# Training for the AD test...?



## Hillary Hamilton (Jan 6, 2009)

ok, I would love to be able to participate in this!! I know some of the rules but not about what type of bike you can use?...My rottweiler, Joe, I think he could do it as he is a very lean 90 lbs with all ribs showing. He is very active and we go jogging on my grandparent's 100 acres a lot. So, does anyone have any info for me!! I know it is a 12 mile long endurance test and 15 minute breaks every 5 miles. The dog is kept on the right side. The dog is faulted for lagging behind and failed if too much of this or has sore feet, etc?... Is this right? What type of training should I do? I would like to be able to do this in 4-6 months if possible! Thanks!!!


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## Lacey Vessell (Nov 18, 2006)

Some people condition the dog for it....some don't. I used a plan much like this one to condition my dog (Malinois) for the AD:
http://www.gshepherd.com/SchH/Ausdauerprufung.htm

Not bashing Rotts, because I have worked a couple on the street and had a few as personal dogs....they have always been my breed of choice, but IMO you have to consider the training/trialing temps even more so with this breed.

Best Wishes!


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Here you go!

http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/f25/conditioning-injury-prevention-5200/

scroll down a bit, that post from Frank Smego is nice...


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## Skip Morgart (Dec 19, 2008)

Hillary Hamilton said:


> ok, I would love to be able to participate in this!! I know some of the rules but not about what type of bike you can use?...My rottweiler, Joe, I think he could do it as he is a very lean 90 lbs with all ribs showing. He is very active and we go jogging on my grandparent's 100 acres a lot. So, does anyone have any info for me!! I know it is a 12 mile long endurance test and 15 minute breaks every 5 miles. The dog is kept on the right side. The dog is faulted for lagging behind and failed if too much of this or has sore feet, etc?... Is this right? What type of training should I do? I would like to be able to do this in 4-6 months if possible! Thanks!!!


 
I think the dog/handler team has to maintain an 8-12 mile mile per hour pace. I had been running my dog to prep for the AD, and was hoping I could actually run it with him, but my personal running pace couldn't keep that speed going for that long, and I was told that you HAVE to bike with the dog. It's 5 miles, then 15 min break, then 4 miles, break, then 3 miles. The judge will then have you do a short obedience routine with the dog, to show that the dog still has some energy left. We never did the full 12 miles in practice. My dog's breeder said just train til you can do 6 miles. With the breaks on trial day, the rest should be no problem...and they weren't. If you haven't already, I would make sure that your dog has it's hips and elbows cleared by OFA before tackling this.


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

seen a snowzer last year get dragged through one for the sole purpose of breeding requirements the fricken judge passed it. This dog in junk in every thing Schutzhund it's empty nada normal dogs with no dog aggression want to cull this pos when on the field with it.
Sorry back to your question.


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## Skip Morgart (Dec 19, 2008)

Mike Scheiber said:


> seen a snowzer last year get dragged through one for the sole purpose of breeding requirements the fricken judge passed it. This dog in junk in every thing Schutzhund it's empty nada normal dogs with no dog aggression want to cull this pos when on the field with it.
> Sorry back to your question.


Sounds like the judge was a snowzer also. There are good and bad judges with everything. I've seen quite a few judges flunk the dog if it had to pulled at all. If it was for a breeding requirement, then I hope another judge flunked the dog if it did lousy on the rest of the breed test requirements.


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

at


Skip Morgart said:


> Sounds like the judge was a snowzer also. There are good and bad judges with everything. I've seen quite a few judges flunk the dog if it had to pulled at all. If it was for a breeding requirement, then I hope another judge flunked the dog if it did lousy on the rest of the breed test requirements.


The judge who gave it the AD I thought was very reputable always has a sharp pencil I don't get it.
Well this pos also got it's SCH I at there club trial a year earlier with enough points to breed which was also a disgrace but did receive vorhanden. This animal is a perfect example of why people have the opinions of what Schutzhund has become.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Hilary, I did the AD about 2 years and would like to do it again this spring and one important tip I'd give is try to train with someone else and their dog from the club or whatever before the day of the trial. We practiced for like 4-6 weeks to get in good condition and the running wasn't the problem. It was the fact my dog wanted to pass everyone else on trial day and happened to be at the end of the line. :lol: We started out in the back but ended up being in the front by the end. Maybe not be a bad thing to train your guy it's okay to be behind someone. :wink: Wanting to be in front is not a bad thing, just can be an obedience issue and learning hard lessons in obedience on a bike isn't fun! #-o


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I didn't realize the dog was supposed to stay on the right side. None of the dogs I've watched do the AD have been in any particular position. Some have even been out slightly in front. The judges have never said anything about it.


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## Lacey Vessell (Nov 18, 2006)

Everything is subjective..... subject to *that * particular judges interpretation of the rules which state:

The dogs will be run a total of 20 kilometers (about 12.5 miles) at an average speed of 12 to 15 kilometers per hour (7.7 to 9.5 miles per hour).

The dog must be kept on leash *on the right hand side of the handler* and move in a normal trot next to the bicycle. A "springer" may also be used. (*Depending on safety and at the judge's discretion, the dog may be allowed to trot on the left hand side.)* Overly fast running is to be avoided. The leash must be sufficiently long to give the dog the ability to adjust to any changes in speed. Slight pulling or forging is not faulty, but continually falling behind is faulty. Taken from USA Rulebook Page AD 2 The Running Exercise (only the first two paragraphs).


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

> A "springer" may also be used.


I heard this was no longer allowed.


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## Lacey Vessell (Nov 18, 2006)

Some judges like em.....some don't.....BUT they(springers) are still permissable according the "official" rules.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Good to know; I'll have to let everyone know that, since we were all told that you had to use a leash.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

There were like 6 of us who did it total when I did it last (some club folks, some outside the club) and most everyone started the run on the Springer (I didn't because I didn't have one and we had already trained to do it without) and by the time we ended, everyone was just using their leash. The first few miles, the dogs are more excitable, but after that, they seem to settle and just get into the swing of things for the most part. I don't like the Springer quite as much as it seems like it gives you more passive control, but less feedback from your dog if it needs to stop and potty or whatever.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

To often a dog is entered because "I know he can do it". 
Endurance aside, the feet are a big reason dogs get pulled in the AD. Foot conditioning is just as, if not more important then the endurance end of it.


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## kristin tresidder (Oct 23, 2008)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Maybe not be a bad thing to train your guy it's okay to be behind someone. :wink: Wanting to be in front is not a bad thing, just can be an obedience issue and learning hard lessons in obedience on a bike isn't fun! #-o



and that it's ok to NOT suddenly stop and turn to look at a car heading the opposite direction. my left shoulder/hip/knee are still recovering from one such hard lesson last sunday!

honestly, the biggest obstacle i see are pads. it's so easy to step on a small piece of glass either on pavement or in glass, that you don't even see, and by the end of the run the dog's pad can be in shambles. i've had that happen a couple of times, and the dog didn't even limp during the run, so i had no idea. that then takes at least a week to heal.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

> I don't like the Springer quite as much as it seems like it gives you more passive control, but less feedback from your dog if it needs to stop and potty or whatever.


I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to stop and let your dog potty during the AD, except during the breaks. :wink:


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Kristen Cabe said:


> I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to stop and let your dog potty during the AD, except during the breaks. :wink:


When I ran it a couple years ago, I showed up just as we were about to start because I just came from class (we ran it on a Friday afternoon) so I didn't get as much prep time to make sure he was all empty as the others did. I asked the judge what to do if my dog seemed like he had to go (like actually go, not just the "I'm a male and I have to mark right this instant" sort of thing). He said stop, pull off to the side, let him go quick, and continue on. Seemed like no big deal.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

interesting. I always equated it to pretty much the same thing as going to the bathroom on the SchH field.


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

kristin tresidder said:


> honestly, the biggest obstacle i see are pads. it's so easy to step on a small piece of glass either on pavement or in glass, that you don't even see, and by the end of the run the dog's pad can be in shambles. i've had that happen a couple of times, and the dog didn't even limp during the run, so i had no idea. that then takes at least a week to heal.


That's the issue that I see as well. I plan on doing the AD with Judge and will be conditioning his pads by running him and putting Musher's Secret on them after every run. I'm hoping that will make his feet completely ready for the AD. 

Courtney


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Kristen Cabe said:


> interesting. I always equated it to pretty much the same thing as going to the bathroom on the SchH field.


Yeah, I would have thought so too (which is why I asked, didn't want to make the judge angry!), but I guess when you're running for a few miles, the pipes just start moving. Can't really ask the dog to put a cork in it!


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