The ground

[Rabbithunter 456]

After reading a few post's recently, it makes me wonder how many of you actually care about the ground you run the dogs on,

 

I know of lads who go out on calm, clear nights, whereas i will only go out on nice dark windy nights. I love going out in light rain/drizzle the bunnies seem to sit for longer. And the ground MUST be soft enough to run on

[Guest lampinlass]

Took the dogs out for a walk today and the ground is like concrete

[ratkilla 42]

Last night i was awoken about 4.30 from the thunder stormers and the sound of heavey rain and all i thort was about going lamping to night because of the rain and hopefully the ground would of been nice n soft. But no working to day i was watering the plants and digging through ground like rock it was as if it never had rained, roll on the rain

[MATTI 34]

It will take about a week of rain to soften the ground up enough to run a dog to it's full potential or to prevent injury, i can't wait for the season to begin, but let's not wish summer away.

[chartpolski 27,772]

I worry about the way people on this site slag others about running their dog's during the summer. My dogs are out every day at first light, summer or winter. At the moment they are working the oil seed and wheat and chasing whatever they can see in the cut hay feilds. We are home before it get's to hot and I don't worry to much how hard the ground is, if you know when it's too hard you won't run your dog's anyway !!! Do you guy's keep your dog's on the lead all summer? Or do you use common sense ? A guy from this site 'phoned me about a mornings mooch; my only caveat was; let's go before it get's to hot, (for me AND the dogs) !!

Cheers.

[MATTI 34]

I did'nt mean to sound like i was slagging anyone my dog's are never on lead's and chase whatever get's up although where i exercise them not much to chase, there is a difference between exercising and working :11:

[Guest chilli]

If you wait for perfect condtions you can be waiting along time to get your dog out .

 

This time of same with any you can get out do the thinking for your dogs an theres no probs .

Edited July 26, 2006 by chilli

[chartpolski 27,772]

I did'nt mean to sound like i was slagging anyone my dog's are never on lead's and chase whatever get's up although where i exercise them not much to chase, there is a difference between exercising and working :11:

Exactly MATTI, I'm lucky enough to live in a place where I can excersise and work the dogs at the same time. Yesterday my pup chased a fox thru' a quarry, I was thinking "hurt feet", but she came back without a mark, we own Lurchers not Poodles.

Cheers.

[macker 5]

im with dogginland.

its nice to have the weather and moon down when going out.

great to get out either way and i will bring the muts for a spin when ever i can.

the ground can be a killer. with a bit of luck some rain in

september would be great.

al the best

macker

[Rabbithunter 456]

Chartpolski, im not slagging any body off by any means, just asking other lads n lasses what conditions then run in.

 

I will go out through the week as well as weekend's, to me, my sport comes before working.

 

I've seen me out from 9Pm till 3AM lamping and then get up at 7 for work. Tiredness at work is a small price to pay for an excellent nights sport :good

[Rabbithunter 456]

well said Andy, and im glad that i have the same opinion as an expert like you

 

i must be doing something right

Edited July 26, 2006 by Rabbithunter

[LDR 29]

Do your dogs not run around when they are off the lead? I know mine all do, but i aint too worried about that, as its nowhere near as punishing to them as lamping and the like, my dogs get there excercise early morning or late night through the summer, the ground is still like concrete but less chance of heat stroke and exhaustion problems...... realistically if we never took chances we'd never run our dogs, what about barb wire and plain wire? my dog hit some dumped plain wire in the side of a field and tore his front legs wide open...... what about stones and flints, how many fields do you walk through during the day and see chunks of glass and bits of flint and smashed pottery crap? farm machinery is another one, left laying around in corners of fields and how many times do you see rabbits head straight for obstacles? So what are we to do, not run these fields? you could prob find reasons in every field not to run your dogs in......... Then you could get into fox's, why would you put your dog on something that you know is gonna bite back and possibly injure your dog? only we can answer these questions for ourselves and our dogs, what i do with mine might not be what "fred" would do with his, if you can justify in your own mind what you choose with your dog and more importantly, give it the best possible care if things go wrong, then i say let bygons be bygons, this site would be a boring place to be if we all did the exact same things witrh our dogs and had the exact same views..........

[Guest jeff.s]

IM WITH ANDY, I WOULDNT RUN MY DOGS AT THE MOMENT ON GAME, I DONT WANT TO KNOCK MY DOGS UP FOR WHEN IT A BIT SOFTER, IM LUCKY THOUGH I ONLY LIVE 500 YARDS FROM THE BEACH SO I CAN RUN THEM EARLY MORNING AND LATE AFTERNOON, BUT I KNOW A LOT OF YOUS ARENT SO LUCKY AND HAVE TO TAKE A CHANCE ON GRASS, I KNOW MY DOGS WOULD DO MY HEAD IN IF THEY WERE ONLY ROAD WALKED. jeff

[LDR 29]

Totally agree Andy, i dont work mine this time of year, depending on where i've got them out, depends if they are on a lead or not, i'm going out with chartpolski soon for another early morning walk with the dogs where there is a load of stuff out, but the ground is thick heathery moors so gives a bit of softness under foot, plus they'd be doing well to get up on anything cos you can be seen coming a mile off, but its nice to see the dogs scratching about scenting on things and be out seeing some stunning views..... ..... i used to work on a polo yard years back and treat my dogs in a similar fashion through the year...... throughout the summer they are left pretty much to laze around and do what they want, get fat and act like a pet dog, silly wlaks out where they can play around together, come next month, they'll be getting road work on a lead to harden the feet and more importantly strengthen the tendons, after a few weeks of this they'll get light trotting behind my mountain bike with bursts of short sprints thrown in, the distances gradually increase as i see fit for the dogs, individually of course, then nights lamping start and build up gradually, along with swimming and more bike riding, once the season is well under way, they should be ready for anything you can throw at them.........

[LDR 29]

Yep, being by the beach is a god send this time of year, i've also got a couple of lakes too which are on the walks, aint nothing better than seeing them running around around in the water........