Anyone have any ideas how to tighten and muscle up the rear end of my 2 1/2 yr old aussie.

I do a lot of hill walking to build muscle.  I'm lucky that I live about half way up a hill in a valley so anyway I walk, it's uphill!!  I tend to walk to the top and chuck the ball back down so the dog needs to run up and down a few times(not too much).  All of this is done off-lead on grass hills so it's not too much exercise.
Another good thing for building muscle is road-walking.  I would cycle with my dog too so I could cover more miles faster.  A nice trot soon gets the muscles built nicely.

Unfortunately we are very flat where we are. There are occasional road hills. He cannot go off lead unless it is enclosed as he has very little recall. I was trying to get my other half to get a fold up bike so we could ride with him over the nature reserve.

Trotting road work is the best, and if the dog is too large for you to keep up trotting speed then a bike is useful, if your balance is good. 

There are attachments called springers that will allow a bit of give should the dogs stop, lessening the chance of you coming off before you can stop.

I'd love to bike with mine as one of our favourite walks is the old Bristol to Bath railway line which is a cycle and footpath, but I would need a trike (an build it a garage), as my balance is naff.

I use a springey type of leash I got from PAH.  I seen them at SKC but for twice the price!!  I only use a leash which I hold loosely as my dog is trained enough to know emergency stop commands, should I need it.
Oooo, you've got me in the mood and I'm off out on my bike with the ever-faithful.  Have a great day folks!

Thanks for your help.

Do you think hydro pool or water treadmill is any good?

Fold up bikes are a good idea, although they do have little wheels so you have to pedal more lol but I really don't like bikes with high cross bars. I have a womans bike but the cross bar is almost as high as a mans. I have found if the bike tips its much harder to get your foot firmly on the ground.

Dogs can so easily scoot off to the side after a rabbit or something so getting a foot easily and quickly on ground is important to me.

But like Brainless I would feel much safer on a trike. My balance is not too bad but I have powerful dogs:-/

Years ago I walked greyhounds that were in training for racing, they had to be road walked at a trot, so it must work.

I road walk my dogs a lot and do a lot of off lead work, on grass, to get them coursing fit for when we're doing that, I never did it for appearances, just to keep them fit and fast. Anywhom, at a recent show a breed specialist said my dog, who is 9 in August, is in 'very brilliant' but 'not quite excellent' condition. Pretty surprised at this but nonetheless I want to work on it SOOO when you guys say trotting/roadwork do you mean on a cement path or grass? I jog myself with my dogs but try to keep OFF cement for the sake of our joints!

I am in town so it is mostly tarmac/concrete as apart from the verges and  on the old railway line I wont take mine on grass where dogs are off lead while they are on, as it would be very frustrating for them with other dogs loose.

I agree that natural ground would be better for their joints, though I don't think I'd manage to stay upright at trotting speed on rough grass ;).

I'd imagine that age would have a bearing on the judges comments as a fully fit young dog will be most likely just that bit fitter than an older one, and was something they said to split 1st and 2nd in their mind.

Definately paths/concrete.  I run too and can feel the difference if I run on grass paths as opposed to in town.  If you have the correct footwear, our joints can take the pavements no bother.  Also, I think it's something to do with the resistance you get with concrete.  There's no give so your muscles are pushing against a hard substance so makes it tougher.  It's like the ones that run on treadmills.  When they run outside, they find they can't run nearly as far or as fast.  What they don't realise is the treadmill moves their foot back and doesn't give any resistance unlike the road.  Much harder but this is what you need to get the proper work out and build muscles.

I am beside the beach and fields in a quiet area so maybe I'll try it on grass. I wonder would it have the same conditioning/muscling effects as concrete or does it make no odds?

As for the show, he was placed first but was the only in the class that day. Don't think you do them in the UK but here every entry at a Champ show must be issued with a card by the judge which awards the dog a grade, independent of their show placing. This judge marked him 'Very good - whose merits in structure and conformation are such that it can considered a very good specimen of the breed.'' whereas in the past he has gotten 'Excellent - whose merits in structure and conformation are such that it can considered an excellent specimen of the breed and of Champion quality''. At least he didn't get 'good' or 'sufficient' I guess!!

Thanks Cracar and Brainless. So it does have to be tarmac etc, not grass, for the dog to get the benefits?

I would say not it's just easier on the humans to do it on a level surface so you can keep a  consistent speed.

Unfortunately we don't have grading in the UK, but it is not unusual for one judge to grade excellent and another very good, as it can be borderline and a matter of interpretation.  Be more worrying if judges varied by several grades in their opinion on the same dog.

I do know in the grading advice that young classes the judge take into account the stage of development, but no allowance is made in adult classes for age.

You're right, I was just very disappointed....but it could have been worse!!

Just to say that the grade awarded has little to do with physical fitness, You could have the fittest dog in the world but if the judge didn't like it's conformation then they could award it sufficient :-)  Having said that a fit dog moves much better than an unfit dog with the same construction so no harm in working on it :-)

We all get days where the dogs don't do well justifiably or not another day another show.  Its the overall pattern that tells you most.

Hi Chaumsong, I know and I agree, just in this instance his comments were that he would not award 'excellent' because of the condition of the dog being nearly excellent, but not quite there.

> in this instance his comments were that he would not award 'excellent' because of the condition of the dog being nearly excellent, but not quite there.

How strange. The grades are about judging the dog against the breed standard, not a judgement on condition... I wonder if it's different in an ex racing class where the dogs are often a very different type from show dogs?

I show him in 'normal' breed classes as ex racing classes don't exist here.

I would ask what you can do to get excellent in future if this ever happens again - it might be that his coat was not as glossy as the judge was looking for or some such.

Also, I know more horses than dogs but with horses running on a beach is very good for muscle tone as there is resistance and you have to work you muscles harder.  I know Red Rum the 3 times grand national champ was trained on the beach

you're right Roxylola, I read for so long that judges shouldn't be spoken to that now even in the instance of this very nice judge (who appeared to give everyone some comments/analysis!) that I stay quiet and nod and smile! Silly, really, because now I am at home wondering. Actually, the fact that my dog is neutered no doubt contributed to it as he was the only ever judge to comment on this (which surprises me!) and he was certainly surprised.

Maybe once the judging was over you could have had a quick word.

As to the exercise I don't think grass is as good as tarmac. Grass and soil have more give in them so you are not going to get the resistance you do with tarmac :)

If you are near the beach then hard sand is almost as good as hard road walking.

> Actually, the fact that my dog is neutered no doubt contributed to it as he was the only ever judge to comment on this (which surprises me!) and he was certainly surprised.

In many other countries neutered dogs are not allowed to be shown at all, or only shown in veteran classes.

Yes, I know but it's no big issue in the British Isles, of course the judge wasn't from here but there you go ;)

That's what I meant, they would not be used to seeing (or approve of) a castrated dog being shown, and that may have been th real reason for him marking him down.

I did not think you could show neutered here or only at fun shows at least

Over 20 years ago when I first started showing the rule was you could show neutered animals if they had registered offspring, then it was changed to being allowed to show, but you are supposed to inform (not ask for permission) the KC.

Why the idea persists that neuters cannot be shown in the UK I don't know and have frequently wondered as it is quite clear in show information/rules in catalogues.

The spayed Shetlie bitch Ch Myriehewe Rosa Bleu, won 35 CCs, Breed Record Holder, 2 Groups at Crufts, Top Dog in the UK 1995. http://www.myriehewe.com/rosa.htm

Neutering a dog makes a difference to muscle tone.  Our dog that was neutered at 6 months due to health reasons, he never muscled up.  We spoke to our vet about this as we tried so hard to get muscle on him to help his HD and he told us that it's testosterone that 'makes' the muscles 'pumped'.  If they don't have the testosterone flowing, the muscles get flabby.
Showing neutered dogs is frowned upon by a lot of the older generation of judges/exhibitors.  This is because showing dogs was/is all about breeding the best specimen and if anything winning is unable to produce off-spring, it's a waste.  A lot of judges still think this way and will mark down a spayed/neutered dog deliberately as they don't want neuter's competing.

My boy was only neutered at 6.5. He also spent 5 years racing and is now coursing with me...he keeps 'muscly' and functional LOL. I think you're right re the judge.

> Why the idea persists that neuters cannot be shown in the UK I don't know

With dogs it's because every breed standard says male dogs should have two testicles, until they change that a castrated male will probably never do well.

They may not do well, and for good reason if castrated before maturity as it alters the dogs conformation negatively, it won't be as male as the others, and in many breeds the coat goes all wrong.

I have never found neutered veterans to be held back by their neuter status in our breed at least (might be because theri entiore status in youth was known, or they had already produced), though agree most judges would be prejudiced against a young neutered Male due to the fact that you cannot tell if it was entire (maybe a letter to prove entirety prior to neutering would allay fears of rewarding chryptorchid/monorchid dogs) and of course lack of well developed male characteristics male .