# Getting him back in shape



## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Now that my knee injury seems healed(for now), I'd really like to get Chrono back in shape for august. Over the last two months he hasn't had nearly the same amount of exercise as he did before the injury. Anyone know what exercises I should be doing and what I should be feeding him to really help him build muscle and get his endurance up reasonably fast? I was thinking off leash hikes at the dog park using his chuckit, swimming, and running beside the bike in addition to his walks. Chrono has absolutely no problems with switching foods, but I can't do 100% raw right now unless I found another freezer. I could supplement with raw though.

When we go camping we do a lot of biking and ATVing and I love bringing him with us, but in his current condition he just can't keep up. I know a month isn't a lot of time but I don't expect miracles, just for him to last a little longer. Last time we went ATVing and were making our way back from a very short trip, he jumped up on the ATV while we were taking a break and parked his butt on the passenger seat, unwilling to run any farther and trying to bum a ride off of us .


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## NEROtic (Jul 3, 2012)

Swimming is a great way to build stamina and muscle quickly.


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Do you have a long treadmill?


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

All of the things you suggested are good, but, in particular, I would be doing interval training on the bike. That's the fastest way to get him back in shape.

Adding a little extra meat or egg to his meals would be just fine.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Kev said:


> Do you have a long treadmill?


It's long, but still not long enough for him. He's very tall and long, so he has an extremely long stride and can't go faster than a slow walk before his back legs fall off the back of the treadmill. Plus I need to get back in shape too, so I'd rather exercise with him . Because of the heat and his black coat, he usually poops out before I do anyway.



Elaine said:


> All of the things you suggested are good, but, in particular, I would be doing interval training on the bike. That's the fastest way to get him back in shape.
> 
> Adding a little extra meat or egg to his meals would be just fine.


Are there any ways to motivate him to go faster when biking? He doesn't seem to enjoy biking very much, although I'm still trying to bike him daily. He's unwilling to go faster than a trot, although when we start getting close to home he goes into a gallop, so he's fully capable of going faster. He doesn't seem to like exercising just for the sake of exercising, but maybe that's just because he's out of shape. I hope he learns to enjoy it, it's unpleasant biking with him because it's so pathetically slow.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Is he too hot for faster speeds? Some dogs won't go faster because they know they will overheat.

For interval training on a bike, he should be going at a brisk trot most of the time, with some slower and even faster trotting, and the occasional run. If he appears to be breathing hard or tiring, you should slow to an easy jog until he appears refreshed before speeding up again.

What surface are you biking on and how are his feet?


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

It's possible he doesn't want to overheat, but I tried it today and it's not very warm out because it's so windy. It's 19C (66F), with wind gusts of 72km/h. He's unintentionally trained to stay off people's lawns, so he stays on the sidewalk. His feet are fine and his nails are short. It seems more like he doesn't want to leave home. I have to practically drag him away from the house the first few blocks.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Even 66 is very warm for a black dog to do a lot of running in. The way you have to drag him away from home makes me think that he's had a bad experience biking or out walking. 

What is the surface you are going on? If it's rough, like gravel, it's going to be very hard on his feet. Also, if he's not used to exercise, his pads may be soft and, again, it may be hard on his feet.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

It's just a normal concrete sidewalk, they are really nice and smooth. I rollerblade with him too, so I'm pretty mindful of sidewalk condition. Otherwise I end up on my face.

He hasn't had a bad experience biking or out walking. I think he just has an unhealthy attachment to my mom and her house, because I keep my bike there and bike around her neighborhood since there are nice biking paths along a creek in that area, whereas there is just traffic where I live which makes biking unpleasant for me.

I'm thinking you are right about his pads being soft. When we were camping the other day, the campsite was filled with medium sized rocks that were pretty sharp and he walked on them a little similar to the way a person would walk on them if they had bare feet.

How long does it take for his pads to toughen up? I admit I know nothing about paw pad health. Should I lay off the biking and stick to jogging/walking until they toughen up, or just do short amounts of biking to build them up?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

build him up slowly. i like the idea of swimming and playing with the chuck
it.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Your best bet is to let your dog tell you when enough is enough. The soft pads should toughen up within a week or two and concrete is easy on the pads. Be sure to check for wear after every biking.


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