Canine Conditioning

It has been a LOOOONG time since I posted to this blog. Life started to get in the way but I am going to try to post every 1-2 weeks now. 

I really haven't been up to too much since the last post. I haven't been able to go out to the training field that much because it has been converted to a herding ring and the agility equipment was moved to the indoor space which is a bit smaller. I can actually get a lot of handling work done in the back yard but I really need to maintain access to the contact equipment at the training field. I feel like I am doing the best I can with what I've got. 

Now it's summer and today's heat index is 112 degrees! Not too much getting done agility-wise today. I am on a new mission to condition Monster for an upcoming trial. We haven't done much agility this summer but one of my favorite clubs is coming to Columbia, SC for a 3 day trial with lots of classes offered. It's a new venue, new people, new surface, different equipment, etc. than Monster has run on previously and I want him to have this experience. I have entered a lot of classes (more than I usually do) to allow him to get acquainted with the changes and because several of these classes are not offered at our normal LCDA trials. But, this means we both need stamina to make it through each day and through the entire weekend. We will have 17 runs compared to our usual 8-10 runs per trial!

I have been doing some research into conditioning programs and I actually had some great reference tools from a conditioning seminar I attended a few years ago. I tweaked the programs a little bit and I am balancing indoor work with agility skills and general outdoor activities. Our indoor work consists of balance ball work, treadmill training, and strength training at the rehab facility I work in. Our agility skills are a mix of small backyard drills to work on handling and contact work at the training field. Our general outdoor activities are going to the dog park, swimming at the beach, and, most recently, flirt pole work. The dogs LOVE the flirt pole. My mother found my old cheap Kong flirt pole while cleaning out a closet and I was excited because I had just been looking into purchasing a new one.

I will share PDF's of my program forms for conditioning but I am still making a lot of changes as I go. For starters, I had a form with listed exercises that I fill in how many reps, etc. I get bored easily and want to make sure I challenge muscles in a different way so I have found that I use different exercises each time we go to the rehab facility. I am thinking it may just be easier to keep a diary type list and then compare progress monthly or something. I measured thigh and forearm circumference so that I can track any progress made. I am not sure if I will see changes in these numbers but I do expect his strength and stamina to improve regardless. 

Assessment form that I used to track before and after progress. I need to add weight in there as well. 

Exercise card that I am not completely set on as the best option for myself and my dog. 

My favorite reference tool to track what I have been doing. I do cross things out and edit if plans have to change.

I am not writing this blog to give you a layout of a conditioning program because every dog and person are different. I was hoping for a blueprint myself and quickly realized I wouldn't get one. I had to think of what I had access to, what my dog can do, what I can do, and what my goals were. One thing I will say is don't over think this. It's not a down to the last detail kind of activity. It's more of a lifestyle change. How can you make the time and gain access to the things you need to condition your dog for an event? Of course, we want to do this without sacrificing huge amounts of our time and without sacrificing lots of money. Investing in one or two pieces of conditioning equipment, that you can use in multiple ways, is a good investment. I will make the next blog post about some DIY stuff I made and a few of my resources for exercises. So far, this plan has been manageable although I have really slacked on making it out to the training field. My plan is to get out there at least twice this week. 

Feel free to share any feelings or suggestions on this topic. I will be continuing this topic over the next 1-2 posts.