Handwalking

I have done several on walking alone. it is a great way to condition a dog, especially if the dog will drag you down the road with your elbow locked out and the lead banjo string tight.

The bike ride is even better.

Anytime a dog will do something with his feet on the ground it is better than when that movement/effort is duplicated on a mill.

S

 

Very well said.

On the free-er spinning mills the dogs torso stays the same and legs look like pendulums swinging.

Any time a dog can do an exercise on the ground it is better than we his off the ground.

S

 

I am a big fan of hand walking and the mills as well. I just like a mill that is just free enough and/or just not free-enough that the dog looks like he is running on the ground when he is running the mill.

If I could every dog to run on the ground like the mill I would have no need for a mill.

The very ever conditioned dog I have seen was a female that was a all out nut job over a green soft ball. We stood about 20 yards or so a part and played catch. She never took her eyes off the ball and did dirt digging sprints for as many times as we threw the ball. If there was ever an instance of perfection, she was there. All on the ground. All sprint work.

If I could get that on a mill the only handwalking or ground work I would use would be the walk from the chain to the mill. LOL

S

 

No truer words have been said.

It is indeed all about works for that particular dog. None of this stuff is cookie cutter alike.

If it works, it works, regardless of anything or what any one thinks. If it works,. It works.

S

 

Just my opinion but I am all about times but not so much 10 minutes of this or 20 minutes of that.

Whatever the exercise the dog should gradually perform longer and need less rest between sets.

I try to watch the dog and let him tell me when is when and then I write that time down. From there I should see the same level of exertion last longer and then the time it takes to be ready again should get smaller and smaller in length.

So I guess I look at times but not just 'time'.

S

 

Remember, when conditioning you are working the heart and lungs. Walking has its place but it’s only a part of the puzzle which the most benefit is realized as the dog is recovering on his feet.
The heart and lungs must be worked up to maximum stress and then allowed to recover heart and respiratory rates.
The animal must be able to do this over and over, that’s the definition of “in condition”
You’re not going to reach anywhere near maximum stress by just walking, you will get yourself and your animal into good shape but chances are if/when the heart rate hunting gets into a zone way above the walking heart rate you’re gonna see the bottom of your animal. When you reach the bottom of your animal oxygen can’t get to the brain and you reach a place where your charge can’t or won’t continue or worse has to take the bottom and take a beating.
After spending a lot of time with Robert L and using his mills my partner (who was a real genius with these dogs) and I figured out how to use a horse heart rate monitor to get real time readings while working and hunting, the results were eye-opening to say the least. We saw heart rates way over 200bpm in conditioned dogs while working. While walking heart rate would rarely go much over 120.
So...to really be in shape (in my experience) you’ve got to work the animal to it’s maximum heart rate AND RECOVER over and over as the dog would encounter while hunting.
The other interesting thing I observed is that doing any bite work, hide etc had an adverse effect on heart and lung function which caused a lack of mouth while hunting.
Prehunt the only work my dogs mouth was doing was eating and drinking.
Most importantly the biggest detriment to condition was overwork.
I’ve always said most conditioners really hurt their animals. Sonny Sykes always told me “first you gotta be smarter than the dog, and this is the failing of most so called dog men”

 

2 simple reasons
1) you took the mouth out of her by doing bite work 2) her heart and lungs were not in condition and she could not use what mouth she had left because she could not BREATHE
I used to see this all the time especially in the clowns who used steroids on their dogs
I realize many good conditioners used steroids but we never did, I felt, and still do it isn’t in the best interest of the dog or my breeding program. I want to see the real animal, not the animal enhanced by steroids

 

like Sonny Sykes said “you gotta be smarter than the dog!”
That’s the first rule according to Sonny
The second rule is “he who bites last bites hardest!”

 

if you’re running in fast company there are no “bad dogs” they’re all well bred (except the frisco shit!! haha..just kiddn we called em frisCUR dogs) and rough and they’ll generally go an hour hard.
So...to have a chance at winning you’re going to have to weather a storm for an hour before it’s your chance to get your licks in.
Great conditioners like Sonny, Sparky Hermès, JoeH, the Fowler’s, Frank Gump, jcshaw, etc. knew that to win you had to breathe, you CANNOT take the bottom, you must stay on your feet and take the opponent into what Sparky called “deep waters” make them fight themselves off their feet, make them take the bottom.
That’s where gameness and conditioning and breeding show.

 

http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=232082
This fella didn’t show a lot in school but in shape a monster, he could dance all night and when time came to put the hammer down you could hear ribs break 4xw


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=513445
Better pack a lunch, he took one of the best I’ve ever faced to Gilligans Island, a 3 hour tour.
That’s breeding for gameness

http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=452897
Remember, he who bites last bites hardest