Show Conditioning

[SoL]

Hi guys

Just wondering what you all do to get your showponies in the best condition for show.

Sunny is 14 months now and I'm upping the ante on her exercise to try and build up her muscles. At the moment she gets walked about 3-4kms per day, more on the weekend, plus the games of ball for sprinting. She also gets rope pulls but I'm just wondering if there's anything else I could be doing, especially for strength training.

I've tried looking for tyres for her to drag but they all now come with metal bands. I wasn't fussed before as I don't believe in overworking juvenile dogs but now I want her in the best shape possible for the show ring and especially coming up to her maiden litter.

Oh yeah, she gets plenty of protein and carbs in her diet as well.

[Doggrooma]

Hi emmark, Try Motor bike tyres. Do you have somewhere to swim her that could really help?

[SilverHaze]

I'm sure you could probably go to a junk yard and find an old tyre. Or just ask some tyre place - surely they could remove the metal inside bit?

I have a number of old tyres we use for pull training at the start of race season. Working in harness all through winter keeps my guys in tip top shape for the whole year. And you sure can see and feel the difference in the dogs that do "light" work and dogs who have been worked in harness regularly when moving in the ring. Of course i think they scare some of the judges coz they are just bone and muscle under their coats instead of the usauly layer of fat many dogs have!