Endurance Trial

[Tassie]

My two Border Collies did it last year, with some friends. We trained 3 or 4 times a week for probably 3 months, just gradually building up distance and speed. A tip - now you've got your bike computer - keep a record of what you do - mileage, average speed, max speed, and also surface and air temperature.

I trained my two together - they managed fine - and only switched to one right towards the end, so Kirra could get used to riding with my friend's OH who took her in the test. We had to find parks etc. to train, since we're not allowed to bike with dogs on public roads down here.

Don't forget to do some training on gravel too - again, not too much at first, so the dogs' paws don't get sore.

Yes, AFAIK, the hear rate thing is to make sure they don't go up too much above their resting heart rate as measured by the vet in their pre-test fitness check (compulsory to have that - vet fills out temp, heart rate etc.) Temp must stay in a safe range - vet may re-check at end of 15 minutes, if temp is too high - but if it doesn't come down by then, dog will be withdrawn.

As far as speed goes, make sure you do some training at about 13kph, and a bit even higher. Sometimes for a variety of reasons, judges will have the pacemaker going a bit faster in the first couple of legs, to have "time in the bank" - usually won't be above 13, but has been known.

And don't forget that the weather may be crappy on test day - maybe very cold, or very cold and wet and veryt windy - like in Tasmania last year :D - so best to have had at least a couple of goes in that sort of weather to see what the dog will do.

Hydration - you and the dog - is very important.

Riding with the other dogs didn't seem to be much of an issue, even for my somewhat reactive boy.

Have fun!

[MonElite]

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 :D

So you did 6-8 minutes of riding and you had enough? ;) You need to train a lot than, YOU not the dogs.

And try on grass no on the road, as its harder to ride on grass.

[shoemonster]

myszka, I already said I will need the most training, I have a past of bad knee problems, and I have screws in my knee so it's a big thing for me to even be aiming at doing this in the first place

[SwaY]

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 ;)

So you did 6-8 minutes of riding and you had enough? You need to train a lot than, YOU not the dogs.

And try on grass no on the road, as its harder to ride on grass.

Give her a break, how bloody rude. :D

[MonElite]

Whats rude, that I pointed out the time?

I did a lot of self training before I took the dog for the ET. And I have written here many many times about my expereinces with the ET and how I prepared.

Shoemonster obviusly needs a lot of training for herself, its not a walk in the park its a 20km ride on the grassy area, and the grass isnt like a green on the golf course. And there is a dog at the front and a dog at the back. Its a 3 hour experience and its TIRING unless you do some form of excercise. I dont so I suffered.

I think SM that perhaps you could start on the bike by yourself at first, so that you build the endurance for yourself before you engage the dog.

I can tell you that although I trained a lot before doing it on the day I was bl00dy exhusted, my dog pulled all the way through chasing a girl at the front. So I had to struggle with him, I thought Ill end up with my shoulder in a sling after this...

There was a lady with a boxer and she basically gave up, lucky there was someone there that offered to do the last leg for her with the dog.

What you can do is have someone as a alternative handler, in case you will find yourself too tired during the test.

Also dont forget that there is a small obedience test before and after.

Good luck, get on the bike and train. If you do the test and you pass its very rewarding.

Edited May 30, 2007 by myszka

[SwaY]

Whats rude, that I pointed out the time?

I did a lot of self training before I took the dog for the ET. And I have written here many many times about my expereinces with the ET and how I prepared.

No this is rude and quite catty

You need to train a lot than, YOU not the dogs.

And try on grass no on the road, as its harder to ride on grass.

Im glad you did it and found it rewarding, Bel was asking for tips and advice not be be belittled because she wasn't up to it on her first ride out.

[shoemonster]

The first post felt like you were making fun of me. I know it will be hard, but everyone has to start somewhere.

[wheres my rock]

shoey have you got your bike set up properly and do you know how to use your gears correctly if not id pop into the bike shop n frankston and get the guy there to help you set it up it makes a huge differnce you'll find

Pace yourself and just build up slowly also it might pay to get a wind trainer so you can use your bike stationary to help gain fitness you'll be surprised how quickly you'll get fit the whole track wont be on grass if you enter at kcc they go around the front ground as well

you'll also get rest breaks if it were me i'd go slower and build your endurance keep your heart rate in your aerobic zone and you will build cardio very quickly i can lend you a heart rate monitor if you like also doing soem strength work to help build your muscles and a bit of jg walking can help

you'll get there i'll do it with you if you wait till next year and i'll be running it much easier than biking rofl

[MonElite]

I didnt mean to upset, my appologies if I did. I though you were laughing at yourself here...

I was thinking OMG I can't be bothered, come on legs :D I am so unfit!

Anyway - I stand for what I said - you need a lot of training, if you are not fit, especailly if you are not fit. Im not very unfit and I found it difficult on the day. Im thinking about doing it with my girl next year and I I will start training for it few months before, training MYSELF not the dog.

If you are able to do 10 minutes at teh time, perhaps you can do it twice a day?

Are your legs hurting after yesterday? Genuine question - im an ex athelete and can give you tips if you want. If they dont hurt, than you can do it twice a day IMO.

[shoemonster]

Oh cool Stella I'm aiming for the sky (trial this year) but likely to reach the tree tops (trial next year) so we probably can do it together

myszka, I can probably do more than that, but I was being lazy and didnt know how much I should do with the dogs to start with either, my legs dont hurt today so I know I can do more at a time, and prob twice a day, just got to get out of bed!

If I'm building up myself slowly, why would it matter if the dogs are coming along too? I only ask as it seems weird to get myself fit, then have to hold back to build up the dogs, to me it makes more sense to do it all together?

[laffi]

I am not a good runner, at least not a super fast one. However I did train and finish two marathons and heaps of half marathons. I can run for hours but it took me quite a while to get there.

At the beginning I couldn't run more then 5 min, however it's really important that you keep your hear rate high for at least 25min if you want to get fit, therefore when I started training I did run-walking. It's up to you what ratio you use, I did something like 3 min run 30 sec walk. You always can adjust for the run intervals to be longer and longer when you get more fit.

It's the method most of the marathon trainers in the US would recommend for the beginners because you can get a good workout, learn how to run and it's actually good to stay injury free (very important for discance runners). Also for some it's the best way to run (overall) the fastest, since you can recover a little bit when you walk and therefore can run faster. I know that for the trail it has to be continuous running, but I truly believe that for the beginner it's the best way to get there.

Each session (esp at the beginning) should be at least 25 min. Not much longer than that either, but for some reason it's the a good barrier for your body to adjust to. And do it 3 -4 times a week. Don't run two days in a raw (can lead to injury).

I would do all these sessions with your dog, since you start slow the dog will also build up muscles and will stay injury free in the future.

Good luck!

[shoemonster]

Cool, will aim for the 25 min then, the dogs aren't fussed, they could go for heaps longer (but I wont push too hard) We live near the train tracks and there is a huge wide grassy area about 2km long that runs from one station to the next, so I could train up and down that. We take them for walks along there and they aren't bothered by the trains at all so they won't freak them

[shoemonster]

1) Body Temperature

Canine "normal" body temperature range is 100.5 - 102.5 Fahrenheit (38 - 39.2 Celsius).

A body temperature below 100 or above 103F warrants a call to your veterinarian. Body temperature in dogs is most often measured rectally, ear thermometers can also be used, but it can be difficult to get an accurate reading. Gauging body temperature by the moistness of the nose or how warm the ears feel is not reliable. Click here to learn how to assess your dog's body temperature.

2) Respiratory Rate

18-34 breaths per minute

Respiratory rate is the number of breaths per minute. Normal respiratory rates are assessed when the dog is resting. A dog that is in pain, having heart or respiratory problems, suffering from heatstroke, or simply excited will usually have increased respiratory rates. It is important to gauge the overall situation and condition of the animal to assess the respiratory rate.

3) Heart Rate

70-120 beats per minute

Larger dogs have slower rates than small dogs, and dogs that are in good physical shape will have lower heart rates than dogs of similar age and size who are not physically fit. Puppies typically have higher heart rates, up to 180 beats per minute is normal up to one year of age.

I got this from http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesco...TP_dogfacts.htm

Is it correct, and where do I take the heart rate from? wrist, neck?

[wheres my rock]

shoey wouldnt worry too much about the dogs at present their fitness is very high altready

ask simone at club to show you how to take their pulse corrrectly shes a vet nurse so will be able to help you witht hat side of things

if your planning a walk run trianing program try the couch to five km someone already posted the link its the one i used nice and easy and gets you going quickly im happy to go for a jog walk with you on a sunday morning around kcc park if you want before trinang i'll bring my heart rate monitor for you to borrow if you like

[Tassie]

Yep - agree not to worry too much about the dogs heart rate etc. Building up their fitness along with yours will mean that they'll be fine. Heart rate has a wide range of variables - and the stress of having it taken (BTW, vet does it with a stethoscope) can send it up. One of mine had 110 at the pre-race check with my own vet, but my girl was stressing out, and hers was about 130, I think, On the actual day, each of mine had one reading of 160 - but again, vet looked at the whole picture, and decided there was a "white coat" fear factor in there, (even though she had a Drizabone on. ) From what I saw, the temp is more critical, since that is less dependent on factors like stress.

Myszka wrote

my dog pulled all the way through chasing a girl at the front. So I had to struggle with him, I thought Ill end up with my shoulder in a sling after this...

From what we learnt, it's really important to train your dogs to gait pretty smoothly, in spite of distractions. The rules say they are not allowed to be pulling (although most judges give a bit of leeway for the first few kms while they settle down.) (They're also not allowed to lag significantly, and be towed along by the handler .) The judge can issue warnings if the dog is not working on a loose-ish lead - and also, a dog which pulls all the time, if not ruled out by the judge, may well fail the vet check anyway because of elevated temperature.

I would certainly take your dogs riding with you when you're building up your own fitness. It won't hurt them if you're going more slowly at first. You'll all have fun, and from my experience, you will build up stamina and strength fairly quickly. Good advice about making sure you've got your bike set up well, though - especially if your knees are bad.

[MonElite]

My thinking is - if you are not very fit and you will be riding at first on hard surfaces the dogs will also be running on hard surfaces and they might wear their pads out, it happends very quickly (as I found out the hard way when I was training)

Than it takes ages for the pads to be good again, I had to apply paw paw ointment fair bit and it was touch and go before the test.

So unless I could ride on hard surface and the dog run on grass I would build up the endurance on hard surface by myself, than move onto grass and than take the dog.

But this is my opinon only, if taking the dog is what you want to do - go ahead, I dont think it will do anything wrong to the dog.

[grotty_rotty]

Shoemonster last night at Rottweiler Club Training they were talking about this and are getting people and dogs ready to get fit and ready. I thnik the youngest they could be was 18 months old.

You are doing better then me doll, I can lend you a Rotty too

[shoemonster]

Cool, some great advice, thanks everyone I'm gonna bike rather than run as my knees just dont like the impact of running. Stella maybe I could ride and you jog? Or would it be too fast?

I've been riding so that I am on hard surface and the dogs are on the grass, I think I already wrote that earlier though

grotty, hmm a stafford is enough for me for the moment! My 2 are nearly 2 years old now so they will be an ok age by the time we are ready

[shoemonster]

Tonight, 2.7km, (to the fish and chip shop to get dinner and back )

Half of which was all grass, and half was us on the footpath/road, with the dogs on grass except for driveways

[shoemonster]

Sat went to swimming, at the doggy pool! Sunday normal obed training and vegging (and Ed did a CCD run through which would have def been a pass)

Mon 3.7km on grass and pavement mixed up

Last night 4.6km on grass pavement and a gravelly sandy bike track

The dogs paws are looking and feeling fine, and they are way fitter than I am! But I'm proud of myself for giving this a go, as I can be very very lazy lol