# conditioning



## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

sorry if this isnt the place to put it. how do you guys go about conditioning your dogs and at what point dureing the conditioning do you say your dog has had enough?


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

steve davis said:


> sorry if this isnt the place to put it. how do you guys go about conditioning your dogs and at what point dureing the conditioning do you say your dog has had enough?


If I could add a part B to Steve's question . . .

For those of you who live in extreme conditions, any good ideas for doing something indoors? I'm specifically thinking of when it's a (literal) blizzard a/o ~80 degrees below zero outside and the dog and I am bored cooped up inside (I live in Wisconsin, I'm sure some of you can relate). I'm thinking something like playing tug in the basement perhaps, but I'd be open to more creative ideas, maybe something like one of those spring-loaded flyball devices.

As for conditioning, or just wearing the dog out, I have heard a frisbee a/o tennis balls and some place to throw them are your friends. Jogging or biking are not bad either, but most dogs can run further, faster, and longer than I can so toys are nice to make them do more work than I can. If you are a marathon runner, that might be a different story. Swimming has been recommended. I'd usually just play ball with my dog, mixed in with OB (downs, stays, sits, comes, retrieves, etc. then throw the ball and tell him "O.K." and he'd tear off and get it, bring it back and rub the slobbery thing against me until I'd throw it again) until he started physically slowing down a/o started panting really heavily. My last dog was an Olde Bulldogge so he didn't ooze stamina, but would still push himself to heat stroke and possibly to (or over) the brink of death if I kept throwing the ball. Anyway, he'd show the normal signs of fatigue, plus he'd be less of a bonehead about staying in his "downs" and whatnot, then we'd go inside, get a drink, and he'd plop his balls down on the A/C vent to cool the 'boys' down and call it a day. Good times. Snow was a blast too. Throw the ball, it'd sink in the snow, he'd jump in after it, and it looked like a bomb going off. If he missed it, he'd keep diving in and digging until he got it. It was a lot of fun to watch. The yard looked like hell but he loved it.

Not the most original ideas, but they worked alright for me.

-Cheers


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Fall/Spring find me doing a lot of conditiong with the four wheeler.....fast, slow, uphill, downhill, different terrain (soft to moderately firm, but never asphalt or concrete)

Summer in the early mornings and evenings I also do this. I do set up a 3500 gallon storage tank that we use on wildland fires sometimes and swim the dogs in there. It is 16'x16' and 3.5' deep I think and I just get in with each dog and walk around with them, cools me down too. LOL

Winter, most days we can work outside a bit, but we own an old country school building that is 10,000sq feet so we do alot of building work, and I have stairs, jumps and a treadmill in there. 

All of this plus playtime and worktime keep my dogs in great condition. And if I have to take time off for any reason (work, EMS call coverage, actual missions) then it is pretty easy to get them back into top condition.

I work my dogs until just before they want to end the game by trying to wander off or go lay down sometimes....this leaves them wanting more so the next time the dog is happy to do it again. I feel that if you wear your dog out each time, they may not show the same enthusiasm over time because they know you are going to exhaust them. 

And sometimes it is just a quick 5 to 15 minute session. Depends on the time I have, but I make it a point to do something with each dog daily or at least every other day.


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## Michele McAtee (Apr 10, 2006)

Here is an link to an outline I plan to follow for conditioning for the AD. We are currently in the preliminary training for this, as the pups are still young, short, slow distances at this time. But from what I understand, this program is excellent for endurance training and conditioning.

http://www.siriusdog.com/ausdauerprufung-ad.htm


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

so far alls i've been doing in frisbee and hill running. he looks great and is fast as hell but cant quite beat the heat. he is an inside dog also so that doesnt help but i try to keep him out and active as much as possible in the heat.


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## Anne Jones (Mar 27, 2006)

I run & work my dogs a couple of times or more a day. I stop a bit before they start to look a bit tired. Want to leave them wanting more. They run & retreive balls, do some OB, sometimes some tracks, just play & run together some of the time, take walks around the field. At times that the weather is really bad or footing not safe, like ice or very wet & slippery...I have a tread mill that I put the dogs on for a bit to take the crazies out of them & keep up their fitness level. The last couple of winters in the No East have been very icy. I don't want my dogs trying to run outisde on that kind of footing.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

David Ruby said:


> If I could add a part B to Steve's question . . .
> 
> For those of you who live in extreme conditions, any good ideas for doing something indoors? I'm specifically thinking of when it's a (literal) blizzard a/o ~80 degrees below zero outside and the dog and I am bored cooped up inside (I live in Wisconsin, I'm sure some of you can relate). I'm thinking something like playing tug in the basement perhaps, but I'd be open to more creative ideas, maybe something like one of those spring-loaded flyball devices.


 
David,

I hear you on this one! I'm in WI and my house is TINY (500 sq ft) and I have 2 - 3 dogs at a time.

I have a plywood ramp that I use for foundation training for flyball. As far as exercise goes, it is all you would need. I strip of heavy velcro on the top will hold a tennis ball.

I use crate games for exercise. I set the crate in a different room and send the dog to the crate. Now all my dogs will RUN to the crate like it's front row VIP seating at their favorite sporting event. Then I call the dog back and send the dog nack and forth across the house, practicing the send and recall.

I train a dog to vault or jump on cue and do this repeatedly until the dog is tired.

The treadmill is my best friend - I train my dogs to run on it without restraint.

Winter drag weights are nice. I used to weight pull my dogs. Put them in a harness and attach weights for drag on packed snow and go for a walk. The dog will get tired before you get cold! Plus the dog is working so hard, it doesn't get cold.

You can hang a springpole from a basement rafter too if you want some automatic tugging action. I love it because it trains countering and grip without any work on my part at all.

I've noticed a lot of high energy dogs will completely mellow in certain circumstances - like a nursing home. So I do more Therapy Dog training in the winter, for my own sanity.


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

I play fetch with 2 balls so he's constantly sprinting. About 30 mins of this and he'll stop bringing the ball back all the way to me, that's when I know he's had enough. I also do a find the toy game that keeps him moving, where I'll down him out of site and then go hide the ball, and have him search for it. When he finds it he gets rewarded with a few tosses of the ball then we do it again. Works the mind as well as the body!


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2009)

Since you have a basement, you might consider throwing a springpole up. they are great fun and since you don't have a pit, it won't be considered dog fighting paraphernalia. A nice free flowing slat mill alternated, (different days,) with a quality carpet mill will also work wonders in less than nice weather. An electric treadmill also works but keep your dog at a nice natural trotting gait, no faster than that. Just be diligent about watching our dogs. Some dogs will kill themselves. You'll know when your dog is tired, just trust your gut. If you are not conditioning for anything in particular go until your dog is a little pooped. No reason to push it.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

steve davis said:


> sorry if this isnt the place to put it. how do you guys go about conditioning your dogs and at what point dureing the conditioning do you say your dog has had enough?


Steve you have to create an overload of work to make a gain. So there are 3 types of failure to tell you have achieved this. First is Technical Failure. That is where the dog can no longer preform the desired task with the same form that he started with. The next is actual or muscle failure. This is where the dog can not preform the task at all due to complete drainage of ATP/creatine in the muscles. Then thier is Cardio/pulm. Failure. Where the body is demanding more oxygen than the heart and lungs can give the dog. 

So, I will work to different points dependin on what I am conditioning for. 

If I want more endurance. I will usually use the Farlek method of training to create fatigue. Since dogs are not physically built to be distance runners, and work better in short bursts this works better. Not that long and slower runs are not good. But done to much with out explosive training, will make the athlete be able to run long and slow. I will make her pull, and then just keep adding weight till she can no longer move the sled. then back off a little on the weight do maybe 5 more pulls till she runs out of gas.

So it all depends on what you want. I throw the ball, I kayak and kick the dog into the water and make her swim for a half hour. for jumping I have jumps and I jump her only till she can no longer jump as high she could when she started. Because I want to preserve the Nuero-Muscular training. Basically, I do not want her to get sloppy...I will build strength, power and endurance in some othe activity.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I've lost 8-10 lbs since I started herding and a game of two ball just doesn't cut it anymore for wearing out Thunder. My arm gets tired first.


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

Bob Scott said:


> I've lost 8-10 lbs since I started herding and a game of two ball just doesn't cut it anymore for wearing out Thunder. My arm gets tired first.


My arm isn't what it used to be either, but I don't wing it as far as I can. 100' is plenty, he's constantly running and that's what gets it done. When I want to do longer distance stuff I break out the frisbee and head over to the school where there's plenty of open space.


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Bob Scott said:


> I've lost 8-10 lbs since I started herding and a game of two ball just doesn't cut it anymore for wearing out Thunder. My arm gets tired first.










?
http://www.amazon.com/Hyper-Products-0001-4-Ball-Launcher/dp/B000E9757I

Just a thought.

-Cheers


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I actually, just receintly, got one of those oversized tennis ball throwers. I can pick em up without bending too. :-D:-D:-D
It looks like a Lacross stick.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Bob Scott said:


> I actually, just receintly, got one of those oversized tennis ball throwers. I can pick em up without bending too. :-D:-D:-D
> It looks like a Lacross stick.


I'm not a great fan of frisbys. Dogs take to many wild, twisty jumps for my comfort.


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Bob Scott said:


> I'm not a great fan of frisbys. Dogs take to many wild, twisty jumps for my comfort.


 
i've thought about that also, especially when he's in the air 4 feet every time he catches the frisbee. i like the explosive exercise though but keep it short.


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