# Conditioning through the show ring



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

*Conditioning for the show ring*

The Mogwai has gone a bit soft through the topline again, and I was wondering if anybody had suggestions on how to strengthen her core muscles?

The breeder wanted me to start jumping her over 12" jumps.

Needless to say, I will not be doing that.


----------



## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

http://reactivechampion.blogspot.com/search/label/conditioning exercises

Try this link.


----------



## trumpetjock (Dec 14, 2007)

Crunches have always worked for my core.

Seriously though, try balance and agility work that is low impact. A frame, weave poles, teeter totter. Whenever you start needing quick feet and twists and turns, it engages the core. 

Is she into tug at all? If she is a tug freak, get her really revved up and do a long tug session where you never let her front feet touch the ground. Have them an inch or so off the ground at all times so she is using her back and core to press against the toy.


----------



## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

trumpetjock said:


> Is she into tug at all? If she is a tug freak, get her really revved up and do a long tug session where you never let her front feet touch the ground. Have them an inch or so off the ground at all times so she is using her back and core to press against the toy.


Save your back, build a spring pole....


----------



## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

I'm not sure if I'd call the A-Frame or the Weave Poles low impact, at least not when performed at a high rate of speed like in competition. Both are pretty hard on the front end (which is why I train both sparingly, especially the A-Frame)

What about an exercise ball for her to balance on? A bouja board (maybe Jon can make one)?

Swimming is also great for core strength AFAIK.. though my dog won't swim


----------



## trumpetjock (Dec 14, 2007)

Swimming is a great idea.

I didn't mean nailing the agility equipment full speed, but introducing her (assuming you haven't already) and running them at a moderate speed could work.


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Swimming is great, but I can only afford to swim one dog, and Strauss's condition is more imperative to maintain than Mirada's.

We have 0 agility equipment. She does like tug, and I can ask Jon about building a wobble board


----------



## trumpetjock (Dec 14, 2007)

I guess I don't know if I'm understanding this right, but how can you only afford to swim one dog? It costs money? 

I must have missed something...


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

I can't find access to a safe place to swim the dogs in a natural body of water that isn't a 2+ hour drive away. On top of that, my dogs are NOT good swimmers (super panic). They need help, and I can't help them on my own.

I have to pay $22/week to have Strauss swim in a pool with a person to help keep him up. That's $88/month (that we don't really have).


----------



## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

we shall have to do some water work at my place while your here


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Strauss won't do anything beyond wading unless he's forced to :-/


----------



## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

Teach her to roll over, going both ways and do a few to each side every day. Teach her to sit up on her hindquarters ("sit pretty"). Hold up diagonal legs (so left front and right rear for example) for a few moments so she has to work to keep her balance (by using her core muscles). Gait her over cavalettis (just poles laid out on the ground, she should have one foot between 2 poles at a time). Hold her on a short leash and have her walk up a staircase, one foot on a step at a time. Lay her down on her side and have her follow a treat up along her side towards her butt (so she is making like a C). Do that from both sides. Teach her to go into a "pop back" stand from a sit (where they jump up, throwing their hind end back to get into the stand, not coming forward into the stand). Teach her to walk backwards. Teach her to walk backwards up the stairs.

Those are the things the specialist is having me do with Nash (not all right now, we are working up to some of them).


----------



## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I take Lars swimming and I do a lot of ball work with him. I went to a Debbie Gross Saunders seminar on ball work after getting her DVD for Christmas. I came home with an enormous blue egg shaped ball much to Mr. Boats chagrin. Lars loves to do ball work and I use it a lot if I get home from work late and I haven't had an opportunity to exercise him. I use it for miserable weather days or if he's just bored at night. They do get a great workout from ball work. The nice thing is, you can use it for anything from puppies, to dogs in injury rehab, or working dogs. 

http://wizofpaws.net/getontheballtwodvd.aspx

Here's clean run's ballwork stuff:

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=400

and their books and DVDs for conditioning:

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=344


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Thanks MissMutt  I'll work on those things ^_^ She can do those just fine! I'll consider ballwork, but we really don't have the money for a ball, and she's only 7 months old. Clean Run is good stuff.


----------



## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

Xeph said:


> I'll consider ballwork, but we really don't have the money for a ball, and she's only 7 months old.


You can get these:








For about $14/each (pretty cheap). I have two...Mira's done core and body awareness work on them since she was about 3 months old. Web and Kim have been doing them about the same amount of time though not as frequently.


----------



## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Oooo, where do you get them?


----------



## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

What IS that, Shaina? lol


----------



## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

Online, or a lot of major big box stores (Target, ****'s, Walmart, etc.) have them in their aerobics section.

@MissMutt: It's a flat-ish blow-up disc...supposed to be for humans to stand on to strengthen core muscles...about 14" across


----------



## Yvonne (Aug 6, 2010)

swimming, running in deep loose pea gravel, and i take hikes with lots of hill work and give them more hill work than myself by throwing their balls/cuz onto the hill slopes several times adding to their workout for the fetches.


----------

