Hi,
I am trying to get my dogs fitter for agility. Both my 2 BC's are doing quite well in agility, one is senior and the other is 1/2 senior with some good placings this season. I am trying to get them more fitter to give them the extra speed that they don't have at the moment.
I am not a "walkie" person who can give the dogs a lot of road exercise. They have 1/2 hour walk in the morning, 1/2 hour walk at lunch and an hour's walk in the evening. I am prepared to give both dogs cycling exercise. I have a "springer" type device that attaches to the bike so it's hands free but I've never used it yet.
What would be the best sort of cycling exercise to give them? Fast or slow? What's the minimum I should give them to get them really fit?
Any tips much appreciated.
Charlotte

I think like any form of exercise you must make sure they warm up a bit first before cycling off with them! However, I would have though 2 hours exercise a day would be more than adequate for maintaining their fitness. What is it about them that you think could be improved?
Bec

No - a half hour here and a half hour there does not build stamina.
I build up my younger dogs stamina on a treadmill which he loves :) I set him away at a steady pace and he can run for ages. I will also take him jogging with me sometimes. I notice when I'm working him that he has a much much faster recovery rate between strenuous exercises and he can work for longer without tiring.

I'd start off gradually for a few minutes at a time and then increase the distance slowly. Don't do it all at once which can be quite tempting if your dog copes well at the pace and distance you use but maintain it for a little while before moving on. Also rest days between to start. I walk my dog round after he has been on the treadmill for a cool down.
Lara x

I always have the feeling that agility is rather like a sprint race in humans rather than a marathon and as such should be trained rather differently. Explosive energy rather that stamina.

As I dont do agility I could be talking out of my hat but it's food for thought?

Regards, John

Yes John, I see what you mean, it is quite like a sprint race, well the faster, flowing courses are. Both of my dogs could do with some improvement though, as when they go for half hour walks the male (4 years old, 1/2 senior) tends to plod round lazily and my bitch (2 years old, senior) is probably fitter than him as she gallops round quite a bit but I think she could do with more muscle on her.
Thanks,
Charlotte

Hi Lara,
I've been tempted to get a treadmill (so I could use it as well as the dogs!) but have never really looked into it as I can't afford a really expensive one and wouldn't have a clue where to start looking. Which one do you have?
Ta,
Charlotte

Hi Charlotte

I'm lucky to have the free use of a professional gymnasium I can take him into. It's a powerjog treadmill he uses and I think it costs around £5,000.
Even if I could afford to buy one (which I can't) - it's about the same size as my two seater settee and I wouldn't have the room for it without being cramped or sticking it in the garage.
Lara x

Wow Lara, how lucky are you!!! I've already been to 3 gym's to ask if I could use their treadmills but I was given a definite "no" from all of them. I like the idea of hydrotherapy pools and mine have been to them a couple of times but seeing as they cost £10 a session --> £500 per year I think I'll stick to cycling :o)
Charlotte

If it's any help, when I take my dogs with the bike I only go at their trotting speed. This is the stamina-building speed - a fit dog (of average, non-extreme build and coat) should be able to go for hours when fit.
:)

PS - When starting on the road with the bike, take care not to wear their pads out! It happens if you do too much, too soon, and will put your training regime back weeks, if not months!

Charlotte

When I did agility with my Border Collie I used to get him fit with a bike. Take it steady at first and build up gradually but only let him fast trot, this will build the muscles needed for agility. It made a huge difference to my dogs fitness, make sure you only go out when it is cool or they will overheat.

Sandra

start off the dog on the bike at about 2 miles per day for a week (give 1 day off the bike per week for rest).increase distance by 2 miles per week until you are upto a minimum of 6 miles per day.a good average speed for the ride is between 8 and 10 mph.have used treadmills both powered and slatmills (wooden belt type made specially for dogs),which are better imo. but the springer is better than either and i feel a more natura way of runningl, the only time my dogs get on the treadmill is if i am feeling a bit hungover or its raining heavy outside.
you still need to let the dog empty out before you use a treadmill or go on a bike ride so he will still need a bit of a walk first.
ps i would change the plastic clip and the plastic that attaches the springer to the cord for 2 metal clips as i find they can break if the dog is pretty strong.hardest part of working the dog at the moment is finding a part of the day cool enough.

Hi, thanks very much, this is really helpful. I'll start the exercise program today. How long does it take them until they are really fit?
Thanks,
Charlotte

Alternatively Charlotte, you could jog with them (that's what I do with mine, as well as biking them). That way you all get fit, and you won't be tempted (or able ;) !)to over-exercise them too soon.

you will see a big difference within 3 weeks.by the way if you have a competition on the weekend then i would give 2 or better still 3 days rest prior to it off the biking so the dog is full of energy on the day.

Hi Sandra,
I took both dogs for a miles run earlier, I was going to do 2 miles but both the dogs were absolutely exhausted. I'll run them Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs, rest Friday, and competition Saturday and Sunday. Then on the 2nd week I'll do 2 miles, 3rd and so on, 3 miles.
Thanks for your help.
Charlotte

find the dogs far better on the harness than collar while on the bike they tend to choke a bit on the collar

Has anyone mentioned swimming? This builds up general fitness and also reaches muscles which help with jumping, such as the ones on the back in the sacral area.

A good book to invest in is, "Jumping from A to Z - Teach your dog to Soar" by M. Chrisine Zink and Julie Daniels. It explains lots of interesting stuff such as bones, muscles etc with regard to agility, plus building attitude, brains, skill, confidence and leading to power jumping in agility for the really fit dogs; how to flatten jumping trajectories and reach greater speed, and teach the dog to soar.

Pages 93 to 114 are about conditioning the canine athlete which relates to your post - it goes through structurla assessment, and discusses indoor and outdoor exercises to help create fitness.

I can highly recommend the book, I am really a beginner in agility, but the book is invaluable and I keep referring to it :)

(it should be available from www.crosskeysbooks.com)

Good luck
Lindsay

Hi Lindsay,
My 2 have been swimming before but both have worked out that because they've got lifejackets on they don't have to use their back legs, and I want to build their leg muscles up. It's also pretty expensive, £10 per session so I could be spending £500 on each of them per year if I went once a week.
If I see the book on jumping I'll buy it, I've seen it for sale but never really thought about buying it.
PROBLEM: I took my two out on my bike this morning, didn't go too fast, both were medium speed trotting. Went for a mile. Came back and they both had a drink of water. The older one has now gone lame on both his back legs and is really wobbly. He's putting weight on them but he's just very wobbly. I think it's more just stiffness than anything else. Is there anything I can do to prevent him getting stiff? Will he stop going lame once he gets more fitter?

Thanks,
Charlotte

Hi Charlotte,
I know when I start fitness training after a lay-off a mile of steady jogging/running is more than enough, and it can take a few days to get the lactic acid out of the muscles.

It appears that your older dog simply isn't up to doing a mile at a time yet - build him up to it gradually because you don't want to damage him. What surface was he moving on? If it was tarmac, check his pads - they may be quite worn. I would think next time you take him out (not tomorrow, but in a day or two) he shouldn't go more than half a mile at the most. Only when he can cope with that should you increase the distance. Later on as he becomes fitter you'll be able to do much longer distances.

But don't rush it.
:)

Edited to add: What 'cooling down' exercises did you do with them after the long trot? About half a mile of walking would be needed to help disperse the acid.

Hi Jeangenie,
Thanks for your reply. So should I do half a mile starting from wednesday each day for a week? Then go to one mile, 1 1/2 miles, 2 miles etc? He was running on tarmac and I've checked his pads but they look ok. Is there anything I could put on his pads to stop them burning or wearing down?
I didn't give him any warm down, actually I was quite selfish, chucked dogs in back garden, put bike in garage and had a drink and a cool shower - ooops :o( So next time I give him a warm down should I just walk him for about half a mile?
Thanks ever so much,
Charlotte

That should be fine, Charlotte, but of course you will have to go by how he copes with it. As soon as he is obviously comfortable with a distance then you can up it a little - I wouldn't necessarily do it every day though - that's not what is recommended when people start training for a marathon (needing stamina!!) - muscles need a day's rest between workouts to recover and build.

So as you're just starting them, I'd say half a mile the first day (with the half-mile walk to cool down afterwards) then his usual exercise the next day, half a mile the third day etc. (Think about racehorses - after a race they aren't allowed to just stop - they are kept gently walking round and round to cool down slowly and let the acid disperse from the muscles.) But at all times decide your distance on his reactions to the last trip.

His pads will be best toughening up naturally - I don't know of anything that would hasten the process. (Historically when geese were walked from farms to market in town they would first be walked over sticky tar then sand so that the soles of their feet had 'boots' on, but I don't think that would be appropriate with a dog!)

And of course don't do it during a heatwave!!

Good luck!
:)

Thanks very much, you've been brilliant!
charlotte

Hope it all goes well for you (and the dogs, too, of course!)
:)

Surgical spirit dabbed onto pads helps to toughen them up.
Lara x