# Building muscle



## Elisabeth Parent (May 5, 2010)

Just curious how others build muscle in their dogs who are NOT working companions?

My youngest trains about 4 days per week and is in great condition, even for the winter when training is slow due to the weather. 

However; my oldest is not a working dog, he is just a companion and has no desire to chase a ball or play tug. He has lost some muscle (mostly in his back end) and I really want to get on it before it becomes an issue. He has weak pastures so I want to ensure that the muscle is there to help. 

We have been doing perch work every night (both directions) and in the summer we usually bike and swim, but haven't really any good ideas to do with him in the winter.

I let him frolic in the deep snow which I believe helps as well, but he would rather just walk along sniffing the ground (great tracker). Not an intense dog in any sense of the word.

Just looking for suggestions.


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

It might be too much exertion for an old dog, but skijoring is a great workout. Perhaps for an older dog just running ahead or following (not in harness) while you cross country ski? My young dog (Malinois) enjoys this. I liked that I didn't have to herringbone up as many hills when she was in harness because her enthusiasm just raced us forward. 

Canadog in Manitoba has reasonable, durable harnesses. Maybe you could snow shoe and have the dog pull a small sled with your supplies on it (thermos, lunch, etc.)?

I thought winter was winding down, but then we got another snowfall tonight.


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## Elisabeth Parent (May 5, 2010)

Meg O'Donovan said:


> It might be too much exertion for an old dog, but skijoring is a great workout. Perhaps for an older dog just running ahead or following (not in harness) while you cross country ski? My young dog (Malinois) enjoys this. I liked that I didn't have to herringbone up as many hills when she was in harness because her enthusiasm just raced us forward.
> 
> Canadog in Manitoba has reasonable, durable harnesses. Maybe you could snow shoe and have the dog pull a small sled with your supplies on it (thermos, lunch, etc.)?
> 
> I thought winter was winding down, but then we got another snowfall tonight.


Great thinking, and I wanted to do some skijoring with him this year but he hurt his back leg on some ice (slipped) and had been favoring it for a few days now. 

My "old guy" is only 4 so, he's not really "old" but he definitely is out of shape, considering where I usually keep my dogs.. my work schedule has been hectic. No excuse of course.

Great thinking!


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

Elisabeth Parent said:


> Just curious how others build muscle in their dogs who are NOT working companions?
> 
> My youngest trains about 4 days per week and is in great condition, even for the winter when training is slow due to the weather.
> 
> ...


Teach him to track. Exerting their breathing will keep his lungs strong and if he walks to track, that can't hurt. Teach him nosework for food. Teach him to run on a treadmill.

good luck keeping him healthy to a ripe old age!!!


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## Sara Waters (Oct 23, 2010)

My 13 yo cattle dog loves to hike with me and I also take her for a spin when I go for a ride on my mountain bike round my property. I dont go flat out like I do with my young dogs, just a nice steady trotting pace and it really keeps her nice and fit. Lean and well muscled for an old dog. Gentle hills are always good for building muscle.

I also do a bit of fit ball work with her while watching TV which she loves. 

We dont get snow here, but I would think the tracking idea is a good one. I got a DVD by Chris Zink and it has quite a few exercises for keeping the backend strong. Doggy sit ups, crawling under a bar, walking backwards, picking up diagonal legs, teaching to beg and more, all can be done inside.


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## Jane Jean (Sep 18, 2009)

2nd the Chris Zink program.
I do core conditioning exercises during the winter months when we aren't out as much. The balance peanut and fitpaws disc are used to balance, do position exercises. This is an online class you could do: http://classroom.daisypeel.com/online-class-signup/k9-conditioning-and-body-awareness/ 
Karlo really enjoys the peanut!


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## Laura Briggs (Jan 11, 2011)

My lazy female show line GSD has really great rear end muscle definition from running up and down a large sand hill. She's very bonded to my husband so we do a lot of restrained recalls with her; we switch up who is at the top and bottom of the sand hill. We also take our dogs to the beach as often as we can since running on sand is such great exercise (as is swimming).


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## Elisabeth Parent (May 5, 2010)

Dave Colborn said:


> Teach him to track. Exerting their breathing will keep his lungs strong and if he walks to track, that can't hurt. Teach him nosework for food. Teach him to run on a treadmill.
> 
> good luck keeping him healthy to a ripe old age!!!


Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

He actually was my first schH dog, but we were unable to trial due to his nerves. He is a great tracker and I should really focus on this more but let his training slid in the winter. We do nosework on a regular basis although he finds the food he has no interest in it (or toys.. ).. lol. I live in an apartment and am not allowed a treadmill otherwise I would most definitely be doing that.

Would having him run the stairs in my building be a good idea? I was thinking of tethering him to me and doing a few flights a couple times per night?


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## Elisabeth Parent (May 5, 2010)

Jane Jean said:


> 2nd the Chris Zink program.
> I do core conditioning exercises during the winter months when we aren't out as much. The balance peanut and fitpaws disc are used to balance, do position exercises. This is an online class you could do: http://classroom.daisypeel.com/online-class-signup/k9-conditioning-and-body-awareness/
> Karlo really enjoys the peanut!


Jane this looks like a great idea. I will definitely be looking into this one! You know the struggles I have had with Stark and actually participating in things.. lol.. but I think he might actually enjoy this. And I can do it in the apartment during the wintery days.

Thanks!


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Funny, I've been thinking about this just over the past couple of days. My male Malinois, just turned 2, is very thick up front but a light weight in the back... like some of the guys I see not doing squats at the gym. We have a hell of a time putting weight on him. He's weaning off prednisone right now because of a case of NSR meningitis, in which he put about 10lbs on. He's about 70-75lbs right now. He could put on another 5-10 on in my opinion.

One of the things we need to do more with him is in long face attacks get him to drag a tire, in addition to the bungee work... there isn't really any sand around here, and although we have water, it's more conditioning as opposed to building.


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## Elisabeth Parent (May 5, 2010)

Laura Briggs said:


> My lazy female show line GSD has really great rear end muscle definition from running up and down a large sand hill. She's very bonded to my husband so we do a lot of restrained recalls with her; we switch up who is at the top and bottom of the sand hill. We also take our dogs to the beach as often as we can since running on sand is such great exercise (as is swimming).


This is my issue, we do that on the snow hills that are created by the clearing of the parking lots, but he is not that motivated to actually climb up and down and if I go up.. I sink through... LOL!

We swim and hike probably 5 days per week from March through October so he is usually in pretty good shape.. I have let him slid a bit in the training and it is showing.

Thanks!


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

I picked up a $30 ice fishing sled and a mushing harness. My dogs pull my 6 yr old in the sled about 1km each, then a release run after. We do that every second day. If you do not have a handy 6 yr old you can use a big water jug filled with water for weight, or sand bags, etc. just make sure you start off easy and work him into it or else he'll be real sore and not wanna do it again. 

Instead of a sled you can get an old tire, or a bunch of old milk jugs with ice/water tied together, etc. just make sure if it's a tire that its a smaller one and you control the pace as tires can hit bumps and jump and hit or scare the dog. 

In the summer I roller-jor if that's even a word. Lol. Like ski joking but on rollerblades. 

Backpacking with weights in can also help. There is a company that makes vests with weights that can be added for this purpose. 

http://dogtread.com/canine-gym-gear/canine-fitness-vest-starter-kit/


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## Zakia Days (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi Tamara,

where'd you buy the sled? thanks.


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## Matt Vandart (Nov 28, 2012)

We had a foster doberman here for a while that had a very weak back end.Vet suggested hill WALKING it worked wonders, by the time he went to his forever home he had muscles nearly as big as my two dobes whose rear end muscles put some greyhounds to shame.


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

Zakia Days said:


> Hi Tamara,
> 
> where'd you buy the sled? thanks.


Canadian tire. Not sure where you are but any place tha sells ice fishing kit would have them. Just cheap plastic.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Matt Vandart said:


> We had a foster doberman here for a while that had a very weak back end.Vet suggested hill WALKING it worked wonders, by the time he went to his forever home he had muscles nearly as big as my two dobes whose rear end muscles put some greyhounds to shame.


I was told this once by our trainer in IPO. It cannot overstrain a healthy but older dog and keeping it on the line ensures that it keeps on marching.


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## Jessica Kromer (Nov 12, 2009)

Matt Vandart said:


> We had a foster doberman here for a while that had a very weak back end.Vet suggested hill WALKING it worked wonders, by the time he went to his forever home he had muscles nearly as big as my two dobes whose rear end muscles put some greyhounds to shame.


This is where a treadmill with a good incline helps a ton. All uphill at a set pace...


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## Joe Agustin (Jan 15, 2013)

I would train te dogs like i train to gain muscle mass. A healthy dog should be able to pull a tire in a correct harness.......interval runs, your gonna need more protein intake and a healthy diet, def swim. Dogs are like people, some are genetic freaks and look like arnold out of the gate, some you can work and work and work and they will never be statues


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Feed RAW .. All of the RAW fed dogs I see always seem to have more chance of having good muscle vs a kibble fed dog. I look at hip x-rays of some of my pups that I know are RAW fed and you can see the outline of the muscles in the back end, they are pumped.


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