If i take Toby on a normal walk it takes about 45 mins, when i take him to the woods it takes us 1 1/2 to 2 hours am i over doing it? he loves going to the woods and gets so excited when he realizes were we are going but on the way back he tends to lag behind and pants alot, he is 13 months old now.

Heidi

You don't say what breed but in general I would be looking at the heart, the dogs weight and the general condition.

He is a black lab and in great condition :)

Heidi

Sorry but he is not in great condition - unless you live somewhere the temperature is over 30c

well my dog is in great condition for a lab! could it not be that he has just gone mad playing and running and is genuinly trying to cool himself down by panting!?  Panting is not necessarily a sign of illness, it's a dogs way of cooling themselves down and maybe like mine he just doesn't want to stop playing hence the lagging behind.

I don't think any of us can say that your dog is not in great condition without seeing it heidi. 

Sorry, you may be correct but I did not read the phrase 'puffed out' as meaning panting, all dogs pant but most should be able to exercise for 45 mins without being tired out.

Heidi? do you mean puffed out as in fighting for breath...or just puffed out panting?

my dog goes to the park for about 30-45 mins in an afternoon and bombs it round with the other dogs.  On the way home he lags behind and seems to almost be having a tantrum cos i take him from there.  Could yours be the same?

Mine actually turns around to look behind him when he is walking!

They are just like kids!

Thankyou Labmad, you could have a point there, he does look back as we are walking back and as we get near home if he see's a mate of him he is all excited again, i never gave that a thought, he REALLY loves his walks and he is very healthy.

Heidi

perhaps our labs have the same thing in common then.  I think mine enjoys himself so much that he just doesn't want to leave his mates behind.  He actually turned around on the car park to go back to the park the other day.

I do think they are like little kids who don't want to come in from playing.

I can remember doing to same actually lol

sorry perhaps i should have put it better he is panting, he isnt fighting for breath.

looks like we may have two sulking dogs then cos they have to go home after such fun!

Toby would go out for walks every hour if he got his way :D i wanted to know if 2 hours walk is to much for a year old lab, I am not a slow walker.

Heidi

Must admit I tend to break up time with about 3-4 shorter walks with one off the lead (the sulking park one).  My dog is 15 months old now.  labs as you know need their exercise to diminish boredom and obviously keep them fit not fat! 

My dog is a show type dog but does the whole obedience/wt scene so I can tire him out if needs be.  He is chunky built but extremely athletic and muscular and would go all day if I allowed him :-)

I asked about show / working types as I have my own views on what the show breeders are doing to the Labrador. Quite controversial and probably best kept to myself!  ;-)

Please share your views.  I promise not to take offence....well I will try not to lol

You might not but i'm sure someone else will! lol

IMO they have just too much of what the show breeders call 'substance'. They just have to carry far too much excess 'dog' around to be a fast, effective gundog that can go all day at a pace that I would be happy with.

When you look back at historic pictures of dual-champion labs, they were much lighter than the current show-bred dogs. I know there are a few genuine 'dual purpose' dogs around, but even they just look far too cumbersome for my purposes.

To be honest much of this is purely the amount of weight that seems to be required for the show ring, rather than the dogs themselves. I'm convinced that the same dog could look much better, slimmer! The bitches particularly seem to be shown in a condition that beggars belief for a supposedly working animal!

I'm not really that interested in showing, but I know a few people that show other breeds of gundogs and they seem to view the show labs as some kind of freak show! (Mind you the other breeds seem to be buggering up their prospects for producing quality working dogs as well!)

Told you i was better keeping it to myself! lol ;-)

havoc by name havoc by nature hey!

it's your opinion and your entitled to air it.

My lab is Poolstead. Extremely good head and conformation and I always make sure that he is not carrying around too much weight as I agree that some labs do look slightly...portly.  My lab weighs 5.5 stone but there is not way you would think it to look at him. 

However, I have found that some of the working labs look like whippets! long thin pointy faces and just don't do it for me at all.  I know that my dog could do his job, what he was bred to do, if that was what he did.  I don't like fat labs at all but then I don't like these pointy faced ones that come through in working lines either with ganggly legs etc.

Well you did ask me....lol

Your correct, SOME working bred labs are not very attractive (including one of mine) but that doesn't stop them being real good at their job (and very good pets as well) However, I do think the size and substance of working Labs in general is increasing.

All things being equal I like a good looking dog, and prefer a bit of size and substance (although you probably wouldn't think so if you saw some of my dogs! lol) However, I would much, much prefer a pig ugly brilliant worker than an attractive, mediocre one. (But then thats just me !!)

As your dog is a Poolstead, he was bred to win shows not work.  I know the show breeders think they are breeding for working in mind, but the harsh reality is they are often only suitable for someone who wants a 'steady plodder'. If you ever get into competititive gundog work i'm sure you'd end up preferring the quicker dog. "It aint what they do, its the way that they do it" springs to mind. If a dog is not really "tested" in the field then you will never "know" whether he will make the grade. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying yours wouldn't! lol The vast majority of gundogs (of whatever breeding) are pretty lousy anyway (due to lack of, or poor, training rather than their size and breeding)

However, most important is that you love your dog to bits and he fulfills YOUR requirements (I'm sure I'd love him as well!). These are just my thoughts and no more important than that! Happy to debate with anybody, but dont want to offend anyone!

I do love my boy to bits...he is my world.

I do working trials with him and he can keep up with the best of them.  He will work his socks of for me if I ask.   He clears the jumps just like the working type labs and in fact he is regarded as one of teh best in our club.  I think it's all about watching your dogs weight too though.

I am sorry if I offended about the pointy face thing!!

There is one working lab in our class who constantly gets asked if she is a cross breed because she is so slight and pointy and her tail is just so thin the owner assured that she is a lab though and can prove it apparently. 

God I'm going off the track here now but I just wanted to say....anything your dog can do mine can do to!

Dont worry, you wont offend me! ;-)

Sounds like a great dog, enjoy him!

I've often fancied a crack at working trials. Lack of time at the moment but sounds an interesting discipline. I have met a lady that uses Standard Poodles (apparantly successfully). Think i'd use a GSD or collie though as I like to play to win where dogs are concerned! ;-) , although I understand that some Labs have been quite successful?

There is only one person working a Standard Poodle in trials at the mo, Christine with Clancie who is now retired; several labs have been made up to Working Trials Champions in either TD or PD stakes or both!

I savour every second with him don't worry.

He is a great dog.  very multi skilled ha ha

Hoping to go in for my first wt show in November so that will be good.

I can't think of the lady's name, but I was only talking to her the other evening. Does Christine live in the East Northamptonshire area, as I know this lady from obedience training classes in that county?

I'm sure she told me that the dog she had success with is now retired, but she is now training a young black S. Poodle (called Duncan, I think?). Dont know if she has done any WT training with the young one though. (Not my sort of dog, but nice well behaved lad, with a bit of 'class' about him imo)

Could be someone completely different, but the Lady I spoke to seems very genuine and has a nicely trained dog.

Incidently, are working trials judged against a standard, or are they competitive (like Field Trials) i.e you you have to beat the other competing dogs to get 'made up'.

Yes this is the same lady and very nice she is too, and her poodle often got the best track marks.

Working Trials is an interesting sport in that you do not have to "win out" to progress as you do in obedience.  I am afraid I am not terribly au fait with field trial rules (despite having a gundog, not a lab :D) however I will give you a brief overview of WT.

There are 5 stakes

CD (optional) Companion Dog
UD Utility Dog
WD Working dog
TD Tracking Dog
PD Patrol Dog

There is a hierarchy of qualification required so in the tracking stakes you must qualify UD Open, then WD Open then TD Open.  These are not qualifications but pre entry requirements to the Championship stakes, basically to qualify for "ticket" (TD) you must have qualified UD open x 1, WD Open x 1 TD Open x 2, UD Champ x 1 WD Champ x 2.

To get the initials UDex etc after your dog's name the dog must work against a standard which means you must achieve as a minimum 70% of the available marks in each of the 3 sections and 80% of the available marks overall.  Therefore placings don't matter.

Once you have a TDex/PDex you are competing for the CC, 2 of which makes your dog up!

So to answer your question you compete against a standard in the "lower" stakes but the standard AND each other in "ticket".

Does that make sense? :D

Thanks, that makes sense.

Yes, she's a nice lady. Small world isn't it?

He's still only a young dog, not yet fully developed, and I personally wouldn't have him out for that long at a time yet. An hour, including some free running, I would say is ample till he's adult.
JMO

Thankyou JG,
I will take your advice, seeing as you have always given good advice in the past :)

Heidi

Thanks! :) I feel that two 1-hour walks would be better than one 2-hour walk. There's less chance of him overdoing it - my dogs have always needed to be made to stop - they won't regulate themselves when young, and will keep going till they're badly overtired. I have to be Mrs Meany! Don't forget the mental exercise too, which is just as beneficial for him.
:)

PS I have nothing against Whippets before I get a torrent!  IJMO

Phew... hope this post gets there before anyone elses!

The problem is, its a long walk to the woods, so i will take him to the woods by car and then let him enjoy the woods, i now let him off the lead in the woods and he so enjoys it and i feel he gets a better walk :)

Thanks Heidi

Good idea Heid.  He will have a great time in the woods cos he will be full of beans! :-O

heidleberg,
Out of interest, is your dog a working or show type?

The duration of exercise will have much less effect on the dog than the intensity. A 13 month lab should be able to work all day, but I can really tire mine out with a 15 minute training session if I choose to!

He is a working type lab and like labmads he is chunky, not fat (gets to much exercise for that :D ) and very muscular.

Heidi