Trial Fitness

[iSpaniel]

Hi All, How does everyone get their dog trial fit?

i.e what exercises do they find the best?

Cheers

[Springfield Pointers]

Trial dogs don't need to be as fit as one might think. A very basic hunting fitness should be adequate.

[Stihl 090]

A trial dog, in opens may well get a run of 40mins or more, my novice runs last year where anywhere from 10mins to 25 without a find. A dog has to be fit as trying to keep at top tilt for the run and when needed a retreive blocking its mouth for air a dog does need a high level of fitness/ endurance as does any athlete.
Only just yesterday was I at a training ground where I am doing two training days and the first thing she mentioned was the general lack of fitness most dogs she she's, and that's mainly picking up dogs such as labs.
If you throw dummys from your dog and on return gives you the dummy and collapses puffing, it ist fit for the task at hand!

[Springfield Pointers]

40 minutes is not really a huge ask for a dog. Any healthy dog should manage a forty minute run. A trial dog needs adequate stamina which it should easily have if its training us at a competitive level. The fitness should be up to scratch if the dog is ready to compete.

[trekmoor]

Since I am a bone idle sort of person I let the terrain get a dog fit. I take the dog onto a steep hillside then as I walk along the contour of the hill, I hunt the dog up and down it. With labs I used to send them for retrieves down the hill and let the upward return slope do it's fitness training work.
Do not overdo this sort of training , it is very tiring for a dog.
Wullie

[eastie]

40 minutes is not really a huge ask for a dog. Any healthy dog should manage a forty minute run. A trial dog needs adequate stamina which it should easily have if its training us at a competitive level. The fitness should be up to scratch if the dog is ready to compete.

To hunt a spaniel for 40 minutes in a trial at a good pace requires your dog to be very fit indeed. Judges don't want to see it potter around its beat, it's got to hunt, hard...

It will help your dog to hunt it uphill, in longish Heather or in a wood with plenty fallen wood around. You won't get it fit throwing dummies for it, hunt it....

[iSpaniel]

thanks all for the comments. I'm always reluctant to run a dog for too long just in case the dog learns to pace itself. Perhaps in this instance I should let that rule slip.

[Stihl 090]

40 minutes is not really a huge ask for a dog. Any healthy dog should manage a forty minute run. A trial dog needs adequate stamina which it should easily have if its training us at a competitive level. The fitness should be up to scratch if the dog is ready to compete.

To hunt a spaniel for 40 minutes in a trial at a good pace requires your dog to be very fit indeed. Judges don't want to see it potter around its beat, it's got to hunt, hard...

It will help your dog to hunt it uphill, in longish Heather or in a wood with plenty fallen wood around. You won't get it fit throwing dummies for it, hunt it....

Exactly that, perhaps SP needs to read DR's post about the rabbit trial. Unfit and lack lustre.

The best training for a hunting dog is hunting, in shorter bursts, say 10 mins ago. Break for half and hour 10 mins etc.
I am just starting my training, focussing on rabbits as I have more than my fair share to train on, gets there noses down again. A road walk every other day during the week when time allows and every day at the weekend to build muscle tone and that helps me too

[Springfield Pointers]

I have no doubt that some dogs start flagging when hunting. My point is just that if you train for the result, the fitness will come with the territory. Yes, the best thing you can do to develop a dog, in all aspects, is hunt it. As a general rule, if your dog isn't fit enough, it probably isn't polished enough to be competitive at a trial.

[eastie]

I have no doubt that some dogs start flagging when hunting. My point is just that if you train for the result, the fitness will come with the territory. Yes, the best thing you can do to develop a dog, in all aspects, is hunt it. As a general rule, if your dog isn't fit enough, it probably isn't polished enough to be competitive at a trial.

Ye, but the OP must already know that, that's why he's asking for advice on getting the dog to that standard of fitness...