to doing it 3 times,, so 6 mile,,,,, fast, slow, fast slow,,, its my take on fart leck type training.

 

im lucky in the fact they can get a few runs at game down this lane,, at night with lamp.

[KittleRox 2,147]

Dances yer fu o shite

 

Sandymere I used to look like that lol, you look seriously close to the edge

 

personaly I think awe this bike/treadmill stuff is alot of nonsense, as long as the dugs are walked regular and allowed to run aboot they should be fit anyway

[windyhill 30]

just asked me dad and he said,

if you worked your dogs like there ment to be and used them for what there bred for you wouldnt need all this exercising behind cars and on bikes down country lanes :yes:

Edited July 14, 2011 by windyhill