Conditioning/Exercise

The technical definition of conditioning is basically any form of physical exercise that keeps one in shape. Therefore, my monthly conditioning blurb is going to be about conditioning/exercises that I do with the dogs to keep them in shape. I originally intended for this to be a monthly recurring topic, but I don't think it's going to last terribly long. The majority of the exercises that I do with the dogs usually involves myself getting exercise as well, which is always a good thing!

This month, my little exercise is tip is sort of seasonal. If you can find someone who owns one and will let you run your dog in it, or a publicly owned, not much cared about grass hay/tall grassish field, I HIGHLY recommend using it! The dogs tend to get a kick running around in what amounts to really tall grass! And it's a GREAT workout! Try just walking around yourself and you'll see what I mean!

The nice thing is that the dogs don't realy destroy anything. They may bend the grass a bit, but it bounces back and looks as though nothing happened. The dogs have to exert a fair amount of energy just running through the stuff because it's thick. As the grass grows taller, there's the added exercise of bouncing up and down to be able to see over the grass.

I like to play a little game with the dogs when they start roaming ahead of me. I duck down in the grass and quietly call their names. Once they look around to find me and can't see where I went, they come running! Of course, I make sure that I see what direction they're coming from so that I don't get trampled in the process. It's a total hoot!

I have two fields that I have access too. One is privately owned and the other is owned by the local little airport.

The reason I say this is a mostly seasonal exercise is because the grass hay doesn't have a terribly long growing season before it gets cut. So take advantage of it while you can and wear out those pooches!

Here's a couple of videos of Heffner and Bess running in the field near our house.