Slat mill training

Im following the training plan from Joseph L. Colbys book as best as I can for my boys keep. He can't go quite as long on the slat mill as I would like but I know it will come with time. Just wondering if any one else had a plan that you used to get your dogs started on the slat and how long it took to build their stamina up?

 

Depends on the dog, what kind of shape he was in when you started, genetics... way too many variables to comment. If he hasnt ever done any training before, you should notice steep improvement in the first 3 months and then it'll slow down til you hit a plateau when he is reaching his peak.

In the beginning try to push him a bit so he gets in the habit of going as long as he can... the only way to improve is to push the limits and set the bar a little higher each time.

A good way to guage it, just let him do his thing for a week monitor the time it takes for him to get puffed and wanna give it up and jump off under his own accord.

The next week, try and aim for an average 5 mins higher, and so on, you'll notice after a few weeks of doing this, squeezing that extra 5 from him might not be possible, you can only get an extra 3 on average, then an extra 2... 1... then he'll plateau a bit. Thats when cross training becomes invaluable

 

It depends on the dog and in what health he is in....your dog should not be overweight, he should be lean and parasite-free!

I usually start in a keep at around 3-5 mins and increase the times by 2 mins every 2-3 workouts! (eg. Day1-5mins,Day2-5mins, Day3-7mins, Day 4-REST, Day5-7mins, Day6-9mins, Day10-9mins etc.....)

Proceed slowly and gradually keeping intensity high and he will adjust over the course of the keep as you are pushing him slowly for more work!

YIS

 

You have to read your dog, they will let you know how long they can go. I have some dogs that will run full force but they will usually run hot after 10 minutes. Some can go up to 45 minutes at a decent pace but not 45 minutes straight, of course.

Always be sure to empty your dog out before placing them on the mill. Kidney damage can happen very easily. I will usually let mine run for about 10 minutes, then they have a piss break and do 10-15 minutes more before taking another break. I like to skip a day before working them again. I work them hard on millwork, so everday isn't necessary. 3 times a week is more than enough, IMO. I guess it depends on your individual keep. I will do other workouts on the days they don't do millwork like spring/flirt pole and light dragweight.

 

Thanks guys. I've started at 5 minutes using a toy to get him going but today he just did it on his own with me just beside him encouraging him. Thats really what I want is him to go without being "baited" and we're moving in the right direction.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=100815385

 

Colbys mill workout is for a carpet mill for slat work look for The Millmakers way of slatmill work . you want the dog to pace himself if he is running balls out he wont take the time to recover let the dog trott for a couple min then bring the toy in to get him up to a sprint then back away .