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Our Work Out Routine. I don't know how all of you feel about working your dogs out, but for me its an important part of my dogs' lives. I thought I'd share to you what works for us. I do not guarantee the work out will work for everyone's dog because genetics do play a big role in everyone's dog. Meaning you can work your dog to the ground and he will still look the same. Or you can lightly work your dog and it'll look very well and conditioned, or somewhere in between, who knows and thats the beauty of dogs! But keep in mind this does not mean miracles will happen! Do not expect your dog/dogs to end up looking like an Italian Stallion! lol. This is for a result in a healthy and conditioned dog who will love you for putting him/her to work! Though Sylvester Stallone's face on a pit bull would kinda be cool I guess...
This information is great for if you are preparing for a show, or if you'd just like to have your dog looking defined. But please keep in mind that age is important! You can work out a young dog for a small amount of time. Nothing hardcore though, but just something simple as the flirt pole, mill for 4 mins or so, or even simpler...walking. You do not want a young puppy to be hanging high from a spring pole. Too many risks there. Over working a young dog can potentially lead to health risks like injury and so on. My male is almost 3 years younger than my female who is 4 in Feb so because of that I work her out alot more then him cause his body is still growing, he is a 1 year old. Just have common sense thats all.
So far I've had a lot of success with feeding 1 cup of kibble in the morning, and 1 at night. That is the dog's main feed throughout the week. But 3 to 4 times a week they are offered a raw meal which replaces the 1 cup of kibble given at night. So when raw is offered the dogs get 1 cup kibble in the morning, raw and mix at night. I rotate the days that raw is offered and it looks like this:
Monday: 1 cup kibble in the morning. 1 cup kibble at night.
Tuesday: 1 cup kibble in the morning. Raw and mix at night.
Wednesday: 1 cup kibble in the morning. 1 cup kibble at night.
Thursday: 1 cup kibble in the morning. Raw and mix at night.
Friday: 1 cup kibble in the morning. 1 cup kibble at night.
Saturday: Raw and mix in the morning. Raw and mix at night.
Sunday: Raw and mix in the morning. Raw and mix at night.
Repeat....
The brand of kibble I offer my dogs is called Timber Wolf Organics.
www.timberwolforganics.com
It is second best next to the raw diet, and is better the TOTW, Canidae, and others, IMO. Also it mimics the diet that a wolf would eat in the wild. It is expensive, and we buy in bulk, but for me money doesn't matter when it comes to the health and performance and well being of my dogs.Our dogs are offered a mix of 3 different kinds of T.W.O kibble that we than mix together in one big bin and serve. They are: Dakota Bison. Wild and Natural. and Wilderness.
Real quick info on what I do when working my dogs on the flirt pole and spring pole... But first!! I have to say that you do not have to work your dog out for more than an hour, but its important that you keep your dog working without a break and no water. Water and food come after the work out. This is what I do with my dogs. Food intake before a work out can cause bloat, and can cause the dog to not want to work. See what feeding after a work out will do is burn the food faster causing it to not sit and slowly go through the dog's system. Its almost like what humans do when they work out. Have a meal after training so the body absorbs everything. If you can take your dog to the pet store, to the vets, anywhere for an hour, your dog will be fine working an hour with out water. It will not kill him. The first thing I do in the mornings when I wake up is let the dogs out, let them work the spring and flirt pole for a while, take them on a walk than go back inside. I wait 30 - 45 min and then feed them, or until they are calmed down.
The flirt pole:
The objective of the flirt pole is to work the dogs muscles, building strength, increasing blood flow, and increasing oxygen, and heart. Have you ever noticed yourself becoming dizzy while working your dog with the flirt pole? Do you turn around in circles causing your dog to only run in one direct forming a circle? IMO you are doing it wrong. What works best is having the dogs run in front of me going left and right. Doing quick bursts of speed in one direction, sharply stopping to turn around and bursting the other direction and sharply stopping to turn around. So basicly the dog is running a powerful figure 8 in front of me. By working the dog like this it is cause they'razors edge nerves to go up, their heart rate goes up and their breathing heavily when doing quick bursts and then stopping. Its teaches them to be quicker on their feet as well. The sharp turning will increase muscle growth as well. When I work my dogs on the flirt pole I don't stop them until they physically can not run any more. Their tounges are hanging out the side of their mouths, they are laying down panting, and I can see the veins in their arms. This doesn't mean that I'am forcing them. This is because they have a lot of drive, and this is a perfect out lit for that drive. I do not let the dogs get the flirt pole until after the work out is done. This also teaches them to work for what they want.
The spring pole:
The springs shouldn't be too low or too high off the ground, but set at a level just right so that the dog can jump, grab ahold and still have it's hind feet touching the ground, but body is vertical. Too many dogs are injured by falling or releasing their bite and landing the wrong way on the bodies and back legs. Having the dog jump and hang higher then it needs to for no reason is raising the risk of causing damage or injuries to the hips or legs. And what if that happens and you are left with a dog who will have a bad hip for the rest of its life, would that be worth it? A dog will alway release its bite so its safer to keep the dog grounded. Also make sure hardware is not close to where the dog's mouth will be. The spring pole is a great tool to use to increase bite strength. But note, this will not cause your dog to have super powers such as lock jaw... But just like working any part of any body that part will increase in strength. Also a spring pole can help strengthen neck and chest muscles. Along with the withers, back, loin, group, thigh, and the shoulder slope area. These parts and worked out due to the motion of the dog tugging in a downward motion and the dog trying to force the springs to stay down.
The bite work:
A breeder who I know that breeds the same bloodline as I do suggested this great information about working a dog's bite at a lower level instead of at a higher level such as the spring pole. This can be achieved by getting on your hands and knees, holding a rubber hose or a rope toy, which ever works best placed on the ground. I've done this. I placed the rope under my knees, and had the dogs tug at the rope trying to get it from me. Their heads where lowered below their shoulders as they tugged. This is a great work out for bite strength, chest muscles, and over all stamina. This work out is great if you have a dog that hunts hogs.
The mill:
I do not like the slat mills. Don't know why but I don't. I like the excersise machinces. If used right they can help shape your dog's over all bodily proformance.
Now passed the feed, and the an over view of my 5 main means of working the dogs, lets go onto the work out routines!
Monday
Flirt Pole: 15 - 20 min
Spring Pole: 10 - 15 min
Mill: 15 min
Walking: 2 miles
Tuesday
Flirt Pole: 15 - 20 min
Spring Pole: 10 - 15 min
Mill: 15 min
Walking: 2 miles
Wednesday
Flirt Pole: 10 min
Spring Pole: none
Mill: none
Walking: 1 mile
Thursday
Flirt Pole: none
Spring Pole: none
Mill: 10 min
Walking: none
Friday & Saturday
No working out. This is their day off to get some R&R
Sunday
Flirt Pole: 15 - 20 min
Spring Pole: 10 min
Mill: 15 min
Walking: 2 miles
Do it over again the next week.
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Originally Posted by DrBubbleBerry 
