Swim keep

[Milk44]

I need a swim keep for a 8wk shaping, please b detailed 1st time using swim keep

[OGDOGG]

Anyone use this keep? And how does it compare to a road/mill keep?

[scary]

I don't have any pictures but i went to tractor supply and bought a watet trouf. You will want it big enough that the bulldog can swim but not so big you break the bank trying to feel the damn thing up. You will want to change the water regularly especially if it's being used in keep.

[OGDOGG]

Good info. I've been looking for a water tub all summer. Now that its getting chilly here, I'll have to wait until next summer to get one. That's the down side to put one in a swim keep(weather) around here.

[Officially Retired]

The very first keep I ever used was a swim keep, on Truman, because he refused to run (or even handwalk) a long distance. He also refused to chase a hide.

A swim keep was the only thing I could think of to keep Truman "active enough" to get anywhere near what I would call "conditioned" ... and it didn't work so well for me.

I was green as a spring meadow at the time, so maybe I could have done a better job, but in the end I felt he would have been in far better shape had he just wanted to run instead. (The same is true for boxing or MMA training: running to get in shape for a human fight is simply FAR better than swimming.) Part of a dog deal is being on your feet, and I don't think swimming addresses this at all; in fact quite the opposite.

I would only use swimming as a last possible resort, and even there I would seriously consider using another dog who runs instead.

Jack

[OGDOGG]

Others told me they've seen dogs at shows who didn't do too well on swim keeps but haven't tried it themselves. Glad you gave an example from experience Jack. It'll save me the time and money. I used to have a bad ass dog who would swim all day if I let him and damn he looked good. He had a 6 pack and looked like he was 100% conditioned. But looks could be deceiving.

[Officially Retired]

Although there are differences, there remain more similarities between human fighters/fighting and the sport of dogs than there are differences.

Think about human swimmers for a minute and they're all in decent shape, but nothing compared to boxing shape. It is also very hard to cut down to lowest weight while in the water.

Regarding the most basic of basic principles, the number 1 thing any boxer needs is LEG STAMINA while forever moving forward, lateral, backward etc. WHILE ON THE GROUND ... and he simply cannot condition for this while swimming, where his feet never once touch the ground, or carry his weight, ever. Thus IMO swimming is "false conditioning" for a fighter. In other words, yes swimming builds a general "muscular endurance" (while treading water) ... but to condition a fighter, really building the stabilizer muscles in the legs for constantly carrying his weight is the primary goal, which is why the king of all exercises for a fighter is some kind of ROADWORK.

Therefore, rather than spend a ton of money trying to build a swimtank for a dog, I would be spending my money on a match dog that doesn't need to be swum as a workaround, because he does his roadwork like a champ.

Cheers,

Jack

[skipper]

Not much for swimming myself unless i have a messed up paw or something like that. What i really like tough is to find a place with shallow water. So your dog can run and jump in the water chasing balls or something like that. Dog gets to jump without the fear of it landing wrong and get hurt. One thing to keep in mind using a swimkeep is to be sure your dog don't swallow lots of water, that can mess up a dog real bad.

[skipper]

Another thing to keep in mind is that its so much easier to work and motivate a dog that enjoys what he does. Playful games can be so rewarding for a dog, making your bond even tighter.

[OGDOGG]

Jack you made a very good point. Swimming does seem like a waste of time and to top it off like Skipper said they might end up drinking too much water. It'll also build muscles, making the dog smaller than it's opponent. My dog that loved to swam was catch weight so i could see where it worked to his advantage. He was a pre-potent, DG dog who also had a freak mouth where everything he touched wont last no more than :20 minutes. Man I missed that boy! Maybe a swimming keep worked so well for him I just can't see the disadvantages.