GETTING YOUR DOGS FITT

[lamper12 30]

my dog always have lots of road work every day i walk her 1 mile about 3-4 times a day then on the push bike for 2-3 miles every couple of days and just a bit of mooching all year round just let here blast out on the odd hare in the distance seems to keep her in good shape..

[socks 32,253]

When are you talking about [cutting their diet down] spring and summer I cut my dogs protien levels down a

bit,but when I start working them again the protien level in their diet gets increased.

Same as you mate but iv been told they build up muscle better when they have more protien i there diet.So surley when they work they build alot of muscle so why not let them build muscle when working.Just wondering really dont really know myself

 

PROTEIN IS NEEDED TO BUILD MUSCLE AND TO BUILD MUSCLE YOU NEED TO WORK THE DOG ... SO THE HARDER YOU WORK THE DOG THE MORE PROTEIN HE NEEDS ... THEN THE MORE PROTEIN HE ABSORBES THE BIGGER THE MUSCLE WILL GROW ........

[scottish lurcher 185]

my dog always have lots of road work every day i walk her 1 mile about 3-4 times a day then on the push bike for 2-3 miles every couple of days and just a bit of mooching all year round just let here blast out on the odd hare in the distance seems to keep her in good shape..

no offence it looks a little fat could be angle of picture other wise looks nice dog heres my two they have three half a hour runs a day and a five mile walk ever other day

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Excuse my ignorance on this one but i can't see how running your dogs on the road can help them, i've always thought it best not to run them on hard surfaces. Can someone please explain????

 

Thanks,

 

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[skycat 6,173]

Not RUNNING flat out like chasing something, but a steady trot or slow canter, under control on the lead: if your'e not used to it try walking fast or jogging on the road for a couple of miles, it'll really make your legs ache! What your'e trying to achieve with the dog is to toughen up the feet, tendons, and build a certain amount of stamina muscle as opposed to sprint muscle: they get that from chasing a rabbit over a short distance. If you just take a dog out totally unfit from its kennel and take it lamping its feet, muscles, tendons etc will not be in a condition to stand that sort of exercise and you end up with ruptured muscles, damaged feet, stretched or snapped tendons. Maybe not all at once or straight away, but keep doing that and you'll end up with a crocked dog.

Most of the rescued lurchers I've had in have been damaged like that: left in a kennel all week then been run ragged at the weekend. ALL athletes NEED slow steady work as well as fast work. Fotballers don't just go out and play the game: they spend weeks and months training: general fitness training as well as skills training. Why else do they jog round and round the pitch?

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Not RUNNING flat out like chasing something, but a steady trot or slow canter, under control on the lead: if your'e not used to it try walking fast or jogging on the road for a couple of miles, it'll really make your legs ache! What your'e trying to achieve with the dog is to toughen up the feet, tendons, and build a certain amount of stamina muscle as opposed to sprint muscle: they get that from chasing a rabbit over a short distance. If you just take a dog out totally unfit from its kennel and take it lamping its feet, muscles, tendons etc will not be in a condition to stand that sort of exercise and you end up with ruptured muscles, damaged feet, stretched or snapped tendons. Maybe not all at once or straight away, but keep doing that and you'll end up with a crocked dog.

Most of the rescued lurchers I've had in have been damaged like that: left in a kennel all week then been run ragged at the weekend. ALL athletes NEED slow steady work as well as fast work. Fotballers don't just go out and play the game: they spend weeks and months training: general fitness training as well as skills training. Why else do they jog round and round the pitch?

Thanks skycat, Yes, i understand the importance of a well thought out fittness schedule and do run my dog with the bike for endurance training but over grass. All of the reading i've done on the subject of canine fittness and peak performance all try to deter from running on hard concrete claiming it can damage joints. As i'm a newbie to this i've just stuck to what i've read so please don't think i'm questioning your methods, i'm just trying to understand some more. What would trotting on concrete acheive that trotting on grass wouldn't, surely this will still toughen feet, tendons. No?

 

Thanks

 

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