# AD daydream question?



## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

My pup is just over seven months now, and next year, after a BH of course, I'd like to set our sights on an AD....it would be good for both of us.

At some point, I'll start shopping bikes, and a Springer attachment. Question is....at what age do you introduce a dog to this type of activity? Assumptions being; a.) prelims, b.) post joint development, c.) you train upto the distance over time.

Another consideration would be training development....regardless when the age is appropriate, where are the pup and I in loose leash walking with respect to a bike transition?

So those are my thoughts....any help framing up the age and your experience in training would be fun to read.

Thanks.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

As you know, I was jogging miles with my pup by 6 months of age. I wasn't biking with him until almost a year of age - mostly because I didn't have a bike. 

I did the AD when he was a couple of weeks past the youngest age to do it and I had the only dog that was still as fresh at the end of the AD as he was at the beginning. My rear was sore and he was giving me the is-that-all-you've-got look when we were done. The other dogs were squirting diarrhea and were just about crippled and refusing to move when they finished.

The moral of the story is to start as early as possible for muscle, lung, and heart development, and to toughen up the pads.

If you are using a bike attachment - I hate them, but whatever - it doesn't matter if your dog will walk on a loose leash or not as they can and do pull like crazy on them and you can still bike just fine.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

I've never used a bike attachment, I have no idea what to expect.....so I am open to the possibility of hating them as well????

What you described is exactly what I would like to strive for, a dog that is well prepared for the AD.....which will provide significant benefit for me as well. Time invested to build stamina is what my intentions are.....just don't want to start too early. At a younger age, short but regular jogs seem to be reasonable?


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

I never did the AD-probably never will. But at one time thought I would and biked with the dogs I really enjoyed it and didn't use an attachment or leash. Figured when we did the AD we could add that If I had a young dog I would swim them rather than jog with them-it is great for their joints
Really don't think my dog would have any problem with the AD-me yes-but I could be wrong


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I think if the dog is healthy and overall in good shape, training for the AD is more about training the dog to mind the bike and conditioning the pads of their feet. I would have liked to have done an AD with Nikon this spring but he has *just* healed a foot infection that he has had since April and now it is too hot for ADs. I've never really biked him that far but have trained him to mind the bike and run on the right. I don't have a bike attachment and probably won't get one.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

W.Oliver said:


> I've never used a bike attachment, I have no idea what to expect.....so I am open to the possibility of hating them as well????
> 
> What you described is exactly what I would like to strive for, a dog that is well prepared for the AD.....which will provide significant benefit for me as well. Time invested to build stamina is what my intentions are.....just don't want to start too early. At a younger age, short but regular jogs seem to be reasonable?


I don't like the attachments because the dogs pull most of the time. I'm sure there are some that don't, but this has been my experience. I don't want my dog wasting energy pulling when he needs to conserve energy to trot for 12 miles. So many dogs when they pull, tend to pull diagonally to the bike too which puts a huge strain on the joints as the dog is trotting with a twisting motion.

The good thing about them is the dog can pull and act like a crazy dog and you will stay on the bike.

I bike my dog on a prong collar and make him stay in position at my side without any pulling or twisting, saving all his energy for trotting straight. The bad thing is that you have to ride one handed and it's easy to be yanked off your bike if you aren't very careful. So this method does require training and practice especially as you can only have a fur saver collar on your dog when you run the AD so you have even less control if needed.

Start as early as possible jogging your dog and build up to speed and distance. Make sure you don't push your dog beyond what he's comfortable with. Keep an eye on the heat so your dog doesn't overheat and on the temperature of the surface you are riding on so your dog doesn't burn his pads. Always check his pads when you are done. Even when going short distance, try to get some faster and some slower paced stuff in while most of the time keeping it at a nice jog trot.


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## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

OK, newbie here. What is AD?


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Liesje said:


> I think if the dog is healthy and overall in good shape, training for the AD is more about training the dog to mind the bike and conditioning the pads of their feet. I would have liked to have done an AD with Nikon this spring but he has *just* healed a foot infection that he has had since April and now it is too hot for ADs. I've never really biked him that far but have trained him to mind the bike and run on the right. I don't have a bike attachment and probably won't get one.


I agree with this. When I was getting Ike ready for the AD, I was told that if a dog can do 4 miles, he can do 12 - from a cardiovascular/physical standpoint ... especially since you get these nice long breaks in between. As for the paw pads, the miles you do leading up to the AD will help to toughen them up. But at the end of the day, it's still a crapshoot. I have seen dogs with zero biking experience and miles do fantastic and dogs that were prepped like they were doing the ironman tear up their paws 2 miles into it.

As for behaving nicely on the bike ... Well, just keep the speed up and 3-4 miles into it, even the craziest dogs (like Ikie) will fall in line LOL.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

clearcreekranch said:


> OK, newbie here. What is AD?


It's a 12.5 mile event. The dogs trot alongside their owners (on the bike) at a speed of about 12-15 MPH.

There are two rest breaks where the dog gets to rest for 15 minutes while a vet examines them (check pads and overall condition).

This website has a good training program for the AD: SiriusDog.com - Conditioning for the Ausdauerprfung (AD)


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

From the article link posted.....

*Age*

While the minimum age to enter the AD is 16 months, we recommend waiting until 18 months or two years before starting intensive conditioning. Slow maturing dogs, for example, are often at an awkward physical growth stage at 16 months and high mileage can be damaging to joints and tendons at this stage.
Conversely, dogs older than 5 years of age take longer to get fit and to recover from the physical stress of conditioning. Older dogs are also more prone to developing overuse injuries. Allow the older dog more time to prepare for the AD and more time to recover between conditioning runs.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I built mine up to around 5.5-6 miles over a 6-7 week period. We only did the longer distance once per week and shorter trips with sprints the other two days. Much of this was to condition me. 

I like my Springer and won't bike without one. I have a very light mountain bike and have been pulled over by a dog on a pinch that dove for a stick. For me it is a safety issue. My guys do pull, but forward and eventually settle into a nice gait next to the bike. To even consider biking my 90# plus male without one would be crazy.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

lhczth said:


> Much of this was to condition me.


Amen!!! I have really been feeling my age lately.

How old/young was your dog when you started working the six mile routine?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

She was three. I have just started my two young dogs (2 years) and they are currently doing a mile. I bike each of them as my warm up and then do my own biking. LOL 

I like to wait for my guys to be mature and have their OFA's. Just personal preference.


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## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

My dog passed his AD at 20 month age. I prepped him by running 2-3 miles, 4-5 times a week for a few weeks before the event. The short runs toughen up the pads and help with endurance build up. Swimming is also a great way to work on endurance. Have seen a few dogs fail the test due to injured/bleeding pads so toughening up the pads is key.

Personally I do not like a springer and use a 3 foot line held in hand. Have run dogs like this since high school days without a problem. It is a matter of preferance and bike handling ability.


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## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

Another thing to keep in mind is the side of the bike the dog is running on. According to the rules the dog has to be on the right hand side of the bike, I always have the dog on the left side. During our trial we got lucky as the judge did not enforce this rule and handlers could run them on either side. Later on at another trial I was running a friend's dog for her AD and that judge enforced the right hand rule so we switched. So if you always run the dog on the right side you will be fine otherwise need to be comfortable enough to swap sides in case the judge enforces the right hand rule.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

lhczth said:


> I like to wait for my guys to be mature and have their OFA's. Just personal preference.


Professionally I am an accountant....conservatism is not a hard sell here.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Well, if I could jump on a bike after not being on one for over ten years and do an AD at my age, then I'm sure it will be a breeze for you Wayne. You must be all buff and hale now from catching all them working dogs and trying to keep up with India. 

I second what everyone said. Things to keep in consideration: spend some time running on pavement to toughen up pads. Have your dog comfortable running on either side of the bike. Use a bike computer to monitor your distance and speed. When biking with Keeta, I biked her on a leash and a prong - for her, it was learning to focus and discipline herself to stay alongside and not get distracted by smells and sights and act on impulse to go investigate. I have not tried a springer. When using a leash, four foot was best. A six foot would loop too low, and both Keeta and I were in danger of getting tangled up in it. 

I waited until Keeta had a good understanding of the "heel" command so I could use it when biking. I haven't started Gryff yet, but he just naturally stays close on leash, so I know he will be fine. 

For conditioning, I did as Lisa does: short rides pushing for speed on weekdays, at least one longer, leasurely ride a week pushing for endurance. I worked up to 12-14 kms for endurance runs. I did the whole 20km once just to see for myself what that would be like. For Gryff, I probably won't bother, maybe do 10 kms once just for fun, but as others have said, not necessary to do more than that to make sure that your dog can do the 20km.

I also agree with Lies: If you have a dog in good normal work condition that gets regular walks and exercise, they should be able to do the AD without any special prepping. A number of people in our club decided to do their AD at the last minute without having specifically conditioned for it, and all the dogs passed easily. Remember that there is a little informal obedience test after the AD to further test the dog's willingness to keep on working even after extended effort and exertion. 

And mostly, have fun!


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## KJenkins (Aug 29, 2005)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> It's a 12.5 mile event. The dogs trot alongside their owners (on the bike) at a speed of about 12-15 MPH.
> 
> There are two rest breaks where the dog gets to rest for 15 minutes while a vet examines them (check pads and overall condition).
> 
> This website has a good training program for the AD: SiriusDog.com - Conditioning for the Ausdauerprfung (AD)


Completion of a distance of 5 km [3.1 miles] (small dogs), 10 km [6.2 miles] (medium size dogs) and 20 km [12.4 miles] (large dogs) at a pace of 10 to 15 km/hour [6.2 to 9.3 miles per hour] for the small (up to 35 cm [13.65 inches] at the withers) and middle size dogs (up to 50 cm [19.5 inches] at the withers) and 12 to 15 km/hour [*7.4 to 9.3 miles per hour*] for all large dogs [all dogs over 50 cm]. 

There is a 15 minute break at 5 miles for and another 20 minute break at 9.3 miles and then another 15 minute break after completion then show some obedience. 

I have yet to see a vet oversee any AD at least the 1/2 dozen or so I've watched over the years.


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