Jump to content

Endurance Trial


Recommended Posts

After seeing my 2 and how fit they look at lure racing I decided to get the bike out and do some running with them

I am really interested in doing the Endurance trial, and want to train them and myself up for it

Any ideas, tips, any other people want to join in on my journey to get into ET

Have heard you arent supposed to train the dogs for the full 20km, but would love to know why?

Currently the block we ride is 1km, I plan to run them a few nights a week with some rest days in between (days when they have training etc already) How quickly should I build up duration? A week at one duration, then add to it? Longer? Depends on how they are going?

Thanks

:rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 61
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm doing mine in 5 weeks. :rofl:

I went back and did a search on previous ET threads and there were a few good links.

I think the test takes roughly 2hrs? So that is about 10kph. I have a friend who did one with her Weimaraner and said it was slow. She only ever did 10k sprints with him in training (built him up first of course).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops SnT I didnt even think to search :0 There is some good stuff in here

Ooooh 5 weeks, good for you! How exciting, I'm sure you will do great!

Pax, thanks :rofl:

Has anyone heard of a reason why you would only train the dog up to 10-15km? It seems odd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there,

You can train the dog to whatever you like but for most breeds 20km is their limit, so most trainers suggest to train to 17km and just do one 20km before the comp. The idea is just to reduce any long term stress on your dog. Most of us don't run 20km every week!!

A trial was held in Victoria over this weekend just gone.

8km leg, 15 minutes rest, 6km leg, 20 minutes rest and another 6km leg. All run/biked at 10km/hr. vet checks (check feet, heart rates and temperatures) before and after trial and during each rest break.

The trial was great and owners and dogs had heaps of fun - I'm certainly hooked. Every website or trainer I have found suggested a minimum 10 week program for fit dogs and 14 weeks or longer for unfit dogs. My girl (lazy breed but actively competing in other dog sports) took 11 weeks to comfortably make the distance and keep under heart and temp checks.

There is a rules and regulations section in the australian kennel club's website for exact details.

hope this all helps.... happy running....

regards

Alanglen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Alanglen :laugh:

I saw the people doing the trial last weekend, we were there doing lure racing, and it got me motivated

I have just realised though, on the 7th July my 2 won't be 2 yet :rofl:

They turn 2 on the 10th (Molly) and 11th (Eddie) July, bugger bugger bugger

Will have to wait for next year :provoke: Guess its a sign as the 5 weeks isnt long enough by the sounds of it

Oh that makes sense about not doing the 20km all the time then as well, thanks

Edited by shoemonster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there,

There are meant to be another 2 trials this year at other clubs (hoping to have mine there as well!). Apparently Rottie club and GSD club. One is to be held at Altona. Am still working on finding out dates but would be more towards end of winter, maybe these are more suitable timeframes. For the dogs health, it's best not too start too heavy training until after 2 years of age but learning to accep the bike can start at any age (find the earlier the better, those wheels can be scary!)

Hope to see you around the traps.

Good luck with the tollers, wish I could have one of the girls at Sale, it sounded lovely. Should have another dog of mine at Sale next year.

Regards

Alanglen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've started riding with my two too! It is hard though when you have to come back from a ride and take the other :D!!!

A tip -

* don't run them too far or too hard on bitumen - run them on grass first to build up endurance (ie: around an oval if you can) and then onto bitumen - otherwise their pads may crack.... so start of small distances even if the dogs aren't tired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great advice leo! I hear people frequently tell me, oh he can run further than that.... It's their health ( body temp, heart rate and split pads) that suffers, do it slowly and your dog will continue to love the bike for a long time ahead, well beyond just the trial day!

happy running!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a speedo for my bike tonight! :laugh:

And we have been riding on the road, close to the gutter so the dogs have the nature strip to run on mostly, I dont want to hurt their pads

Oh I hope there are some more later in winter that we can do, I am so excited

What heart rate should they have? Or is it more a case of their heart rate not jumping too high from their resting rate? And what temp should they be at?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty sure i will be at one of the up coming tests, just trying to convince my brother or his gf to run with one of my dogs while i bike it :laugh:

I try to ride with them every day, so they are used to running next to a bike.....but never tried them in front of or behind another strange dog. Any suggestions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am glad I am not the only one who needed motivation.

Ebony and I have started our training, but have not been out nearly as often as I feel we should. We started a few weeks ago with a nice gentle run up the road and back - about 2 or 2 and a half km all up. The running has to be at 10 km/h so I was not unhappy that we managed that in 20 mins - a bit slow, but then one of us was rather out of condition.

I am preventing Ebony from doing too much by running with her - not cycling, so I am only ever asking her to run the distance and speed I can manage. So far, I have ended each run in a more distressed state than her (though I do not feel the need to stop for a poo half way through). :thumbsup:

We have now done the 2.5 km run about 3 or 4 times and have extended it round the block (3.5) once. Last time we went out, we did 5.5 and by the end of that she had actually stopped pulling like a freight train, so maybe she is getting a bit tired, finally. Last weekend I had a cold coming on, so we did nothing, but I will try and get out this weekend. I have not entered a trial yet, but I have my eye on the one at Ipswich at the end of July - which gives me a further 8 weeks or so. Anyone else planning to do that one?

I used to train for the marathon in about 12 - 15 weeks, so 8 weeks to do a half marathon at an easy pace with two rest breaks ought to be achievable (that is what I tell myself, anyway).

One of the reasons you do not need to train the dog with 20km runs, is that the actual trial is split into three shorter runs (8, 6, 6). Another reason is that by the time you can run 15 km comfortably, the extra 5 seems like nothing. I guess that is similar for the dog. When I used to run marathons (26.2 miles), the longest run I ever did in training was 21 miles - the adrenalin of the event carried you through the last 5. Most of my "long" training runs would be 17 or 19 miles.

Cheers,

DagBoy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SnT would love to meet for training

Dagboy! I feel like that, the dogs are so much fitter than me!

We did 1.5km last night, and the dogs were just trotting along at 10km/h (with my new speedo! hehe) and I was thinking OMG I can't be bothered, come on legs :thumbsup: I am so unfit! OH has been coming with us and he just laughs at me as he does 10+km every day anyway. He takes Molly with him, so I'm trying to convince him to get her title when I get Ed's (attempt to get Ed's! lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For anyone who is interested in getting started running with their dog, there's a neat program called "couch to 5k" which, as it says, gets you running from nothing at all to running 5k in around 9 weeks... from there you can extend as you want to, but for total newbies this program has step by step instructions plus podcasts for your mp3 player. I've started running it with my ACD (we're up to week 2), and it's a struggle, I'm dreadfully unfit. My hubby runs marathons and he takes the dog out for a run, the dog easily does 13km with him, so going out with me is like a day off for him :thumbsup:

Anyway, here's the link to the couch to 5k program site:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

and here's the link to the podcasts for your mp3 player:

http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/page6/page6.html

Audrey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL - now i'm all geared up to start training too :thumbsup:!

I'll have a problem with other dogs I think - I started biking the dogs to build up their muscles, but now going for the ET will give me something to strive toward :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...