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How Do You Keep Your Dogs Fit

Fast but dim said:
can't see how roadwork gets a dog fit.would a sprinter walk to get better at sprinting? maybe in the 1890's, but not now. i'm a sport scientist, but work with people, not dogs, so could be wrong.Are todays racing dogs trained scientifically, or just traditionally?

All i know is if i was training to run fast i would'nt be doing much walking.

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Couldn't agree more :)
 
Fast but dim said:
can't see how roadwork gets a dog fit.would a sprinter walk to get better at sprinting? maybe in the 1890's, but not now. i'm a sport scientist, but work with people, not dogs, so could be wrong.Are todays racing dogs trained scientifically, or just traditionally?

All i know is if i was training to run fast i would'nt be doing much walking.

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wow, that is such an interesting comment :eek:

I would guess that the best way is the one that is closest to their natural way, which is lots of 'jogging' (could be the same as road work?) mixed with occasional sprinting, like when they catch their dinner in the wild?

but then I am just a pet dog owner :wacko:
 
i think excercise with running dogs can be overdone, best to keep a dog in readiness for serious training rather than over doing it..
 
hi fast but dim, road work tightens all those tendons up. no science involved at all.
 
I always believed loads of road work pounded the dogs joints, .......We all have our own views I guess ........
 
can you tighten a tendon? even without science lol.

seriously, 10 years ago i worked with a man utd player who was fat, unfit and clueless.he went jogging and played footy at training sessions.

now even pne employ half a dozen coaches.

is dog training scientific, or antiquated? roadwork makes no sense to me, unless its used to get a dog gradually accustomed to exercise after a lay off.
 
But if you are walking along at a reasonable speed on the road, your whippet isn't walking is he, he's effectively jogging in order to keep up.

And surely even top class sprinters don't do all their training by running flat out.
 
I interpret road work to mean 'power walking' where the dog walks out in front and leans into the leash so it works the back and thigh muscles. Shoulders also get a work out.

I guess road working could also mean jogging, trotting or just meandering along. To get a real work out though, the dog needs to be leaning into the leash enough that you can see the muscles toned.

I use a combo of power walking, sprinting and free running. For the sprinting bit, I use a sprint path and a irrigation canal. The dogs like to race each other on the path and canal. For free running, I use a huge hay field thats 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. We typically go out for about 2 hrs of actual running. For road working, we go 3.5 miles at a good clip with the dogs at the ends of the leash and leaning. No meandering.

Merril
 
All i know is if i was training to run fast i would'nt be doing much walking.
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As far as I can tell athletes train in many and various ways.

Swimmers train by doing repetitious laps (even the sprinters) as well as weight training, yoga, etc they don't only train by swimming at top speed.

Footballers train by practising ball skills, jogging, skipping, weight training, aerobic training, swimming, boxing, sit ups, push ups. They don't only train by playing matches.

Greyhound trainers don't only take their dogs to the track and make them chase the lure at top speed as their only training method. They walk them and swim them. Run them up hills, run them in sand. Same with racing horses.
 
Merril said:
I interpret road work to mean 'power walking' where the dog walks out in front and leans into the leash so it works the back and thigh muscles.  Shoulders also get a work out.I guess road working could also mean jogging, trotting or just meandering along.  To get a real work out though, the dog needs to be leaning into the leash enough that you can see the muscles toned. 

I use a combo of power walking, sprinting and free running.  For the sprinting bit, I use a sprint path and a irrigation canal.  The dogs like to race each other on the path and canal.  For free running, I use a huge hay field thats 2 miles long and 1 mile wide.  We typically go out for about 2 hrs of actual running.  For road working, we go 3.5 miles at a good clip with the dogs at the ends of the leash and leaning.  No meandering.

Merril

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Merril,

can your dogs tell the difference between 'training mode' when they pull like mad on the lead and 'just walking down the street mode' when they walk to heel?

Whippets were traditionally trained to pull on the lead when walking which is why the wide collar was developed to prevent damage to the neck. I just wouldn't want a dog that pulled everywhere on the lead no matter how fit it was!! :D
 
roadwork should be kept at a pace where joints are not been pounded. also roadwork is good for a dogs mental attitude towards chasing the lure or coursing, 1 week of walking on the lead does wonders when the dog is slipped on a hare or plastic bag..
 
Merril said:
I interpret road work to mean 'power walking' where the dog walks out in front and leans into the leash so it works the back and thigh muscles.  Shoulders also get a work out.I guess road working could also mean jogging, trotting or just meandering along.  To get a real work out though, the dog needs to be leaning into the leash enough that you can see the muscles toned. 

Merril

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Now I know why Bertha walks on her lead like that ................ she wants to power walk! LOL! I don't 'meander' when we have to go from A to B on roads but I certainly don't want them all straining at the end of their leads so I think I shall continue to tell Bertha to desist from her 'power walking' and behave herself!

sparky said:
roadwork is good for a dogs mental attitude towards chasing the lure or coursing, 1 week of walking on the lead does wonders when the dog is slipped on a hare or plastic bag..
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why??
 
hi dessie, a good amount of roadwork=fitness, a week or 2 on the lead= keeness. this gives your dog a good attitude towards running the first thing he gets chance 150%. simple, :blink:
 
sparky said:
hi dessie, a good amount of roadwork=fitness, a week or 2 on the lead= keeness. this gives your dog a good attitude towards running the first thing he gets chance 150%. simple, :blink:
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Really ?? ......I have a really fast girl who will often stop at racing when under pressure as the lure really isn't worth anything to her.......We road walked her to see if the "need of a run" made any difference to her .......but it didn't :- " .........Yet this 21lb girl will course/hunt and kill anything you put her on ........Wether she's knackered or not :eek: .........IMHO road walking helps to keep the tendons/feet tighter, but nothing keeps a dog as fit as a really god run :)
 
sparky said:
hi dessie, a good amount of roadwork=fitness, a week or 2 on the lead= keeness. this gives your dog a good attitude towards running the first thing he gets chance 150%. simple, :blink:
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My dogs are well fit from free running every day, twice a day and have a good attitutde towards running the first thing they get the chance at without having to endure being kept on a lead just for the sake of!! What a load of codswallop!!!!

Get a life and let your dogs enjoy themselves, that is what their exercise is all about, having fun. It is for their pleasure that I take mine out, be it just their normal walks or lure coursing. If they do well lure coursing, great but if they don't, so be it, they still have a good day out though.
 
hi dessie n strike, i do let my dogs run free and do a lot of roadwork, coursing, rabbiting ,ratting and anything else they see while out. also they are out daily for a good few hours excercising and hunting so you get a life. we were talking about the merits or not of road work. regards sparky+ 2 happy well fit dogs ;)
 
I like to give our dogs a bit of both ;) But do have to watch the amount of roadwork they get as I find that it really tones up the muscle,especially their back legs but as I show a couple of mine I don't like them over muscled......but DO like them in reasonably "hard condition" :)

One of our Bitches though really muscles up,more so than the others :wacko: has anyone else come across this with theirs? Does anyone know why with the same amount of work does one stand out sooo much from the rest?? :blink:

I find it quite strange, but Hey,then I am strange! (w00t)
 
I think dogs need both.

Road walking tones the tendons ect but to get the cardiovascular system pumping correctly they need free running/galloping to realy work their heart/lungs.

A good mixture of 2 mile fast road walking and 1/2 hour free running a day would keep most dogs in good physicle condition ready for a days work/racing
 
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Hunt them all winter, rest them in the summer, for me roadworking does nothing to help my dogs when out in the field, the only time a hare ar rabbit gets near a road it`s usually left feeling a little " flat ".....pardon the pun,

I find working my dogs on a regular basis does the trick,

To me this where the real mental ability is acheived,
 
05whippet said:
I like to give our dogs a bit of both  ;)   But do have to watch the amount of roadwork they get as I find that it really tones up the muscle,especially  their back legs but as I show a couple of mine I don't like them over muscled......but DO like them in reasonably "hard condition"  :)
One of our Bitches though really muscles up,more so than the others  :wacko:   has anyone else come across this with theirs? Does anyone know why with the same amount of work does one stand out sooo much from the rest??  :blink:

I find it quite strange, but Hey,then I am strange!  (w00t)

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I think its all to do with what `line` they are from . Lyn Yacoby had a bitch that had relly bulging muscles (w00t) back and front and Lynn said if anything she had less execise than the others.. It was one Lynn had bought in ;) In a show dog over muscleing completely spoils the `flow ` of a whippet look , Even though they should be `hard` but with out great bulging thighs . and as for shoulders :- " well they shouldnt be `loaded` at all .

As for dogs straiining on the lead (w00t) , might be ok if you dont want to show , but that would develope all the wrong muscles . heavy neck and shoulders for sure . . :angry: ...........plus long arms :eek: and bad necks for the owners . :wacko: :thumbsup: .

Lots of us on K9 dont `work` our dogs , but love to see them run and enjoy themselves . A fit and happy dog is what most of us are aiming for ( well I am :thumbsup: )
 
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