-Innovative Conditioning-

[CRISIS]

We all know the basic methods of putting one into top shape, such as the E-Mill,Slatmill,Carpetmill,Jenny,FlirtP,SpringP,road work, ect.......

BUT....what about those of you that come up with your own way of conditioning, surely there must be a handfull of sportsmen who dont have the finances to afford every damn mill out there, especially those that are feeding sevaral hounds that eat up the income.....

so lets hear it folks...........ill share a few first..............

one method of resistance training i would do would be to toss a bumper or frisbee (or tennisball) against the current in our private creek. the water line would reach right to my boys chest creating the perfect ammount or resistance as he would run against the current chasing the bumper.

one method i had for a cardio workout took place in the local ricefields, miles of dirt road surrounded by ricefields......we would walk an approx 3 mile stretch....

during our 3 mile stretch i would use a "chuck it" ball thrower (a potential GREAT tool if applied to conditioning), approx every 100 yards i would turn around and chuck the ball behind me, forcing the dog to SPRINT back to the ball and then again run it back to me....as he would brimg it back id turn around chuck the ball behind me & proceed forward......you can imagine what the 3 mile strike turns into for the hound at the end of the day

every 100 yards i walked, the dog would sprint 200 yards (100 to sprint/chase the ball, 100 to run/trot it back to me.......for 6 miles (to & back)........aside from great cardio, it also gets the dog used to breathing hard with something in its mouth.....

im curious how these methods would serve in a real keep...........if all else fails i can say these are great maintenance excercise routines...lol


so lets hear it fellas, how creative have you gotten while working a dog???

[R2L]

i will never trow any ball for my dogs on land, unless im hoping to pay the forfeit plus 1000$ surgery because of a torn knee ligament

[FrostyPaws]

I used to do something similar with the ball. I would find a park with a baseball field. We would go onto the field, and I'd do the same as you minus the walking as I threw it. We would do that for about an hour. That same dog was run around bean and rice fields. I didn't own a mill then so the dog just ran with my car around those fields.

We had another dog that wouldn't do any of that. A friend and myself would kick a basketball back and forth while the dog chased it. That was how Mike was shaped.

I also use more resistance devices now.

[OGDOGG]

I still use the fetch method in my keeps. Find the steepest hill and throw the kong ball down that hill. After that exercise, walk them with the kong ball in their mouth.

[CRISIS]

yeah, if only i had some steep hills on my property...... but i DO have a motocross track!

[EWO]

I knew a guy once who had one that would not work period. She would barley keep up on a pleasant stroll down the path. Hook any weight or resistance and she would just stop. It was pitiful. In the box she was as nice as any would want. Out of the box she had no desire to do anything. He attached a swivel and snap hook to a 20ft. stick of conduit. Attached it to her collar and pushed her out in a pond. I believe she actually thought about drowning over swimming. It was sad. But she got the idea and would swim her ass off. She picked up 2 with the 'conduit and snap hook keep'.
Some dogs just will not work for whatever reason. I expose all my young dogs to work early. Nothing hard or strenuous just to help them learn to work early. It gives them the idea anyway. I think there a lot of innovative ideas when it comes to the hard keepers. Interesting thread. EWO

[EWO]

I had a bitch once that would absolutely do nothing. She would half ass walk. First time on a mill she burned it up but would never spin it again. Pulled me on a bike like mad for one day but the next time no effort whatsoever. Either she did not see the need for it or she felt like she had already conquered that task. I am not sure but it was frustrating. She could not be motivated by foods, toys or baits. She was talented and smart. She taught me the keep starts at 8 weeks old instead of lasting 8 weeks long. Everything from 8 weeks old is preparing for show night. I found her work ethic was lacking way too late in the process.
So..I had her on a ten foot chain. I was cleaning up and the yard dog was on the other side of the fence just yapping. She would chase rocks til your arm fell off. I threw the rock and by bitch shot after her like a rocket and then ran back to me. Tried it again and the same. The light bulb went off then. I switched her to a 14 foot 5/8" log chain with a two pound weight collar. I walked around for an hour and picked up rocks. I poured those rocks out on the ground, sat on the five gallon bucket and threw rocks for nearly two hours a day for 6 weeks. She sprinted after the yard bitch like mad, never realizing the chain and the fence were between them. She would run back and wait for the next rock. So every work day I got a bucket of rocks, moved her to the heavy chain and put on the weight collar. She won in 1:01. She looked as strong and powerful at 61 as she did at the beginning. She impressed all in attendance. And when i told this same story I heard BULLSHIT more than once but it was most definitely true. From that point I figured a way to get sprinting with resistance into every program. EWO

[CRISIS]

Thx EWO thats the stuff im talkin about!

Lets hear em fellas...

[Steeldog]

When I want to change it up and break the monotany we both get some. We go to the football field closeby and I toss a kong frisbee. While he's sprinting for that and bringing it back I'm dropping doing push-ups, lunges, squats, etc...as he returns the frisbee I'm launching the second one. Fun for the both of us.

[YELLOWJOHN]

A SOFTBALL AND A SET OF STAIRS .