| Archive for The Brittany Forum For all friends of the versatile Brittany |
| dakotawinters |
Exercise Ideas~treadmill.Hey guys new to the forum. Just wanted to see how everybody exercises their britts?Being from the snowy/ rainy parts of Canada... alot of bad weather comes down. I know when it is gross I throw my britts Maddy and Willy on the treadmill. They are up to 20-30 mins each. (they are both still under the age of two) I was wondering if anybody else works with a human treadmill with their dogs... and anything about training etc? |
||
| Wyngold |
I am in central Oregon at thepresent time...
So very cold (sub freezing) winters but often sunny days. I basically only let my Britts free run and do no treadmill or serious endurance work until they have had their hip certified at age 2 years. After that the field guys get roaded with some variable weights. There is some science involved that suggests that over work prior to the growth plates closing (16-20 mo.)and the calcification is stable that damage can be done to the joints by micro fractures from the percusion of running. However, that being said I have also had some puppy owners who totally diregarded this in their dogs and later still managed to get OFA excellents. Muscling and angle of the pelvis is a main structural factor involved. I do think that the dog version treadmills have a longer platform and so gets the dogs to better trot in a more open way than the people versions. Plus in the dog versions the angles can be adjusted to build fronts or rears as needed. Great if you are trying to build the desired AKC/CKC open trot that many show judges seem to like. One of my handler friends uses them with some of their dogs...me I still prefer the softer ground for the dog to work on and prefer to go up and down hills for the dogs rears. |
||
| Patricia |
Welcome to the Forum...
The weather is not severe enough in the UK that people can't exercise their Brittanys...by foot. I have not heard of anyone who uses treadmills so far here, anybody out there??? I was going to say..it is very American! |
||
| Wyngold |
[quote="Patricia"]Welcome to the Forum...
The weather is not severe enough in the UK that people can't exercise their Brittanys...by foot. I have not heard of anyone who uses treadmills so far here, anybody out there??? I was going to say..it is very American![/quote] I think it was started by the folks in Canada.... After all the past several weeks in some locations it has never gotten above -18C and for a long while the wind chill was -30C |
||
| dakotawinters |
treadmill.LOL, yes American. I got the idea from the show... the Dog Whisperer, with Cesar Millan. The man is brilliant. Have you guys heard of him all the way over there? |
||
| Patricia |
We definitely have Cesar on Sky TV  He is brilliant and I watch his programs every evening!
I have a cousin over in Canada who, partly because of the cold has gone to Austria  I also read the posts on the French Forum( which has an English section too for those who like to read it) from Canadians who ask what temperatures the Brittany will withstand.
One mentionned at -20o to put an infra red for the dog! And we worry at a freeze of -6 or -8 o C brrrr.............Too cold for me 
Mind you, I was brought up in the south of France 
|
||
| dakotawinters |
treadmill.That's why I have stayed below the 30 min. mark with my two. Its just to take the edge off. Its better then running on the pavement.(the hips tested, and growth plates) I also have trained a few horses and people for that matter.... LOL ( I used to coach gymnastics) so I always worry about how much is too much. I wish somebody (a vet) would publish a book on this... I guess there is probably no studies on the effects of treadmill use in dogs. |
||
| Wyngold |
The best you will find on conditioning the canine from N.A. will be the book by Chritine Zink she also has seminars for various dog clubs.
She is also an advocate against early spay and neuter for physical reasons www.caninesports.com/ |
||
| Ghilliegumdrop |
Funny that........I was a gymnastic coach when my daughter and stepdaughter were competing at county level. They were at Park Gym Club up in Telford.
As for treadmills my friend [now departed] bred greyhounds and she used a treadmill for them. |
||
| guy |
there is a thought to conjour with - Jan doing a Flik Flak 
|
||
| Dave A |
I spent some time in the world of Greyhound racing and it was a common training aid 20 +yrs ago. So possibly The Greyhound world may hold the answers. Also more recently some one was trying to sell a posh version of a treadmill on Dragons Den. | ||
| doganjo |
What in the dear name is a Flik Flak? | ||
| dakotawinters |
Greyhounds and treadmills.....Just curious about the greyhounds and the treadmills?Do they have a fairly long life expectancy? or are they treated like racing thoroughbreds? |
||
| Ghilliegumdrop |
The show greyhounds tend to go on till they are around 13/14 same as most breeds....the racing dogs, well that depends whether or not they get re-homed, in which case, they live as long as the next dog. If they don't get re-homed the majority are put down.
A flik flak is a running somersault [for want of a better word] |
||
| doganjo |
We have been out to check our Brittanys at minues 17 some winters and they weren't tucked up cosy in their vetbeds - they were lying on the cold concrete
|
||