# Building muscle and stamina?



## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I would like to build up Bianca's muscle tone and stamina. I was just wondering if anyone has any tips on the type of exercise that will help, or programs for doing this slowly? I am not sure the best ways to build muscle. She seems to have somewhat poor muscle tone, and I would like to do more strenuous activities with her (like agility, biking, etc) but I want to build up her muscle and endurance first so she doesn't hurt herself by jumping in too fast.
I am not sure what we should do for this, or how I should go about creating a schedule? We usually just do long walks right now, but as it is getting warmer I'd like to start biking with her...


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

Swimming! I could see a HUGE difference in muscle tone after just the first trip or two to the river/pond each spring with my swimmers. Low impact and fast results.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Definitely swimming! And hiking is also good, especially if there are hills. 

ETA: Just remembered where you are...not a lot of hills!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Swimming is great, but not usually realistic. Go ahead and start biking, just keep it fairly slow and short at first then gradually speed it up and go farther, keeping an eye on how she's doing. If you have to encourage or force her to keep up, you need to slow down.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I'd go with biking too, start slow, over short distances. Keep Bianca at a trot - it builds more muscle than outright running.


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## kleinenHain (Sep 20, 2007)

Max loves to run after the 4 wheeler but we don't do much of that in the winter. I do agree with taking it slow. We do hike a lot too


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Get a Siwash harness ($59) and attach a milk jug to each trace via 6 foot leashes to increase the length of the jugs from the dog. Gradually increase the amount of water in the jugs. Ciana loves pulling her jugs!

(We pull in grass, the jugs glide smoothly on it.)

http://dogworks.com/store/harness.html


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

I think the treadmill is a good way to condition dogs. Lord knows I never use it!


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

If you normally do at least one long walk a day, get a backpack for your dog and gradually increase the weight your dog carries. Once worked up to it, a dog can carry up to 30% of its body weight safely, and it definitely helps build muscle and stamina.


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## luvu2 (Jan 13, 2009)

One walk seems inadequete.
I do a long run 5-7 miles, in the morning, a short walk in the afternoon and a longer walk or ball playing session in the evenning.

Whatever your method remember to build up slowly.


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## darga19 (Mar 4, 2009)

Jogging is great. Marshall and I are all about it.

Nice easy pace and build up that distance.


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

Do you want to build lean muscle mass or bulk her up?


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: jarnDo you want to build lean muscle mass or bulk her up?


A little of both... I don't want her to be so bulky that it interferes with her agility but I would like to see some bulk (I want to see her muscles) as well as lean muscle.

I don't often have time for multiple walks on days when I have work/class but I usually do one long walk, 2-4 miles (or more in warmer weather). If I have more time I also will go on a bike ride but so far I only did that once with Bianca... Then some days we have agility class or we go hiking with her wearing her backpack.

I did take her for one long walk with her backpack and some weight provided by the water bladders in the pack, but I was not sure how much weight would be okay to start her with in a pack when she hasn't done it before.

Yeah we don't have any real hills here in Chicago! There are some parks which have small "landfill" hills in my area though. 

I did get Bianca a dog park permit, so we could go to the dog beach but I am not sure if she would get along with the other dogs there so I am a little leery of trying that. Also the dog beach is shallow until you go pretty far out, so it is more running in the water than swimming unless you have a very small dog or if you wade way out with them to get them in the deeper water. I thought about taking her to this center that has a dog swimming pool, you can get 30 min. pool sessions for your dog but I am not sure if I can justify the cost of that right now. The same place also has treadmill sessions...


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## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

Swimming is the best way to build muscle, and if you have a facility near you, I would use it!
She has been checked by your vet to make sure there isn't an underlying cause to her thinness?
The underwater treadmill is a fantastic tool, and I always recommend it to mt surgery patients who need to rebuild muscle.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Yep, she was checked by the vet and she had bloodwork and fecal done. She's gained some weight since I got her but she still needs to gain muscle.

I did the underwater treadmill with my previous two dogs, for rehabilitation and low-impact exercise... My terrier did sessions for several years after FHO surgery and my Golden to help with her spondylosis...
The facility I mentioned in my previous response doesn't do underwater treadmill though-- they have a dog swimming pool and also have a (separate, non-water) treadmill. The underwater treadmill I did with my previous dogs was at a holistic vet. The dog swimming pool is at an activity center (daycare/kennel/training place.)


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> Quote:I did take her for one long walk with her backpack and some weight provided by the water bladders in the pack, but I was not sure how much weight would be okay to start her with in a pack when she hasn't done it before.


How old is your GSD? If she is at least 18 months old, you start with 5% of her body weight (empty weight of the pack included) and work up to no more than 30% of her body weight from there. 

If you go to the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America's website, they have a training guide to work a dog up to carrying 30% of their body weight in the "activities" section.


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

Mid-long running, hiking, biking, and swimming will be great for building lean muscle tone. 

I would do weight stuff (the pack as suggested) for bulk. Sprints as well will build more fastwitch muscle fiber than slowtwitch. 

Though I would bet you'll see a difference even from the more lean activities. 

And, of course, age appropriate for her joints etc


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks for the tips! She is turning 5 years tomorrow. 

Do you have any tips on a schedule to do the exercises? Length of time or distance to start with and how often we should do them? Should I rest her a day in between if we do something strenuous like running with the bike?


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

this is what i do...or at least these are my ways to build nice muscle and endurance..

run hills
frisbee
hang a toy (tug rope of some sort) just high enough to where her back feet barely touch and let her go to town (i would only let her do it a couple times a week
free off leash walks are great too


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

What you start with depends on her current conditioning. 

How long are her current walks? Do you ever run with her? If you're starting out, and you're not a runner, you could do what some people do when they're just starting out running and building stamina - run for 1 minute, 2 minutes, than walk 1 minute, repeat. Go for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and just build up the amount of time running until you're running steadily or running 10 minutes, 1 minute walk. Then start adding on 10 minutes to your runs. Or something like that. You can also use sites like gmaps-pedometer.com to train by distance rather than time and map out routes. 

If you want, I can draw up a more detailed schedule of running with a goal distance in mind. It all depends where you're starting from. As long as you build slowly, they can go any distance. Luc has completed continuous 60+k hikes with me and been fresh at the end and can run 30+k. Obviously he was built up to that overtime though!

I'd go as well with how tired she is - it's better to build up slowly than to go to hard and injure something.

I would do the pack on walks or hikes as Chris said. 

JMO though.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: jarnWhat you start with depends on her current conditioning.
> 
> How long are her current walks? Do you ever run with her?
> 
> If you want, I can draw up a more detailed schedule of running with a goal distance in mind.


I've never ran with her, just the one time I had her running with my bike so far. I don't usually bike in the cold weather so I only just got my bike out for the season. Her current walks are between 1-3.5 miles. I usually walk my dogs 3-4 miles but again I hadn't been going longer because of the cold weather.


That would be great if you could draw up a schedule! Thanks!


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

Will do! Do you have a goal distance/time that you'd want to run with her?


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## Dee Phillips (Nov 29, 2008)

Feed her raw and after a time of normal, months, then start on what she likes to do that builds what you want, try to remember its about her and not so much about what you want, find a balance of fun for her and you. Im sure you have trees, put up a tire and get her to work bitting and pulling,great for legs too, no matter what time of year. I put a rope on the bottom and do a pull game, gentle at first so she is not hit in the face, but once they get the rope thing then it is on for them My girl is 3 and has done it from 7 weeks and is fit and can handle a 110lb male as well as had 2 litters of 9 pup each. She looks lean in the avatar so I would go diet first, she is pretty looks like my bitch but smaller. email me as I cant get photos to work Ill show her on tire and weight. [email protected]


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: jarnWill do! Do you have a goal distance/time that you'd want to run with her?


Hmm not really, just something that would be a good muscle-building workout for a goal.

I just had her in the vet and her weight is up, she is 73 lbs but still needs some muscle. The vet said she looks pretty good weight-wise now.


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## JasperLoki (Sep 25, 2005)

I have to be very careful with my crew because of Loki's age (6 months) and Jasper having Elbow dysplasia.

However, I try to do it the smart way.

First off, I started Jasper swimming prior to his ED, so he has always been an avid swimmer. However he has always been very active on trail hikes, along with swimming and walking.

When I got Loki, I continued the swimming, however instead of general, basic walks, I implemented off lead walks, hiking, fetch. With this, Jasper now runs some good distances (I don't overdue it, nor do I set him up for hard stops on the elbows)-he also seems intelligent in regards to stopping at a slower pace. I also do the fetch as a recall and training method for Loki, however his distances are much shorter (I also mix things up every day (with both dogs).

Another great thing I have found is hills. I have this one park were it has a huge hill. I come onto it by another path were we are not going down it (so its easier on Loki, and not hard on Jasper). We go up the hill a few times, walk down to another area were it's less steep, and repeat the process. 

So for me, swimming, go up hills, and off lead fetch has improved muscle tone (especially for Jasper), too early to tell for Loki (I give him a mixture of everything).

I also feed about a 50/50 raw diet if that helps out (for my pups).

Prior to Loki, again, it was just swimming and walks (with hiking), now all of those, with up hill runs and off leash fetch (with the "Chuck it")

For Stamina, my program never changes, just altered abit (with times of day)., because of heat.

My biggest time changes are late spring into summer. Since it gets insanely hot in NC, I am out to the first park really early (between 6-7 a.m.), come home, eat after rest, rest again, then another trip to another park (usually a hike or swim)-hike in woods. Then come home, rest, mid afternoon walk in my neighborhood, short if its hot.

After dinner, one last trip to park, for off lead play again. Sometimes fetch, hike or bite sleeve (or abit of everything).

I believe in shocking the system (not keeping things the same), LOL, kind of like the PX90 system.

I am always playing tug at home, that helps.

I can't run, so running with them is not an option, but the long fetch takes that place (I believe in sprints anyways)-kind of what fetch is like









This all works for me.

Jasper is built very nicely, and Loki is like a Sherman Tank, and will be shorter, but built nice.


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

Here's a build to 30 minutes of running (5k, give or take, depending on your speed). It assumes you have no running background at all. I did make a harder schedule which builds you to 60 minutes of running over a similar period (12 weeks vs. 10 weeks), so depending on your fitness level....I just wasn't sure. Both assume you will start out doing run/walks.

* 30 minutes:* 

The ratio refers to running minutes: walking minutes. 

Week 1: 1:1 x15 = 30min
Week 2: 2:1 x10 = 30min
Week 3: 3:1 x8 = 32min
Week 4: 4:1 x6 =30min
Week 5: 5:1 x5 =30min
Week 6: 6:1 x4 =28min
Week 7: 7:1 x4 =32min
Week 8: 8:1 x3 =27min
Week 9: 9:1 x3 =30min
Week 10: 10:1 x3 =33min


Do 4 runs per week Tues, Wed, Friday, Sunday

Make sure the stretch post run and get plenty of fluids.

One mid week runs should be done at 80-85% MaxHR (fast paced but not a sprint). Sundays should be easy runs. The times should be the same but the effort should be different. The other mid week runs should be at a pace somewhere between the sunday easy run and the one fast paced run.

* 60 minutes:* 

Week 1:
2 runs of 24 minutes. Run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 runs of 27 minutes. Run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 2:
2 runs of 25 minutes. Run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 30 minutes. Run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
Long, steady (slow) run (LSD): 1 run of 35 minutes. Run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 3:
1 run of 24 minutes. Run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
2 runs of 30 minutes. Run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
LSD: 1 run of 41 minutes. Run 6 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 4: 
2 runs of 32 minutes. Run 7 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 40 minutes. Run 7 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
LSD: 1 run of 45 minutes. Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat*4, run 5 minutes.

Week 5 (drop down/rest week):
2 runs of 32 minutes. Run 7 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
2 runs of 40 minutes. Run 7 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
LSD: 1 run of 40 minutes. Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 6: 
3 runs of 40 minutes. Run 7 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 40 minutes. Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
LSD: 1 run of 44 minutes. Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 7:
3 runs of 40 minutes: Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 30 minutes: continuous.
LSD: 1 run of 50 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat*4, run 6 minutes.

Week 8:
2 runs of 44 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
2 run of 30 minutes: continuous.
LSD: 1 run of 55 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 9:
2 runs of 44 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 30 minutes: continuous.
1 run of 35 minutes: continuous.
LSD: 1 run of 55 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.

Week 10: 
2 runs of 44 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 35 minutes: continuous.
1 run of 40 minutes: continuous.
LSD: 1 run of 60 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat*5, run 5 minutes.

Week 11: 
1 run of 44 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
2 runs of 35 minutes: continous.
1 run of 40 minutes: continous.
LSD: 1 run of 60 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat X5, run 5 minutes

Week 12:
1 run of 44 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat.
1 run of 35 minutes: continuous.
2 runs of 40 minutes: continuous.
LSD: 1 run of 66 minutes: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute.

Make sure the stretch post run and get plenty of fluids.

One mid week runs should be done at 80-85% MaxHR (fast paced but not a sprint). Sundays should be easy runs. The times should be the same but the effort should be different. The other mid week runs should be at a pace somewhere between the sunday easy run and the one fast paced run.

Other suggestions:
1) Get good shoes (be properly fitted and appropriate for your pronation type)
2) Be consistent. Don't miss runs, it makes it that much harder to catch up later.
3) Listen to your body. Take care of aches and pains right away, (massage therapy, orthotics, whatever). Don't run through an injury.
4) Going long is more important than going fast. Don't worry about pace, running slow is better than not running at all.
5) Go out easy at first. The second half of the run should be faster than the first half. If it isn't then you are going out too fast and need to slow down.
6) Sunday runs should be slow, you should be able to talk easily while running and when you are done you should feel fine. If you aren't then you are going too fast.
7) Cotton is rotten.
8) Spandex is actually comfortable to run in. Yes you look like an idiot but so does everyone else running in it!
9) When you are running your body will heat up and it will feel 10-15degrees (centigrade) hotter than it actually is so dress for that temperature, overheating is a killer better to be a bit cold than too hot.
10) For 30min of running you will only need 10oz of water (as long as you are keeping properly hydrated) don't carry too much water, it's heavy and you don't need it. Personally I don't carry water until well over 60 minute runs, but you may find you want it sooner.

I've left out more complicated stuff like hill repeats or speed work. I think walking with her once/week or so carrying a pack is great for muscle, and hill work, like others have said.

Generally I leave a 2hr time gap before and after runs for any food to avoid bloat issues. For longer runs, I do carry water for the dogs, but obviously they shouldn't over do it. Dogs do not need food on runs (bloat, again, plus, like wolves, they are designed to be active without caloric intake). 

Jasper07 mentioned diet. I feed my dogs raw, but for Luc, who is my most active dog, I put extra fat in his diet, as dogs use fat the same way humans use carbs. I also like to keep my dogs lean to minimize impact on joints (I keep Luc so that he has a nice tuck and you can see the last rib, 2 ribs).


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