View Full Version : Hand walking
I recently attended a conformation show over the summer that got me thinking and lead to this post. I watched a damn good looking dog win some points, I watched that dog walk in, do the little routine and walk out. I could tell by the way the dog walked that it spends a considerable amount of time on some type of mill. Anyway, I congratulate them and ask, to no offense, "how do you shape em"? They reply "hand walking, lots & lots of hand walking" I said oh and kept it moving about my business. Now in my head I'm thinking, how the fuck does somebody walk a dog this much and only the dog gets in shape?:shocked: the more I thought about it I just remembered all the people that claimed to do the same thing and I just don't believe it. Some actually do do it but not as many as claimed. In my opinion the only thing it's good for is to empty the dog out FULLY and get the blood flowing and loosen up the muscles a lil bit for the workouts, then obviously the cool down but other than that I'm trying to WORK the dog the whole time and for me hand walking for a zillion miles is not my remedy. Depending on the season I prefer road work with a bike as far as that aspect goes and if I can't get out there then it's mill time. It's just a real insult to a man's intelligence to have a fat person tell you they walk a dog all these miles a day. QUIT
FrostyPaws
11-17-2013, 08:29 PM
Maybe someone else in their family walks the dog. Maybe they use a carpetmill and simply say handwalking. Who knows with people really.
In my opinion the only thing it's good for is to empty the dog out FULLY and get the blood flowing and loosen up the muscles a lil bit for the workouts, then obviously the cool down but other than that I'm trying to WORK the dog the whole time and for me hand walking for a zillion miles is not my remedy. Depending on the season I prefer road work with a bike as far as that aspect goes and if I can't get out there then it's mill time. It's just a real insult to a man's intelligence to have a fat person tell you they walk a dog all these miles a day. QUIT
maybe the man wanted to lose a couple of pounds himself?
handwalking can get you a better looking dog then your method on the bike if the dog pulls the leash.
then there is genetics. i have a 10 month old pup, just sitting in the kennel but looks like she could be competing in a confirmation ring.
ragedog10
11-17-2013, 11:52 PM
To me hand walking a hound does so much more one, it's true bonding time and two it allows that hound to be a dog he or she can get to use their noses and see the world thru the eyes of a dog and that is threw their nose! For me I like to not only build them up physically but also have them strong mentally! let them feel grass,gravel,sticks! These hounds are living beings who have emotions dogs are more intuned with us then we tend to believe! Kinetic energy is something thing I practice all the time with them dogs but they still know when I'm in a shitty mood! Lol long hand walks,Everybody benefits from those! plus it's less shit I have to clean up around my yard! :-) :-) :-)
kandyman
11-18-2013, 04:47 AM
I've handwalked enough dogs to say that it is not going to put a human in any kind of condition. Good genetics and a proper diet are a major part of the dog show arena. I know one person that shows at least 10-15 dogs at every show and that person laughs when I ask how much time goes into working them.
Officially Retired
11-18-2013, 05:34 AM
To me hand walking a hound does so much more one, it's true bonding time and two it allows that hound to be a dog he or she can get to use their noses and see the world thru the eyes of a dog and that is threw their nose! For me I like to not only build them up physically but also have them strong mentally! let them feel grass,gravel,sticks! These hounds are living beings who have emotions dogs are more intuned with us then we tend to believe! Kinetic energy is something thing I practice all the time with them dogs but they still know when I'm in a shitty mood! Lol long hand walks,Everybody benefits from those! plus it's less shit I have to clean up around my yard! :-) :-) :-)
This is a great post. If the dog is pulling hard into a harness, or dragging a little weight, handwalking does build muscular condition ... but it also builds a bond with the dogs.
I remember an interview I did with Coy Dickenson and he really did get in tune with his dogs ... never published it but maybe I should.
Jack
"handwalking can get you a better looking dog then your method on the bike if the dog pulls the leash."
I disagree as I've seen first hand the results of both on the same dog/dogs. And when I use the bike my dog's leash is attached to the handlebars pulling probably 80% of the time realistically. And I work em in a harness either way, never had an injury either in 14 yrs.
I walk my dogs all the time and we bond well but I'm referring to the walking to get the dog in a specific shape is all. I mean hell, if you saw me walking down the street with Ch Mechanic knowing what you know about dogs and I said he got that way from hand walking you'd know I was bullshittin.
Officially Retired
11-18-2013, 05:53 AM
I agree there are much better ways to bring a dog in shape than walking, and they are outlined in my keep, but I do think handwalking can bring a dog in excellent shape IFF the dog is a puller and is wearing a harness.
My Pretty Boy (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_profile.php?dog_id=10137) dog won over G. Long and M. Pinkerton in 2:42 on nothing but handwalking ... these were veteran dogmen and it was the first match for the guy who had Pretty Boy ... but he followed the handwalking regimen of a veteran dogman in GA who was a big believer in handwalking ... IFF the dog would pull hard ... which Pretty Boy never stopped doing.
Jack
skipper
11-18-2013, 06:47 AM
I would say it like this. If you have little knowledge how to condition handwalking is a foolproof system. If you got the weight right.
You wont have a dog with that edge, but you wont have a dog in poor shape either. I use some handwalking in my keeps. But i use other methods a majority of the time.
Officially Retired
11-18-2013, 07:05 AM
Well said Skipper.
However, I will also state that I know an old man who's beaten some of the best dogs and dogmen in the history of the game, who has neve4 done anything but handwalk ... as well as place the dog on a heavy 15-ft chain on a hillside ... but he knew what a good dog looked like as well as how to call a lowest best weight.
Handwalking is only as effective as the handler. If your lazy then the result of the handwalk will be as such too. A dog will only pull for so long or in brief spurts if your walking far enough out. As the handler, keeping pace and encouraging when tired and only stopping to empty are very important. When I say keeping pace, it should be a brisk walk, not a stroll down the sidewalk. If he pulls you, good, you just steer at this point until you have to take over and bring him along with encouragement. As long as the dog is at the front of the lead I don't mind, but I don't want any major slack or limpness to my lead while walking. I always talk to my dog while walking, not conversation's, but just to let them know I can see that they are trying and it makes me happy. It works for me and I see a stronger loin in a dog with handwalking.
http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n328/dpac_4/BJ.jpg
Bad lighting on the pic 3 weeks out
The two times I used hand walking I got very good results. You cannot hurt one with walking. It is very time consuming and as already mentioned. The dog needs to be a active type that will get out front and hunt. I used a pulling harness and a 30 foot rope leash. With knots every so often to prevent getting a rope burn if dog saw something and tried to run forward.
At that time I lived in the country. There was a long back woods dirt road next to my home that I had access to. No longer available today, due too the house building in my area. John Q public is every where now, with their new fangled Smart phones. Yikes!!!!!
Myself and wife did the walking in intervals, since I had to work a 8 hour or longer job. My wife who was a good strong country gal. She began in the AM, walked the dog 2 1/2 miles out and back in. In the early PM would repeat the process. When I got home at a specific starting time. Used what ever mill the dog liked the best. Worked in intervals on the mill and short cooling walks.
About the fat guy walking the dog ten miles, I think not. Myself and wife would be much leaner at the end of the keep. Hand walking is not for the lazy types. Braddock's MR Clean was only hand walked and road worked with a Bicycle. The last bitch dog I pulled was hand walked and worked on a round table. Was all she would do. Both dogs were in great shape. Was no real danger of over working them.
V. Jackson when living in S.C. had excess to nice big soft track roads to road work his dogs in the P.M. In the AM he had plenty of young marines that would rather do a dog trotting, hand walk with his dog. Than Barracks and Latrine duty. He was a Supply Staff Sargent and rotated those young marines on a work and watch billet. Jog trotting and walking with a Bulldog was a Marine blast of fun to them. Sure many of them today remember walking and running with Gunny Jackson's bulldogs. HU RAAA.
P.S. when hand walking or out in the back roads and woods. Kept a good pellet gun and break stick with me. When my wife walked the dog she also tied the end of the rope around her. Murphy's Law is always in effect 24/7. Cheers
FrostyPaws
11-18-2013, 05:36 PM
I only walk my dogs realistically on their days off. I do agree that if you're not up on conditioning animals, then walking is a good place to start, but I would never take a dog to a show that would only walk. I know there are folks that have been successful with that, but by and large those are few and far between that win with that on a regular basis.
ToTheDogs
11-19-2013, 12:27 AM
I only leashed walked this bitch right here. She did a 8 week keep of leash walking only.
http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/pics/dog_013029_01.JPG?563035
http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/pics/dog_013029_03.jpg?571334
mmound
11-19-2013, 06:14 AM
She looks good.
Like most topics/threads there are variables. If we are talking about a dog walking at the heel position one would have to be a Kenyan marathoner to get a dog into shape. Take the same dog and he pulls his companion down the path, to the point the walker can lean back, those are two totally different dogs doing basically the same thing. Hand walking while pulling/dragging a weight that is 20-25-30 percent of his body weight and that is an entirely different ball game as well.
One of the benefits of hand walking is one can get a real feel for the development and progress of the dog. Paying attention to the rate and length the dog pulls at one weight and feeling that same rate and length as the weight decreases, and then recognizing the fall off is a really good way to call a weight. Granted other equipment is being used all the while, but personally feeling the power of the dog is a great learning tool. I am a big fan myself.
Again, hand walking is just like a slat mill. They are both tools. The very best slat mill on the planet used incorrectly is not worth a squirt of piss. If a person wanted to dig a hole he could use a claw hammer, a shovel, or a set of post hole diggers. All three can dig a hole but each are suited to dig a certain type/size hole. Dog equipment is no different.
The risk/reward factor is a biggie as well. It is really, really hard to over walk a dog. A well fed, lean and fit bulldog would need some variables to be hurt by walking. Hot asphalt/concrete, other surfaces that would damage a pad. A hard pulling dog pulling against a collar on his throat for lengths of time. Un tethered dogs/animals one could happen upon. Just like anything there are drawbacks.
Great posts. EWO
ToTheDogs
11-19-2013, 08:05 AM
Good post EWO.
Officially Retired
11-19-2013, 09:08 AM
The two times I used hand walking I got very good results. You cannot hurt one with walking. It is very time consuming and as already mentioned. The dog needs to be a active type that will get out front and hunt. I used a pulling harness and a 30 foot rope leash. With knots every so often to prevent getting a rope burn if dog saw something and tried to run forward.
At that time I lived in the country. There was a long back dirt road next to my home that I had access to. No longer available today, due too the house building in my area. John Q public is every where now, with their new fangled Smart phones. Yikes!!!!!
Myself and wife did the walking in intervals, since I had to work a 8 hour or longer job. My wife who was a good strong country gal. She began in the AM, walked the dog 2 1/2 miles out and back in. In the early PM would repeat the process. When I got home at a specific starting time. Used what ever mill the dog liked the best. Worked in intervals on the mill and short cooling walks.
About the fat guy walking the dog ten miles, I think not. Myself and wife would be much leaner at the end of the keep. Hand walking is not for the lazy types. Braddock's MR Clean was only hand walked and road worked with a Bicycle. The last bitch dog I pulled was hand walked and worked on a round table. Was all she would do. Both dogs were in great shape. Was no real danger of over working them.
V. Jackson when living in S.C. had excess to nice big soft track roads to road work his dogs in the P.M. In the AM he had plenty of young marines that would rather do a dog trotting, hand walk with his dog. Than Barracks and Latrine duty. He was a Supply Staff Sargent and rotated those young marines on a work and watch billet. Jog trotting and walking with a Bulldog was a Marine blast of fun to them. Sure many of them today remember walking and running with Gunny Jackson's bulldogs. HU RAY.
P.S. when hand walking or out in the back roads and woods. Kept a good pellet gun and break stick with me. When my wife walked the dog she also tied the end of the rope around her. Murphy's Law is always in effect 24/7. Cheers
Nice post.
Good post CYJ. I heard those same stories years ago. A couple of young marines could run with a bulldog or clean shitters. A no brainer. EWO
ragedog10
01-22-2014, 09:34 AM
This is a great post. If the dog is pulling hard into a harness, or dragging a little weight, handwalking does build muscular condition ... but it also builds a bond with the dogs.
I remember an interview I did with Coy Dickenson and he really did get in tune with his dogs ... never published it but maybe I should.
Jack would love to read that interview if you didn't mind posting it for all of us to read! thanks in advance
I also would like to read that interview