Skycat's Conditioning Chapter

[satan80 358]

another recommendation for the book here, it's fantastic and the pictures are great as well as the words, often had it out on the coffee table and friends who have no interest in running dogs have picked it up and been fascinated by shots of some amazing looking animals, although when the missus saw some of the more gory shots her words were, "i'll hang YOU from a barbed wire fence if our dogs ever come home with an injury like that"

 

Top book, buy it

[ROBERTO M 350]

Can I ask why you recommend swimming for a running dog ????

[Westy76 546]

Swimming in conjunction with normal biking mooching is a brilliant way of keeping a dog fit,I was told at a hydro centre 1 minute of swimming equals a mile of running plus its totally body stress free so ideal for dogs that have recovered from injuries or haven't done a great deal,I took on a dog with hardly any muscle tone at all and after 8 sessions looked a different dog.

Although if your dogs not used to swimming/being in water they need building up to happily getting in themselves.

[skycat 6,174]

Can I ask why you recommend swimming for a running dog ????

It's not essential at all, but swimming helps to keep my dogs in reasonable shape in the summer, off season, and when the ground is too hard to let them do any running about in my area. Depends on the area and the ground cover, but round here the fields are full of crops and the remaining land is like concrete ... except for last year of course!

Controlled swimming (hydrotherapy in a heated pool) is, as Westy says, fantastic for helping to get over injuries, building up muscle with no impact to joints.

[ROBERTO M 350]

Would you use it on a fit dog with no injuries as part of it conditioning , and if yes why ???? what are the benefits of swimming to a running dog ? cheers

[C Hall 552]

Walking, biking etc if done correctly are all great ways to get dogs in condition to run but nothing beats being behind chosen quarry to get a dog actual fit.

[skycat 6,174]

If I had access to a decent sized heated pool then I would use it as part of a conditioning programme without a doubt: swimming gives a good work out to the chest and back muscles particularly. as well as being very hard work. The body has to work much harder swimming than trotting beside a bike, for example, and is also a really good cardio workout. I guess I'd incorporate swimming as a change from routine biking if I had the chance.

[Westy76 546]

Would you use it on a fit dog with no injuries as part of it conditioning , and if yes why ???? what are the benefits of swimming to a running dog ? cheers

Yes for the reasons skycats already given.

[ROBERTO M 350]

I wasn't asking you , do you swim yr dogs then Westy ???

[paulsmithy83 567]

Pools are good , plus no risk of the hard ground , great for August getting them ticking back over. Bruv got a decent size one at his. I use it on mine a session a week seems great and is a good way In between big days or nights in season to free the muscles up again without no impact on tired joints. A know alot of coursing lads with pools. All seem to work otherwise why spend the 1000's to have them fitted

[Westy76 546]

I wasn't asking you , do you swim yr dogs then Westy ???

Er yes otherwise why would I reply?

[ROBERTO M 350]

What improvements to there fitness do you get from swimming them ????? how often do you swim yr dogs ?

[sandymere 8,263]

Its important that new comers to the lurcher game get some good basic advice in the first instance as this is what usually sticks, you only have to look at the Plummer followers back along to see this effect, and I’m glad to say the section linked gives

Exactly that good basic sensible advice.

I’m even happier that it does so without a mention of stinging nettles, Homeopathy or the like.

Unfortunately I haven’t read the rest of the book but if it’s like this then good stuff, if it starts on with all the alternative magic stuff it would be a shame.

 

As to swimming, mine do so most days in the summer and often in the winter, yesterday I took mine on a 5 mile run by river the sea and stopped ¾ of the way round to throw a small log out to get them swimming, it cools them down whilst still working their muscles, heart etc.

In the summer it’s to hot, even on cool evenings, to really get them working hard for any length of time without them overheating unless you have access to water. Five runs of ball work and their panting but 3 runs then water retrieve repeated etc and I can work them as hard as I need, even to the point of collapse if I was stupid enough, without them over heating. This allows me to get a dog pretty fit even before they start on the lamp.

Even on what to me feels a cold winters day they will often take themselves for a dip in the sea to cool down especially if there’ve been charging around which demonstrates that overheating is one of the major holds on dogs.

[paulus 26]

Its important that new comers to the lurcher game get some good basic advice in the first instance as this is what usually sticks, you only have to look at the Plummer followers back along to see this effect, and I’m glad to say the section linked gives

Exactly that good basic sensible advice.

I’m even happier that it does so without a mention of stinging nettles, Homeopathy or the like.

Unfortunately I haven’t read the rest of the book but if it’s like this then good stuff, if it starts on with all the alternative magic stuff it would be a shame.

 

As to swimming, mine do so most days in the summer and often in the winter, yesterday I took mine on a 5 mile run by river the sea and stopped ¾ of the way round to throw a small log out to get them swimming, it cools them down whilst still working their muscles, heart etc.

In the summer it’s to hot, even on cool evenings, to really get them working hard for any length of time without them overheating unless you have access to water. Five runs of ball work and their panting but 3 runs then water retrieve repeated etc and I can work them as hard as I need, even to the point of collapse if I was stupid enough, without them over heating. This allows me to get a dog pretty fit even before they start on the lamp.

Even on what to me feels a cold winters day they will often take themselves for a dip in the sea to cool down especially if there’ve been charging around which demonstrates that overheating is one of the major holds on dogs.

preaching to the converted here

[low plains drifter 11,014]

I wasn't asking you , do you swim yr dogs then Westy ???

Quiet fish head