How to improve recovery?

[Blackdog92 2,047]

As the title states, how do you improve the recovery of a dog after hard running? 

I have two runners, a lurcher unknown breeding apart from I know there is a big lump of greyhound in him, and a whippet. They get the same amount of exercise, out everyday with me while I’m working so there always up to something and they get plenty road/bike work running behind the quad or van for 4 or 5 miles a day atleast. I like to think they are both in good shape. 

Yet after a hard run or 2 Mac(lurcher) will be blowing like the wind for a good 5 or 10 mins, where as patch(whippet) will be back to normal Tongue in, in a couple minutes. I’ve been told that there weight difference may be a factor in this?

I would like to know your opinions on this, weather it just be down to the breeding of the dogs or if there’s something I could be doing differently with them. 

Thoughts please...

[skycat 6,173]

It's not just the weight difference, though that does play a part. A heavily-muscled lump of a dog with a lot of Greyhound in it generates a lot more heat when it runs, and must take correspondingly longer to cool down afterwards, whereas a light Whippety type cools down much faster. Add to that the extra amount of work the big dog has to do to run fast: big engines take more torque to move from standing to flat out, and that goes some way to explaining why the big dog takes longer to recover. 

And there's stamina to consider as well. Greyhounds were never bred to run the distances that Whippets and lurchers can. They're a bit like cheetahs: run flat out for a short distance then have to stop to refuel the body with oxygen which 'feeds' the muscles. The cardio vascular system in a distance runner is quite different: like comparing a rabbit to a hare, where the hare has a much larger heart in comparison to the rabbit in order to send masses of blood around the body to enable it to keep running for longer. 

Then you have the different muscle types as well: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch gives an explosion of power at the outset, slow twitch keeps going for longer, much more resistant to fatigue. Sprinters, in humans, are always powerfully built, unlike marathon runners who look like weeds in comparison. Dogs are no different in that respect> think Saluki for marathons, Greyhounds for sprints, and Whippets somewhere in between.

[Blackdog92 2,047]

Thanks skycat, is there anything you would recommend ie diet, different exercise’s I could be doing with the big dog to help him? He’s more of a racey type than muscular but is still a much more substantial dog than the whippet. 

[socks 32,253]

The bottom line is some dogs like humans are fitter than others and can do different jobs better than others ... the best exercise to aid recovery is sprint training where the dog is exploding from a standing start for a very short distance and then doing this over and over multiple times ... a good way to achieve this is with one of those flexi things that you flick a tennis ball with ... chuck the ball out as many times as it takes to get the dogs tongue out then stop and walk him until he catches his breath then repeat the exercise ... if you do this every other day you will soon see the sprint ration increase and his recovery time will get better and better .......

[Str 793]

Have you heard the expression in boxing “the boxer lost that fight on the road “ meaning they have been doing too much road work (running)and worn them  selves out before the fight.Rest is a massive part of fitness training and maybe 4-5 miles behind the quad every day is abit too much for the bigger dog,rest him up for a while and see how he goes.

[Blackdog92 2,047]

Thanks for the response socks, that seems good advice. 

 

You could well be right str, but the 4 or 5 mile isn’t constant running, that is just roughly part of my daily routine when I do my rounds feeding stock. My sheepdogs do the same and they are working between traveling. 

[billhardy 2,342]

Sky cat  post says about everything the muscle from whippets Salukis etc body cardiology so different than a heavy type animal built for explosive speeds and constitution they're like chalk and cheese get the blend right and then you have something to work with atb bunnys

[sandymere 8,263]

It's all in the formula ?

[jiggy 3,209]

23 hours ago, Blackdog92 said:

As the title states, how do you improve the recovery of a dog after hard running? 

I have two runners, a lurcher unknown breeding apart from I know there is a big lump of greyhound in him, and a whippet. They get the same amount of exercise, out everyday with me while I’m working so there always up to something and they get plenty road/bike work running behind the quad or van for 4 or 5 miles a day atleast. I like to think they are both in good shape. 

Yet after a hard run or 2 Mac(lurcher) will be blowing like the wind for a good 5 or 10 mins, where as patch(whippet) will be back to normal Tongue in, in a couple minutes. I’ve been told that there weight difference may be a factor in this?

I would like to know your opinions on this, weather it just be down to the breeding of the dogs or if there’s something I could be doing differently with them. 

Thoughts please...

Put the dogs on the quad and you run behind it fatty. Problem solved.???

[jiggy 3,209]

21 hours ago, socks said:

The bottom line is some dogs like humans are fitter than others and can do different jobs better than others ... the best exercise to aid recovery is sprint training where the dog is exploding from a standing start for a very short distance and then doing this over and over multiple times ... a good way to achieve this is with one of those flexi things that you flick a tennis ball with ... chuck the ball out as many times as it takes to get the dogs tongue out then stop and walk him until he catches his breath then repeat the exercise ... if you do this every other day you will soon see the sprint ration increase and his recovery time will get better and better .......

Good idea in theory but that would destroy a young dogs retreiving ability when he gets bored of it. Little an often. An old dog that likes playing the game then maybe ?

[socks 32,253]

You wouldn't be pushing a young dog that hard ......

[TALKCHEAP 183]

On 6 March 2018 at 09:06, skycat said:

It's not just the weight difference, though that does play a part. A heavily-muscled lump of a dog with a lot of Greyhound in it generates a lot more heat when it runs, and must take correspondingly longer to cool down afterwards, whereas a light Whippety type cools down much faster. Add to that the extra amount of work the big dog has to do to run fast: big engines take more torque to move from standing to flat out, and that goes some way to explaining why the big dog takes longer to recover. 

And there's stamina to consider as well. Greyhounds were never bred to run the distances that Whippets and lurchers can. They're a bit like cheetahs: run flat out for a short distance then have to stop to refuel the body with oxygen which 'feeds' the muscles. The cardio vascular system in a distance runner is quite different: like comparing a rabbit to a hare, where the hare has a much larger heart in comparison to the rabbit in order to send masses of blood around the body to enable it to keep running for longer. 

Then you have the different muscle types as well: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch gives an explosion of power at the outset, slow twitch keeps going for longer, much more resistant to fatigue. Sprinters, in humans, are always powerfully built, unlike marathon runners who look like weeds in comparison. Dogs are no different in that respect> think Saluki for marathons, Greyhounds for sprints, and Whippets somewhere in between.

not all sprinter are built like brick shit houses in the first place, marathon runners are all shapes and sizes and a lot are very good sprinters , its nice to have natural ability, but its far from being everything,could a sprinter train to run a marathon yes. its your life style that makes you what you are.

[billhardy 2,342]

4 hours ago, jiggy said:

Good idea in theory but that would destroy a young dogs retreiving ability when he gets bored of it. Little an often. An old dog that likes playing the game then maybe ?

Not all  ,some can become obsessive retrievers ,them Malinoi xes would retrieve on those tennis ball throwers till ya arm was lacking and wrecking,depends on the breed and the ingredients in the make up of the animal cryuff weighed in has big has a good sized bullies ,but here's the thing his body was different he had the ability to run after run he just did int tire he would rip it from your pocket literally to keep the game going the dog would have retrieved of a flaming volcano, Lao correct training and not overdoing it early doors  helps  also look at all the animals doing big bags single these days they all have a touch a saluki  antifreeze helps to stop overheating fact another reason some animals blow up.atb bunnys

[Guest Navek]

24 minutes ago, billhardy said:

Not all  ,some can become obsessive retrievers ,them Malinoi xes would retrieve on those tennis ball throwers till ya arm was lacking and wrecking,depends on the breed and the ingredients in the make up of the animal cryuff weighed in has big has a good sized bullies ,but here's the thing his body was different he had the ability to run after run he just did int tire he would rip it from your pocket literally to keep the game going the dog would have retrieved of a flaming volcano, Lao correct training and not overdoing it early doors  helps  also look at all the animals doing big bags single these days they all have a touch a saluki  antifreeze helps to stop overheating fact another reason some animals blow up.atb bunnys

I hop3 your referring to your car and not suggesting they’re gibe there dogs antifreeze lol 

[Black neck 15,943]

1 hour ago, Navek said:

I hop3 your referring to your car and not suggesting they’re gibe there dogs antifreeze lol 

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