getting fit

[wexford Pa 84]

I LAMP BOTH MY DOGS EVERY NIGHT ON AT LEAST 85 RABBITS EACH. I DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN 98% CATCH RATE. THEY ARE THE FITTEST DOGS IN THE WORLD AND CANNOT BE BEAT. I JUST THOUGHT I BETTER POINT THAT OUT. I THINK I HAVE BEEN THERE AND PROOVED MYSELF AND MY DOG.

In the pub late 1 night, still in my lampin gear!

A man asked me "how ya catch tonight Pa?"

"99" i said...

So after a drink or 2.. he turns to mate of mine and says "Pa got a 100 rabbits tonight"

"no, i caught 99" i said

"whats the difference" he said..

"i wouldnt make a liar out of myself over 1 rabbit"....

[dexie 2]

hi mfj how can your dog be fit if the man on the end of the lead is a fat fecker and moans or jacks when he has to walk a road for a few mins

[wexford Pa 84]

I LAMP BOTH MY DOGS EVERY NIGHT ON AT LEAST 85 RABBITS EACH. I DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN 98% CATCH RATE. THEY ARE THE FITTEST DOGS IN THE WORLD AND CANNOT BE BEAT. I JUST THOUGHT I BETTER POINT THAT OUT. I THINK I HAVE BEEN THERE AND PROOVED MYSELF AND MY DOG.

Should change your name to "Mark The Fat Joker"

[Mark Fat Jacker 0]

hi mfj how can your dog be fit if the man on the end of the lead is a fat fecker and moans or jacks when he has to walk a road for a few mins

YEAH? DO YOU WANT SOME AS WELL? HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHO YARE TALKING TO. I AM KING OF THE BARE KNUCKLE RING.

BUTTON IT SONNY OR YOU WILL RECIEVE PAIN LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

[haynes 1]

hi i do i bit of road work a nice long walk in the woods and

let the dogs injoy them selfs runnining about playing in the summer months.

then in the back end start the hard road work and the training to get the fitness up

ready 4 the seson

[wexford Pa 84]

hi mfj how can your dog be fit if the man on the end of the lead is a fat fecker and moans or jacks when he has to walk a road for a few mins

YEAH? DO YOU WANT SOME AS WELL? HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHO YARE TALKING TO. I AM KING OF THE BARE KNUCKLE RING.

BUTTON IT SONNY OR YOU WILL RECIEVE PAIN LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

Right

What ya gonna do cyber punch me?

now this is hunting forum not a Gypsy ring..

so stop destroyin the mans thread..

[Hannah4181 260]

The most important thing in my opinion is working out the types of exercise the dog enjoys and building them into a routine.

 

Mine are all different but my dalmation x Bearded Collie is super fit and i keep her that way pretty much all year, she competes in various events and more importantly is the sort of dog that NEEDS hard physical work daily. To give you a rough idea of what i do with her . . . . . .

 

30 mins swimming into a strong current daily.

 

1 hour free running, and retrieving a ball daily.

 

7/9 miles running next to a quad bike 3/4 times a week.

 

15 mins on a flirt pole every other day.

 

I find the above keeps her fit as a fiddle and well toned, she has a rest day once a week where she does nothing and eats lots!!

 

As i said though it does depend on the breed and age etc, what what works well for 1, doesn't for another. The bike thing is great exercise but from bitter experience i would strongly recommend getting a "bike bar" to attach the dog to. My JRT on a lead next to the bike a few years ago, saw a cat and ran straight under the front wheel. His paw was crushed and took months and months to heal, it was costly and caused him a great deal of pain. Even now 4 years on, he suffers with it in the cold or if he does too much. Just not worth the risk with a running dog IMO.

 

Good luck.

WOW.. thats 1 serious training regime.. Fair play if your dog is doin that.. im no expert on that type of breed or what work your doin with him but it must be serious to be doin sort of exercise..

Just 1 question though Hannah... wheres does the dogs recovery time come into it?

I find that recovery is as good as exercise for muscle gain and fitness.. if muscles are not recovered from strenuous exercise it does far more harm than good..

As i said im no expert in this breed or its work but i do train Greyhound and keep Lurchers, i thought the same would apply to all dogs regardless of breed..

ATB...

Pa

 

 

Hi Pa,

 

I totally agree with you on the subject of recovery time. Before any of the above is undertaken Kody has a warm up of walking and small jumps and equally afterwards, especially the running, she is always walked down. I also do massage with the dogs if they have worked hard as i find this very beneficial to them. The above regime is really just a guide, it changes week to week. The exercise is also spaced out throughout the day, some morning, some night. The dog in question is a dalmation X, a breed bred for endurance and stamina, she totally thrives on exercise and if i'm ill or away and she misses it, the difference in her is immense. . . . unsettled, restless, twitchy, and generally a pain in the arse!

 

She competes in various events, long jump, dock dogs, high wall vertical climb, lure racing, agility and recently she's started weight pull. Her performance is always great and she gives everything 100%. I am a firm believer in, a fit dog is a happy dog. . . . this certainly works for her and she does well on it. Through the winter months i do tone her exercise down a bit, but like i've said before without it she becomes restless and bored.

 

I also think that the most important thing is to know your dog, know their capabilities and know their recovery times. If for example like yesterday the weather was great, Kody was enjoying the swimming so much that i continued with it for longer than normal and didn't do anything else. Today she has run on with the quad and is now asleep on her back with her legs in the air in the sunshine!! Her 1st dock dogs comp is at the end of this month so the exercise regime will be similar to the 1 detailed above, however she then has a month before another comp so it will be toned down for a fortnight and then picked up again. Like i've said the above is a guide, 1 that works for my dog but would be way too much for others.

 

Here's some shots of her in action, the Dock jumping she is currently ranked 2nd in europe with a personal best of 25.5ft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[digger63 3]

Rich your dog looks quite "whippety" shouldn't be to hard to condition really,dont think anybody has stressed the age of your dog enough,she's not develpoed fully at 20 months and over doing the training could be harmful to the dog rather than beneficial.

Theres no point in training the dog up during the summer,as someone else has said just sensible exercise walks and free running just to keep her reasonably fit,

about a month before you intend to run the dog you should start the road work,this will gently "harden her up" and i would definatly do this before i considered using a bike.

A couple of miles of brisk walking to start with should be ok maybe build up to 4 miles over a couple of weeks,an increase in protein should be made but not to much or it could cause problems,you have to experiment whats right for your dog.

When you start lamping only run her at sensible numbers of rabbits the first few weeks of lamping [sensible numbers]should bring her into top condition,if you over do things especially with a young dog it can be harmful.

All dogs are different but the main thing is use common sense and dont over do it.

[StephOC 6]

I'm know nothing about lurchers, but can fully recommend the springer bike bar link thing. Its so cool how little effect your dog has over your speed/dirrection with this thing! Try this link http://www.springer-uk.com/general.html

 

I have a English springer spaniel who has to be tired out, I took him out every day for 20 mins or so and after a few days checked his paws over - his claws were work right down to the quick! I felt terrible - he never showed any sign of being tired, limping, or unwilling to go out with the bike...So I rested him for a few days and then bought him little doggy boots! (Sure most people on here would laugh at me for this?)

 

So do keep a close eye on your dogs' feet if you're increasing her roadwork.

[whippet08 8]

thanks everyone,