Front Matter

Chapter 10 Conditioning and Retraining the Canine Athlete 261

References

Aagaard, P. & Andersen, J. L. 2010. Effects of strength
training on endurance capacity in top‐level endur­
ance athletes. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 20 (Suppl. 2),
39–47.

Acevedo, L. M. & Rivera, J. L. 2006. New insights into

skeletal muscle types in the dog with particular

focus towards hybrid myosin phenotypes. Cell

Tissue Res 323(2), 283–303.

Amiri‐Khorasani, M., Abu Osman, N. A., & Yusof, A.

2011. Acute effect of static and dynamic stretching

Table 10.4 Age‐appropriate conditioning and sports training

Age

Activities

Strength Endurance Proprioception Skills Comments

Under

6 months

• Short walks
  or hikes


• Gentle tugging


• Chasing an
  object dragged
  on the ground


• Supervised
  play with
  appropriate‐
  sized dogs


• Short
  swimming
  periods

None • Ladder work

• Perch work


• Spinning to
  the R and L


• Play on a
  variety of
  surfaces


• Wobble
  boards


• Back up
  
  
  • Skill training,
    such as sit,
    down, stand,
    stay, and touch
  
  
  • Early jump
    training with
    jumps no higher
    than carpus
    height
  
  
  • No agility weave
    pole training
  
  
  
  

Young puppies

should not

be exercised

with the

specific intent

of increasing

strength or

endurance.

Much of their

exercise should

be self‐directed

play

6 months to

growth plate

closure

All of the above,

plus strength

training exercises,

beginning with

moderate exercise

and gradually

increasing the

frequency,

duration, and

intensity

None All of the

above, plus:

• Ladder work
  on soft
  surfaces,
  hills


• Side‐
  stepping over
  ladder
  
  
  • Jump training
    using gradually
    increasing jump
    heights from
    carpus to elbow
    height. Jump
    exercises that
    teach how to
    judge distance,
    collect and
    extend strides,
    how to use lead
    legs, etc.
  
  
  • No agility weave
    pole training that
    causes the spine
    to flex laterally
  
  
  
  

High impact

and endurance

training should

be delayed until

the physes have

fully closed

After growth

plate closure

(approximately

14 months for

intact dogs,

20 months

for dogs that

are prepuber-

tally gonadec-

tomized)

Planned strength

training 4 to 6

days a week

including all of

the above, plus:

• Beg and beg/
  stand/beg


• Jump grids
  
  
  • Begin aerobic
    exercise with
    three 20‐min-
    ute jogs a week
    and gradually
    increase the
    frequency
    and duration
    of endurance
    training
  
  
  • Swimming
  
  
  • Gradually
    longer
    distances/times
  
  
  
  

All of the above • Increase jumps

to competition

height

• Begin agility
  weave pole
  training and
  build gradually


• Begin repetitive
  flyball box work
  and build grad-
  ually

By this age,

dogs are fully

grown, although

they still have

relatively imma-

ture muscles,

ligaments, and

tendons, so

the duration,

frequency and

intensity of

exercise should

be increased

gradually