Maralynn Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I'm looking for ways to build Kipp's stamina and edurance. He is in training for SAR (and progressing nicely) but gets tired a bit quicker than I would like. He seems to loosed some of his mental sharpness when he gets tired as well. Once he's rested a bit he's ready to go again. So I'm looking for ways through exercise and nutrition to raise his stamina and endurance. I'm trying to work out a better exercise scheldule (I've been a bit lacking in this the past couple of months). And I've ordered both "K9 superfuel" and"K9 Show Stopper" and will try supplementing with these for a month or so and see if it helps. The ingredient list is quite impressive and I've read some good reviews about both. Any other ideas? Supplements that have worked well for your dogs? Or suggestions on exercises? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I would start playing ball or maybe jogging. Something like that helps a lot. When I first got Black Jack he wasn't very strong from being in the shelter all day. So I started jogging with him and slowly playing more and more with him. Now he's really strong and can play for quite a while. I have never used suppelments before, so I can't say how that would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Is biking with him an option? Seems like a good way to build physical endurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I'll be adding in biking or jogging . And some ball, but not too much. Kipp is very intense at fetch games. He'll run all out and rolls himself over when he stops and turns to grab the toy. So I tend to limit the fetch games to avoid injury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaporflowers Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I've found nutrition to be a HUGE factor in stamina. I've had dozens of clients and coworkers notice a marked change just from switching dog foods. Personally, I feed raw but I know that is not for everyone. I don't like messing with supplements too much, especially since I have a dog with bad allergies. Usually I just supplement with glucosamine and fish oil. When I was feeding kibble, my dogs had much more stamina on Innova Evo than any other food. I've had clients whose dogs have done well on Wellness, Merrick, Solid Gold, and California Naturals. I found thedogfoodproject.com very helpful as far as ingredients lists go. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCBERRI Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 When Timber started our program he was a 4 year old house dog. He had been a couch potato all his life. He was a bit overweight. He has also had both ACL's replaced at a young age (less than 2). We started slow. I treated him like I did myself, walk then run. We worked up to jogging for longer and longer. Now I have to use the 4wheelre because he out paces me! We start out at a slow trot for about 3-4 min for a warm up and then a slow steady jog for 20-25 min. Then we do a walk/trot for 5 min for a cool down. We do this about 3 times a week now. He has shown amazing improvement! He is a totally different dog now. The other activity that was hands down the best was swimming. He loves it and it was easy on his body. It also kept him cool durring the hottest months so he could work out longer and not overheat. It really helped his cardio. It also builds muscle without being hard on the joints. Kipp will let you know when he is ready to step it up. I am sure you have heard it time and again "trust your dog". How old is he? What is he training in? Wilderness or USAR? I had alot of work on my hands when we decided Timber was going to work well, it's a journey, but so worth it! ETA: I don't use much in the way of supplements. We feed a good corn free kibble and I give fish oil and Glucosamine for his knees. That's it. Just out of curiosity, what is his reward in the field? If it is the ball then I would leave that for only when he is working. Not just for fun time. Let that be special. Timber's is a floppy disk, so he only gets that when he is working. Other times we use balls for just fun. Keep his reward special in his eyes. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Thanks for the ideas! Kipp is 2 1/2 y/o. His regular food is Canidae. I've toyed with the idea of switching him to raw (my other dog is on grain free kibble but gets raw a couple times a week), but life has been hectic so kibble has been convenient. When I started thinking about building his endurance I realized that even though I've been doing training work with him, I've haven't been just exercising him alot. Duh. I've got farmland we can go for long off leash walks on, so I think I'll start there, and then add in some biking in a week or two. He's at a great weight, but needs more conditioning. Kipp is in training for wilderness. His reward is a frisbee type toy. It's pretty tough and can be thrown or tugged. We play with it a little, but it's usually reserved for training. We've just started doing some short blind searches and so far he is doing great! It's neat to see how the past 6 months of training is all starting to come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCBERRI Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 It really is super exciting. Especially when you have a very keen dog that loves the work. The off lead walking is what we do every day. I get to exercise and he covers 3 times the distance I do by going ahead and back to me that way he is getting a good steady long distance type of cardio. Sounds like you are right on track. Keep it up. Let us know how it goes. I am hoping to have Timber's K9 sartechIII by spring and we will go from there. Keep us posted on how Kipp does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 A 4 wheeler on the hills gets my dogs all tuned up for anything. They take little breaks for moles and rabbits. You`ve got farmland - and this way, you can give the dog more work at speeds and distances that you can`t possibly perform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesqf Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 A 4 wheeler on the hills gets my dogs all tuned up for anything. They take little breaks for moles and rabbits. You`ve got farmland - and this way, you can give the dog more work at speeds and distances that you can`t possibly perform. Yeah, but YOU don't get much exercise that way :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 As with humans, swimming is considered to be one of the best options for building strength and endurance; aquatherapy is often also recommended for dogs that are recovering from injuries, as there is no shock impact to the bone structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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