New YouTube Channel

[APBT4LIFE]

I show and compete dogs in the ADBA. This includes sports such as weight pull, Top Dog which is lure coursing, treadmill, and wall climb. I am making a YouTube channel to promote the breed and exercise. I also have other things planned for the channel. Feel free to reach out to me, or leave comments etc.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMO...KtGIxnqYR393bg

[EWO]

Nice job.

Conditioning is my favorite part of the dogs.

I am not sure what the job will be for the dog in the video but he looks good.

Personally, I am not a big fan of the sled. I really like pulling weight with the dogs but I like it to be lighter for longer periods of time. I prefer to pull chains. Chains are lighter but a much smoother pull across the ground.

I do pull for weight. I ditch the really nice type trace set up you are using and use two traces without the cross bar, and a bit shorter. The shorter harness provides a little lift action on the load and with that lift the drag is a bit smoother.

Most of my opinion is based on the end result I am looking for in the dog. My goal in any of the exercises I use is for the dog to be stronger-longer meaning the dog has enough cardio to support the muscular load over time. If that makes sense.

Looking forward to your next videos. I will log on, subscribe and like you video the next time I am on youtube.

Again, nice video.

Big fan.

EWO

[APBT4LIFE]

I understand, most advanced conditioners drag chain and I do as well. This was an introductory video to show that people do in fact do these exercises and it’s okay for the dogs to do them as well. I’m not an expert or claim to be. Just someone who is trying to promote health and fitness along with working dogs. There will be more content as I advance the channel from product reviews, interviews, action videos taken at working dog events etc. I just wanna leave these dogs in a better place than what I found them.

[EWO]

No doubts. I am the biggest fan of any dog that does what he was bred to do or what he was trained to do so I am looking forward as the videos come out.

If I say something along the lines of 'this is how I do it' it will always be based on personal experience. And more importantly way back a hundred or so years ago I had certain conditioning goals for the dogs. The exercises, the duration, the load, the level of intensity were always singularly purposed.

End goals and end expectations dictate how the dog is worked.

I like the flirt pole video which is one of the most effective means of prepping a dog any one could choose. Most people want and think things have to be way more complicated and complex in order to be effective. Seldom is this the case, especially when working a dog.

I like the up and down on the hill. Understanding you mentioned it is a workout for both you and the dogs, I will add that standing in one spot (small circles) has its benefit as well. Part of what makes the flirt pole so effective is that it teaches/conditions the dogs to explode from zero to max effort, repeatedly. Nothing does that better than change in direction. In your video you changed direction at the end of longer runs (which is awesome) and the exercise increases in effectiveness with shorter bursts followed by change in direction.

Every fiber of his being is moving in one direction(max effort), then all the muscles being used brings him to a sudden stop (brings him to zero) and then he explodes in the opposite direction (max effort). This gets a little more high in the high intensity training approach.

I wish I had that field and more so I wish I had dogs I could work off lead. (Lack of time put in by me from choosing to own, at times, lots of dogs). Most of my dogs will work the flirt pole to no end and they will stay right there on it. I have had quite a few that if something caught their eye elsewhere I would still be chasing them to this day.

And I like to add personal experience to the theories and approaches to working the dogs as well. By far, the very best conditioned animal I have ever seen was a Eli/Snooty/Molly Bee bred female who never once saw a mill or a flirt pole. For whatever reason, this bitch was absolutely mesmerized/possessed or obsessed with a lime green softball. No other ball seemed to get her juices flowing like these type softballs. (girls fast pitch). We stood 20 yards or so apart and played catch. I would throw to my buddy and that bitch went from zero to max for a 25 yard sprint, come to a sliding stop and then go the other way when we threw the ball. (Similar to you video but at a much higher pace/intensity, but principle the same). At the end of 6 week this bitch strength wise could pull hell up off its hinges and wind wise I am pretty sure she could pretty much breathe underwater.

Keep up the good work. I am a fan.

EWO

[APBT4LIFE]

Thanks man I appreciate the support, I added a drag chain video today.

[EWO]

Nice video. I like the smooth drag. I made several different chains and put around 25% of the dogs weight. The chain is about 25% of the dog's weight but the friction of the drag adds to that and it usually works out to where the dog does not mass muscle.

The sled and a lot of weight builds muscle and muscle takes blood and blood can be at a premium at times.

Nice vide.

EWO

[EWO]

I just watched the video on the raw feeding. Nice work.

A lot of the feed concepts for humans is not the same as canine's. The beef heart is a nice protein type feed but in a performance animal it should not be the staple for energy. When working a dog the fat content needs to be much higher.

Once a dog acclimates to a change in diet of high fat he will use fat for energy and proteins will be used for recovery. Burning fat for energy is a cooler process for the dogs making more water per calorie burned than protein or carbs. (Krebbs cycle)

http://mushing.com/nutrition-renderi...se-feeding-fat

This is a great article about feeding the canine athlete.

Also go to Sportsvet.com : Feeding the Canine Athlete. Another article on feeding fat and its importance.

EWO

[APBT4LIFE]

When talking about the comparison to humans I was trying to use common sense approach that Whole Foods are healthier than processed foods, you understood what I was getting at.

And you are right. When meaning staple, I use 3-4 oz as a muscle meat. I also use chicken necks with fat as the more bulk of the raw 6-7 oz.

So when I think of staple food I’m thinking something I can feed everyday not something I can primarily feed in large amounts.

[APBT4LIFE]

When referring to the fat as a weakness, I was referring to body fat not fat as a fuel source. I know that sounded bad and I wrote that in the description. I should probably edit that gonna get heat from someone.

[EWO]

Understood. I think lots of people in the past (most everyone) placed the nutritional needs of humans onto the dogs.

The performance dog needs as much fat, if not more, as protein in their diet. The beef heart is indeed a nutrient dense protein and is an excellent choice when feeding raw or even using it to supplement dry food.

When I shop beef I prefer cow cheek. It is a fatty cut of meat, even cheaper than beef hearts, and pushes the percentage of fat in the diet.

If I am looking for straight type protein raw food I lean toward leg quarters. Again, it is cheaper (you may start to see a trend with how I don't like to spend money). Plus chicken breaks down faster than red meats so the percentage of assimilation and what ends up as waste is more efficient when using chicken. (and again, cheaper as well).

Mot people with bulldogs feed crappy shit out of a bag. (me included). I feed raw a lot, but my raw is not RAW where the bowls are balanced daily. Mine is more raw food supplemented with dry food for convenience. I know that makes me a horrible dog owner but when working 50-60 hours a week every minute counts with the dogs. I could do better by lessening the amount of dogs but some addictions are harder to kick than others. If that makes sense.

The mushing article is really neat in that a thousand years ago they fed dogs they way nature intended. Then we as brain surgeons placed the human needs on the canines, coupled that with our 'fascination with efficiency' (laziness/need for convenience) and we developed bag food. Then people saw the kibble industry as a billion dollar enterprise and profits became far more important than the health of the dog. Then a thousand years later with modern day science coupled with a million dollar study, we found out the sledders from a thousand years ago were pretty much on point with how to feed a performance dog.

With that said, not many people are working in that climate and that plays a huge part. The fat content can back off a bit and the protein source can be changed from meats and chickens to fish which is really nutrient dense as well. It takes more energy to digest/assimilate fish so it creates heat. Heat is a good thing when sledding thru the arctic but not so much in the rural south. I shy away from fish and fish products when working a dog but use them for dogs not putting in serious work.

I have fed my dogs as much as 40% fat in their bowl, with 40% to 50% proteins and then a couple hand full of dry food to make up the rest.

I am also a water content guy when the dogs are working so the dry food is as much a water tool than a food source, actually both, but I use it as a water tool.

A working dog's diet should be based upon water first, fats second and proteins third.

When water is not #1 and proteins move to a higher percentage point that is usually when the dog runs hot.

Apologies. I did not mean to hijack your thread. Just really dig these types of posts/conversations.

EWO