Is Handwalking Over Rated?

Im wondering, how much of a benifit does handwalking provide for conditioning. Ive heard several dogmen swear by on countless hours of handwalking. However, should activites such as the flirt pole, spirints, fetch, draging weight, etc. be more focused on in the dogs conditioning program? :confused:

 

Let me clarify that for a dogman, handwalking IS NOT walking Fido through the neighborhood. Without giving out secrets (lol), i will say that THAT handwalking uses different lengths, weights of rope and has the dog exercising different muscle parts.

 

Without trying to act like there is some secret to hand walking ...or some psudo science behind the equipment or rope circumference and density and or some other crap ass BS to complicate things...the brass tacks come down to the truth being that a lot of hand walking at a normal "natural" rate is essential for many reasons... muscle groups work differently and so does the dogs cardio and also believe it or not hand walking is essential for resting...a hot or just worked dog shouldnt lay right down after, you should walk him out and cool them off that way and dont give water until they are breathing more close to normal and their not panting so hard...also a lot of hand walking is sometimes the best way for a human to keep up and it still gets the job done because it is time tested and proven. On top of handwalking working with flirt poles and muscle building to a degree along with a strong handwalking regimen is an integral part of any winning program...

 

LOL, pretty good question coming from an 11yr old.:p

Handwalking in general is a good form of exercise. Its a good activity regardless if your training for a show or not.

Several of the conditioning keeps of well know dogmen highly stress handwalking. Heck, by the 8th week some keeps can suggest 4-5hrs a day. Now the problem with that is...several people dont have that kind of time, esp. if working more than one dog.

It is really important to figure out your goals when conditioning a dog. IMHO handwalking is key, although as far has building up wind, strength, and a lean ripped body other activities are more important.

If your really looking to build up highly conditioned dog than sprints, light jogging on grass, hillwork, chain dragging, playing fetch, flirtpole must be incorporated into a program. I like to use one of the activities in combination with handwalking. For example: 30 min warm up walk, 20-30mins light jogging on grass, followed by 60mins of handwalking.
As you progress through the keep you wanna keep intensifing the workouts.

Rest is also very important, i like to use the 2-3 days on & 1 day off plan.

 

Very nice points up there in red

 

I agree with MrDogman. We took Rock (the pic in my avatar) to a hunt club here in town and road worked him behind my truck. J sat on the tail gate holding the lead and we just cruzed fast enough to have him at a slow, steady jog. By week 7 we had him up to 6-7 miles a day. We'd stop at the cleaning station and flirt him for a while and then back at it. The 1st day we really got on him he got a little stale but he recovered very quick. By the 8th week you couldn't wear him out. You'd run out of gas 1st. The day we were taking him hunting I was walking him to empty out before we put him in the crate and he found a deer bone and splintered it. By the time I got ahold of it there was nothing left. Peak much?

 

Come on DJ get off that tailgate and stick with that bulldog stride for stride. Just KIdding

 

Well thanks for your guys for your input now i understand. Thanks!

 

Please, keep thinking it's over-rated, and be sure to let everyone who will listen know the "Truth" as well


In this age of 3k mills, flying jenny's, and turntables why would anyone possibly want to use such a stone-age method of conditioning as handwalking :p

hehe

 

yeah I know right Mr back woods out in the country mile marker passin SOB..... Which I know you walked past plenty of them mile markers in the heat cold wind and rain but your right who would want to do something so arkane and midevil, like that works...

 

UNDERATED!!!!!!!!!









in shape for fall AADR show of 07 in PA. well over 30 miles in a week for a couple weeks.

:p

 

Wow. That dog is yoked! Good stuff J.

 

i made an acquaintence w/ a farmer that has some fields behind my house. waved him down when he was out in his combine one day, and got a written note so i could be on his land when the corn isn't up.

it' great.....the edge is all wooded, so I took some orange spray paint, and marked every half a mile on a tree with an orange streak.

i've just been walking parallel to the trees and aubrey's got a nice 20 ft rope. she just trots along. i can tell a difference already, doing that, versus walking her for several miles on a 4 ft lead. i can't wait until this summer when she's near full grown to really start walkin her.

can't say it hurts to do it myself, either. i find that's the greatest time we have to bond.

 

hay - damn i just made the connection you do all your waking in the concrete jungle. that's gotta suck, but kudos to you for puttin down the miles with your dog in the city.

he looks great. i bet your walking shoes look like shit. i'm about to get me a nice new pair of new balances, as my soles are starting to tear off on my sneakers.

if the damn dog didn't like walking so much, i might not need new kicks every 6 months.

 

LOL if you only knew. i started with a good pair of nearly new basketball nike sneakers. they fell apart literally after about 3-4 weeks. there was a hole in the leather, the midsole was compressed, and on the alst day i wore them the air bubble popped on on shoe. it was rediculous. the tread was new on the bottom and was destroyed, no grip nothing. i had to get a new pair of sneakers. actually though there are lots of parks that run parallel to the city streets, so its easy to walk on the grassy fields along the numbered streets to keep track of the miles.

 

Master of handwalking indeed! I thought about doin that for a few friends while i was off work, but thought hell no! might have them looking at me in the show ring one day But that is a great way to get em in shape. various ropes, various speed, just keep em movin

 

i just used a 4ft stillwater leash and sometimes this big 10 ft horse leash i bought at a feed store when i went to MA, a stillwater working harness, and stillwater collars. just need some music and shoes and some pebbles to throw into the grass the keep the dog alert and interested lol

 

I try to get in about 5 miles a day. Nothing complicated, I just let the dog keep the leash taunt and we move forward. Good for the both of us.

 

I do this for one hour a day too, and damn I've got some nice strong muscles on the sides of my belly

 

i walk my dawgs everyday. they love it and it is good for them. help keep them in shape.