Different ways to condition a dog

[Mercepitdog]

For those who really work their dogs, beside tredmills, how else would you condition or work your canine?

Me, well when I dont use the tred, I perfer to hand walk, swimming and even abike ride with my dogs in a closed area at the park or something late at night.

[findrodhere]

I now swear by the flirtpole. If you're not using one, you're missing out.

[BaBy ThE PiT]

findrodhere is right. my pup loves the flirt pole! she's only 8 months but she loves when i bust out the flirt pole. it's really easy to make. just get some PVC piping and some rope. and then run the rope through the PVC piping. make big knots at both ends with slack on one end. then u can attach a towel or watch gets your dog to play with it.

[miakoda]

Well, just this past weekend, a neighbor had 1 of our dogs pulling his four wheeler. She looked like she was having a blast. :)

Right now for us it's handwalking (no jogging at the time being), treadmill work, springpole, flirtpole, & chase the bouncy Kong.

[tommy3]

I work my dog with alot of walking/jogging, flirt pole, and swimming.

[jadedpitgirl]

I work my dog with alot of walking/jogging, flirt pole, and swimming.
I use hand walking, flirt pole, spring pole, and letting them run after the four wheeler. They absolutely love this!!!. The young pups get to chase after the flirt pole, but never jump for it.

[SouthernDixie]

I now swear by the flirtpole. If you're not using one, you're missing out.Ditto! That and a springpole. And I've said it tons of times and I'll say it again now - a laser pointer at dark! If the yard is safe enough for the dog to run (ie it won't run into anything in the dark), just shine it all around and watch your dog go crazy running after it. :)

[country boy]

i usually will tie my dog to my bumper of my pickup, and pull him until he catches on and runs with me. It works great sometimes we get up to 25mph.

[CRG]

i usually will tie my dog to my bumper of my pickup, and pull him until he catches on and runs with me. It works great sometimes we get up to 25mph.You have to be kidding?

[findrodhere]

i usually will tie my dog to my bumper of my pickup, and pull him until he catches on and runs with me. It works great sometimes we get up to 25mph.
I don't see myself doing that. Though, you could go real fast. Then again, you could kill your dog.

[El Mexicano]

i usually will tie my dog to my bumper of my pickup, and pull him until he catches on and runs with me. It works great sometimes we get up to 25mph.


S 10?!?!?!

[country boy]

naw he has never really got more than some scuffed up pads.he is very smart and catches on real quick.

[findrodhere]

What happens if he gets run over or trips?

[country boy]

well we live in the country on a dirt road , so if he trips i stop the truck and there aint to many folks that drive out on this here property, so i doubt he will get ran over.plus i tie him to the back bumper not the front one so i dont run his little but over.

[findrodhere]

well we live in the country on a dirt road , so if he trips i stop the truck and there aint to many folks that drive out on this here property, so i doubt he will get ran over.plus i tie him to the back bumper not the front one so i dont run his little but over.Well, at least you're not tying him to the front.

You do realize that there may be some danger involved?

[*blackrock*]

Sprints in an open field, and drag weights for bout 120 yards. We also do long hand walking. Works for me!

[country boy]

Well, at least you're not tying him to the front.

You do realize that there may be some danger involved?there is danger involved in alot of things we do round here.Thats what makes life so great!

[mikelia]

I think a better way to do it is to have someone in the back of your pickup holding a long line to the dog, that way if he trips or whatever, the leash can be let go of. Or since you're in the country, just let the dog run after your truck. I don't know though, its an unsafe situation. But I do think you need 2 people to do it, one person to watch the dog and another to drive.
Or better yet, just get on a bike with the dog.

[PiTBuLL200416]

I hook up some weights to my to my uncle's dogs harness and I put a rabbit in a cage and drag the rabbit up this big hill by my house and the dogs just run damn near forever, even if they get tired they still climb up that hill as fast as they can tryin to catch that rabbit. Another source of great conditioning is swimming. My uncles strongest Pit bull can tread water with weights on.

[El Mexicano]

nvm...............

[PiTBuLL200416]

what does NVM mean

[SouthernDixie]

Nevermind, I believe.

[miakoda]

i usually will tie my dog to my bumper of my pickup, and pull him until he catches on and runs with me. It works great sometimes we get up to 25mph.
I hope your joking. Or else, you make me sick. (btw, yes I've read all your posts)

[country boy]

I hope your joking. Or else, you make me sick. (btw, yes I've read all your posts)good fer you! ive read yours to.And im sorry i make you sick but hey!,Im not married nor do i live with you.So what i do here on my property,Is my buisness.And i know my dogs are happy and love to run along the side of my truck.

[pennsooner]

good fer you! ive read yours to.And im sorry i make you sick but hey!,Im not married nor do i live with you.So what i do here on my property,Is my buisness.And i know my dogs are happy and love to run along the side of my truck.

And thats true up until you kill one of them through your depraved indifference.


By the way. I condition my dog by leash walking, games of fetch, tug-of-war and flirt pole.

[country boy]

And thats true up until you kill one of them through your depraved indifference.


By the way. I condition my dog by leash walking, games of fetch, tug-of-war and flirt pole.well in the last 20 years the only dogs ive killed were culled for reasons,not due to depraved indifferences.

[sy82nj]

as for me i hand walk,spring pole, rope toy, bout to to add flirt poling and maybe a drag sled. and a mill when i get one. and my dog work the chain pretty good. never drag you dog behind a trunk. may be tie your dog to the front bumper and let them pull the car/trunk or other form of a vechile in neutral

[brat pack]

Okay, I haven't actually done this yet, I am in the process of building the cart. But, I intend to have my dogs pull a sulky. It is like what they use in thoroughbred racing (trotters) but made sized for dogs. You can use a single or a double for 2 dogs. They can easily pull up to 2.5 times their body weight with no effort. Or you can use a scooter. I like the sulky because you use a head harness and have reins, thus more control. I work at a manufacturing plant and have a guy working on the buggy design for me all I have to do is order the harness. I plan to go to the Geneva Ga show and hope to have something to show off then.

[PiTBuLL200416]

if directed to me why did you say never mind?

[Diesel]

Many methods are in use over here, but the newest is probably his current favorite- Tire Wrasslin
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy024.jpg
He drags that damn thing all over the yard. gorwling and shaking it. I will stand it on end and roll it across the yard as he runs it down and tackles it.
LOL, He found that thing in the garage this morning while I was cleaning kennels and decided it was a good chew toy. I dont have the heart to take it from him.

Is it me or doesnt it look like he is smiling in this one?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy030.jpg
And here are some shots of him and his new toy
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy036.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy044.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy046.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy045.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy047.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy049.jpg
Maybe this one will last some time, because those king toys... are questionable in this house, LOL.

And the old stand by-
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/2-22-2006outback035.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/afdf43d8.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/fc3e795e.jpg

[japangame]

Lets see,

Flirt pole, Sping pole, Tredmill, walking, jogging, bike, swimming(works all muscles in the body), fetch, and pulling. If I missed one that I normally do, than i can get back to that later. I am a personal favorite of swimming.

[findrodhere]

I wish my dog liked to swim. He'll go in the water to the top of his back, but no further. I'm sure if I tossed him in he'd figure it out pretty quick.

[LONGHORNS]

Lots of walking, running (sprinting and endurance), swimming, springpole, tugging.

[sy82nj]

Many methods are in use over here, but the newest is probably his current favorite- Tire Wrasslin
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy024.jpg
He drags that damn thing all over the yard. gorwling and shaking it. I will stand it on end and roll it across the yard as he runs it down and tackles it.
LOL, He found that thing in the garage this morning while I was cleaning kennels and decided it was a good chew toy. I dont have the heart to take it from him.

Is it me or doesnt it look like he is smiling in this one?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy030.jpg
And here are some shots of him and his new toy
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy036.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy044.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy046.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy045.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy047.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/3-04-2006-dtoy049.jpg
Maybe this one will last some time, because those king toys... are questionable in this house, LOL.

And the old stand by-
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/2-22-2006outback035.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/afdf43d8.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/fc3e795e.jpg

his feet should always be on the ground when working the s/p

[SAM_I_AM]

well not if he's teaching him to climb a tree!!!

[Diesel]

His feet shouldnt always be on the ground. I have been using springpole to condition my dogs for years and have always used the same combination og high and low days, and always with great results in a dogs drive to continue with the pole and body from the workout it provides. I agree the most work is done with all four feet on the ground and the dog pulling against the tension in the spring, but the act of having to jump repeatedly is great at building a solid rear. As you can see in this pic the rope is going up and over another branch, this is just for a really high jump. I will run it directly from that brnach to the ground for a middle height, or move it to the lower branch so that he has all four on the ground. (thats also the height its at for the puppies and my female who wont jump up).

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/afdf43d8.jpg

It is possible for a dog to fall and hurt its tail or hind legs, sure it is.
I use my spring pole pretty much every day for about 45 minutes to an hour and have NEVER had a single incident in over 5 years. I am pretty comfortable with the safety of my dogs, but I do appreciate your concern.

Look at this vertical leap from a stand still-
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/6dbda386.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/2-22-2006outback029.jpghttp://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/2-22-2006outback024.jpghttp://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/TheVILLAIN/2-22-2006outback030.jpg

[SAM_I_AM]

How do you keep your dog intrested for 45 min to an hour? I can only keep mine on for a couple of minutes. any tips would help.

[Diesel]

To be honest... I dont. He does. None of my other dogs come close to him. He sees the tug and wants it, everything else in the world disappears when he is under that ropes spell. I literally have to put it up out of reach for him to leave it alone and still he will go to the tree and jump a few times at nothing. then sit and look at me then the tree, and then back at me, kind of like "make it come back... I wasnt done with it yet."

But then again Diesel has always beena dog that put everything into whatever activity he was doing. Be it Springpole, FLirtpole, running, fetch, his tire or whatever, he is completley immersed in that activity until you come and physically make him stop by removing the item.

[pennsooner]

How do you keep your dog intrested for 45 min to an hour? I can only keep mine on for a couple of minutes. any tips would help.



Sam, IMO this is more a question of drive than anything else. Some dogs you can throw a ball and they look at you like "yeah, so what"? Other dogs you throw a ball and they will go through a patch of thorn bushes to get the ball. Thats just genetics. There are things you can do to increase drive a little bit but thats it.

[Mercepitdog]

To be honest... I dont. He does. None of my other dogs come close to him. He sees the tug and wants it, everything else in the world disappears when he is under that ropes spell. I literally have to put it up out of reach for him to leave it alone and still he will go to the tree and jump a few times at nothing. then sit and look at me then the tree, and then back at me, kind of like "make it come back... I wasnt done with it yet."

But then again Diesel has always beena dog that put everything into whatever activity he was doing. Be it Springpole, FLirtpole, running, fetch, his tire or whatever, he is completley immersed in that activity until you come and physically make him stop by removing the item.
nice looking dog, good to see some blues active

[Doggystyle]

Throwing a ball against a wall at the top of a high steep hill so she sprints about 50 times up/down.

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[Big Game]

i usually will tie my dog to my bumper of my pickup, and pull him until he catches on and runs with me. It works great sometimes we get up to 25mph.:confused: You cant be seriuous....:mad: oh my god you are......lets all pray for this mans dog. Im no religus nut...but if ever a animal needed a prayer its this one

[Big Game]

:confused: You cant be seriuous....:mad: oh my god you are......lets all pray for this mans dog. Im no religus nut...but if ever a animal needed a prayer its this one oh yeah, my dog loves to chase a stick to the bottom of a dune and run it all the way back up to me untill he drops, he also loves to swim the beach is a great place to work youre dog. (considering its the right location)

[GA,CAM]

my dog started playing with my ankle weights a little while ago and there 2 1/2 pounds, so i though i would throw it, so he can fetch it. its his favorite toy now. i have to tape it up real good before i allow him to play with it. if its any where in his site he will jump up and get it. ill post some pics later in the gall.

[Diesel]

Throwing a ball against a wall at the top of a high steep hill so she sprints about 50 times up/down.This is a great one, I do this over at the school. Diesel LOVES fetch.

[PorsA]

few minutes springpole, 1 to 2 hours handwalking and running beside the bike.

[SAM_I_AM]

Running beside the bike....... is that something that you have been working on since puppy stage or not. I know for sure that i wouldnt even try that with mine cause i know i would end up in the ditch.. how do you do it.

[Hillbilly Pit]

What is the best way to burn off fat with two or three hours a day? i just put up a 75' zip line for him to run on when i throw he's kong toy and small tire. is there anything eals i can do in this time frame besides walking that i do?

[findrodhere]

What is the best way to burn off fat with two or three hours a day? i just put up a 75' zip line for him to run on when i throw he's kong toy and small tire. is there anything eals i can do in this time frame besides walking that i do?
Since it sounds like you got room, why don't you build a 20ft flirtpole? It would be a workout for you, and I'm sure your dogs would enjoy it.

[El Mexicano]

strap my dog up to a chute...builds stamina and speed...u can buy them at sport stores and stuff..got mine from eastbay.com

[Hillbilly Pit]

Since it sounds like you got room, why don't you build a 20ft flirtpole? It would be a workout for you, and I'm sure your dogs would enjoy it.
i am going to. i saw a link on here the other day and it looked like fun for me and him. but i didn't think that it was 20'. can it be 8' or 10' pipe? how long dose the rope come out the end?

[Hillbilly Pit]

strap my dog up to a chute...builds stamina and speed...u can buy them at sport stores and stuff..got mine from eastbay.com
what is a chute? do you have pic.?

[El Mexicano]

a parachute..small ones...http://a712.g.akamai.net/7/712/225/1d/www.eastbay.com/images/products/large/3331_l.jpgbuilds speed...

[Hillbilly Pit]

a parachute..small ones...http://a712.g.akamai.net/7/712/225/1d/www.eastbay.com/images/products/large/3331_l.jpgbuilds speed...
ok i see now. that looks purty good but dose your dog ever try to eat it? when he's not got it in the air.

[El Mexicano]

if im not watching the dog....yea....lol but theydont mind it when i strap it and they started running

[Brothermarree]

Hand walking/ longevity (sp?) weight pulling- 2 miles with weight in wagon. Running in yard- rope tug of war.

[PorsA]

Running beside the bike....... is that something that you have been working on since puppy stage or not. I know for sure that i wouldnt even try that with mine cause i know i would end up in the ditch.. how do you do it.
I learn them walking beside the bike (on leash) when they are puppy's (young dogs) by handwalk them with a bike in my other hand (about once a week). When I did this a couple of times I handwalk the dog with the bike next to him. So he learns not to walk infront of the bike etc. When the dogs are about 12 months I take them for short few minutes easy running beside the bike still just for learning. So when the dog is matured he knows how to run beside the bike (on leash)

I ended up in a ditch a couple of times:)

[PorsA]

I learn them walking beside the bike (on leash) when they are puppy's (young dogs) by handwalk them with a bike in my other hand (about once a week). When I did this a couple of times I handwalk the dog with the bike next to him. So he learns not to walk infront of the bike etc. When the dogs are about 12 months I take them for short few minutes easy running beside the bike still just for learning. So when the dog is matured he knows how to run beside the bike (on leash)

I ended up in a ditch a couple of times:)
I let them run beside the bike in a area with no cars and other traffic because that would be dangerous. You always have to have your eyes open for danger like a loose dog, cat or whatever so you don't end up with your face on the ground :)

[Mercepitdog]

I let them run beside the bike in a area with no cars and other traffic because that would be dangerous. You always have to have your eyes open for danger like a loose dog, cat or whatever so you don't end up with your face on the ground :)I go to skate hockey rings with my kids at night somtimes on the bikes. And whats funny, the dog is still ready to go after over a hour of running with us. Wind for days!