# Exercise ideas...



## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Hey folks. Ok, Lacey is driving me up the ****ing wall. My fault? Yes, sort of.
She's not getting adequate exercise, this is obvious. Before I get flamed I'm going to tell you that I busted my foot up really bad on Halloween (damn trick or treating) and have been on crutches since then. I'm just now getting where I can walk on the foot from hell (torn ligaments and tendons, no breaks). It's in an aircast until December.

So far not only has busting my foot up cost me a lot physically (though my arms buffed up fast from the constant crutch use) but has also cost me 2 pairs of shoes in the past couple of days. 

Anyone have some good ideas for me to get her some exercise without damaging my foot further? I'm not supposed to be off the crutches until sometime in December, but screw that, it's a hassle. So while I can walk on the thing it's not comfortable at all and running is absolutely out.

I'm not too proud to beg, someone please enlighten me some and save the shoes, they're becoming an endangered species in my house.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Teach the dog to fetch! You can plant your foot on a chair and throw forever from there.


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

She fetches obsessively. Which is a nice thing but gets a little old because she gets really wound up and we have to stop. She's finally starting to play tug (which I let her drag me around in my desk chair on wheels) I had someone suggest a buster cube as well to keep her entertained and away from the nearly extinct Nikes.

What do you guys think about a treadmill? I know it sounds so incredibly lazy to me but even the price of a brand new one won't equate to what I've spent replacing shoes in the past couple of weeks.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

The treadmill is fine but it sounds like your getting tired before the dog does when you play fetch. 
"She gets really wound up and we have to stop".
Toss till SHE gets tired! :wink:


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Haha that may be, I should probably get a chuck-it, my arm can't take an hour plus of fetch, you have a good point.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Bob Scott said:


> The treadmill is fine but it sounds like your getting tired before the dog does when you play fetch.
> "She gets really wound up and we have to stop".
> Toss till SHE gets tired! :wink:


This is pretty much what I was going to say....Jesea escalates...we start out wacko fetch....get totally stupid wacko and then go downhill into a nice game of it :roll::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:....ya gotta follow through the wacko part....

And....the chuck-it or a tennisball/slingshot (I use ultra balls) launchers are GREAT!!!!!


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## Jenny Thorp (Nov 8, 2008)

I don't know how much fetch playing room you have but the hyperdog tennis ball launcher is an awesome exercise help .
I use mine to launch orbee balls for my wild crew.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Drag pulling, weighted vest, fetching over small hurdles, can someone bike her(?), warm enough for water - even through a small stream or river(?), dock diving, if you feel like letting her be social for a bit let her hang out with another dog a few times a week, spring or flirt pole, 4 wheeler, hill workouts, jolly ball, even a good muck hole or swamp or shoreline will work out a dog pretty well, same with fetching in the snow...

Just a few thoughts anyway. Good luck.


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## Zakia Days (Mar 13, 2009)

How exactly do you 4-wheel the dog? Is this with pulling harness, ATV in neutral and the dog pulls? I'd like to try it if I can get proper set up instructions. Let me know. Thanks in advance. 



Nicole Stark said:


> Drag pulling, weighted vest, fetching over small hurdles, can someone bike her(?), warm enough for water - even through a small stream or river(?), dock diving, if you feel like letting her be social for a bit let her hang out with another dog a few times a week, spring or flirt pole, 4 wheeler, hill workouts, jolly ball, even a good muck hole or swamp or shoreline will work out a dog pretty well, same with fetching in the snow...
> 
> Just a few thoughts anyway. Good luck.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I run my dogs with the four wheeler.....I haul ass and they follow....


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Nicole Stark said:


> Drag pulling, weighted vest, fetching over small hurdles, can someone bike her(?), warm enough for water - even through a small stream or river(?), dock diving, if you feel like letting her be social for a bit let her hang out with another dog a few times a week, spring or flirt pole, 4 wheeler, hill workouts, jolly ball, even a good muck hole or swamp or shoreline will work out a dog pretty well, same with fetching in the snow...
> 
> Just a few thoughts anyway. Good luck.


Good ones, thanks! Nobody but me to give her exercise, I'm pretty much the only person home 90% of the time. I'm in Colorado and it's not very warm or we'd take her to the reservoir, last time she slept forever when we got back - spent lots of time chasing fish.

Her playmate died last week so that's a good idea to get her out with a buddy, I guess I could take her to the dog park and deal with the ninnies there. It's not exactly my favorite place to be, some of the people just ](*,)

I may just invest in the treadmill, I have to get my ankle back in shape eventually anyway and I doubt I'm going to do too well running on icy sidewalks (not to mention I did a gymnastic move on the crutches on a patch of ice the other day, haha) so it might just be worth the investment for both of us.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Zakia Days said:


> How exactly do you 4-wheel the dog? Is this with pulling harness, ATV in neutral and the dog pulls? I'd like to try it if I can get proper set up instructions. Let me know. Thanks in advance.


Either way works (harness and in neutral) or running them unrestrained. I run mine free from anywhere between 5-15+ miles a day on weekends throughout the summer. Mushers up here use the harness set up with their dog teams. Sometimes I let them out of the boat and let them cruise the rivers edge as I take the boat up or down river:

http://www.WorkingDogForum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1942&catid=member&imageuser=7492


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## Terry Devine (Mar 11, 2008)

How about hooking a bungee (long one) to a tug, stretch it out and then release it, she can go get it bring it back against resistance and then all you have to do is have her release it to you and then you can just let it go again.

Good Luck

Terry


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

I like using 2 balls. Throw one as the dog returns it show the other, and have them drop the 1st and immediately throw the 2nd as a reward. They pick up pretty quickly that when they drop the 1st the game continues so eventually you don't need to give any commands at all, just let em go. You can keep them running constantly this way- no stopping and waiting for you to get the ball. Like running gassers at football practice. I like the weighted vest idea- 2 ball fetch with the weighted vest, that'd wear them out pretty fast!


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

HI Ashley,

I hadn't noticed this post when I PM'd you. If you can make it out to Peak tomorrow I can handle Lacey for Tom to do some bite work. I also have a chuck it that you're welcome to use. As far as exercise after that, bring her out to Janitell and we'll let her run around with the new GSD puppy Gwrgenau or Flan. Belatu is anti-social


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

i love my chuck-it, and so do the dogs. you can play 2-ball with the chuck-it, and if you have like a football field area, you can toss a ball 100 yds with virtually no effort. a few trips like that will wear a dog out


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2009)

Go to the butcher and get some huge cow knuckle ends, femur ends or a skull with the juicy bits still attached. Freeze them and and give him one after your fetch games. Gnawing is the best exercise your dogs can do. It is a whole body workout, tires then mentally and it releases endorphins.


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## leslie cassian (Jun 3, 2007)

In addition to the other suggestions - busy her brain. Get out the clicker and teach her some goofy tricks. Mentally tired is good, too and may save some shoes.


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Thomas Barriano said:


> HI Ashley,
> 
> I hadn't noticed this post when I PM'd you. If you can make it out to Peak tomorrow I can handle Lacey for Tom to do some bite work. I also have a chuck it that you're welcome to use. As far as exercise after that, bring her out to Janitell and we'll let her run around with the new GSD puppy Gwrgenau or Flan. Belatu is anti-social


Awesome Thomas! I'm sure she could use to burn off some energy, she's being a twit (doing the racetrack in the house ordeal) she really likes puppies too. 

I'll see you tomorrow!



ann schnerre said:


> i love my chuck-it, and so do the dogs. you can play 2-ball with the chuck-it, and if you have like a football field area, you can toss a ball 100 yds with virtually no effort. a few trips like that will wear a dog out


Yeah we've been playing fetch in my yard, which is huge. I throw it from my porch so she has stairs she has to climb to bring it back. Sometimes I get Scott to throw it for her because he can hit the end of the fence (and I can't) but a chuck-it is in order for sure.


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Carol Boche said:


> I run my dogs with the four wheeler.....I haul ass and they follow....


I agree with the above, if you don't have a 4 wheeler, use your car/truck on a old dirt road with no traffic I started my dogs on dirtbikes but when I moved, didn't have the land to take off from home. My new pup loves to play ball so much, he wears my arm out even with a rope on the ball. He really digs running and exerting himself at his own speed, as fast as he can go. Just take off slowly and once you can see your dog is out of the way, get in front and stay ahead. Some of my dogs have been very car savy, others dumb enough to rub tires if you let them.

Some dogs really like it, others not so much. I have 1 of each right now. Try it out and see if your dog enjoys hauling all out.


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