best way to get a tuck?

my female doesnt have much of a tuck... whats the best workout to get one? do you have any tricks you use to get one?

 

Tuck up?

Running to reduce fat and general muscles tonification, pulling seems to work nice in the abdominal muscles.

 

diggit,

when nick was out of shape....lol look at the pics in my gallery from 10-11 months, i started getting him ready for shows and first of all a good kibble is very important IMO. second road work or mill work will do alot. i also used a drag sled and slowly worked up the weight starting out with only 10 pounds. i never went over his body weight with it. the flirt pole does alot for muscle definition. <<<(cut look)

 

do you think she doesnt really have one because of gut fat maybe? i think it might be that....

 

Give your dog some good dogfood and do some workouts with her regulary. You will see that the dog will lose or gaine weight so you have watch the feed amount. Give the dog some more or less food but you have to watch the dogs condition. Handwalk till your feet hurt, play some fetch, tug o war or run with her in a park etc. If you don't cheat on the dog than you will get the results you want .Give your dog restday's when they need it that's important. Good luck.

 

What I do is hand walk and also a lot of sprint work and a little bit of sring pole not hung up high so they hang but low so both feet are bearly touching the ground that works there body out like stoach,back,legs its like if they were playing tug a war with them selfs. Oh and also you could try this low fat plain yougart or apple cider one tablespoon a day after work out and before you feed.

 

Hmmm kane85 are you sure non plain fat yogurt? lol j/p I agree with ya on the whole statement. Are you ready for the senior class?

 

Fo shizzle you know it lol....

 

Wish it was easy, however nothing but time and continous effort will produce a nice tuck. Keep it simple and safe. Handwalking, light jogging on grass, flirt and springpole work. Get urself a conditioning harness and drag weight for 10-20 mins, start with 5lbs and work up slowly. Mixing things up is vital, keeping things fresh and exciting are crucial to ur progress. Now if u live in the Northeast like myself with no mill, then things get tricky during very cold months. I would like to hear some ideas and advice on conditioning in cold climates with no mill.

 

ive heard the vinegar thing is a crock. there is no substitute for good old working your dog, now for what i say on this i have great dogs that have done great for what i do with them . so its not one of the i heard this or this stuff,if you want a good dog for maybe weight pulling, work your dog if you want a good conformation dog maybe suck up to whoever is judging and many here may talk like i dont knwo what im saying but im sure there is many many posts on this sight that backs up what im saying, if you want to see your "YOUR" dog beat other dogs pull your dogs if you want someone else to tell you that your dog is better than the rest then show your dogs. myself i want to see my dogs doing better, and thats about it.

 

W

 

i totally agree with you but with competition between the dogs you still get to meet many many good people. and you gt to see where you dog stands. not just someone elses opinion of your dog.

 

Carharts, insulated boots, long john, sweatshirt, cap, coat, leather gloves, and ski mask.

The biggest problem conditioning in sub zero weather, is the ammount of stress it puts on the dog, and, their sometimes their unwillingness to work. Both can be accounted for, and worked around. If your willing, it's my opinion, you come in much better than a dog ran in a heated shed on a treadmill for a few hours a day.

You cannot naturally condition just any dog, when it's 10 below, not counting windchill, with 2 foot of snow and ice. Dogs who are not absolutely nuts about working, probably aren't going to give you enough effort to make it worth either of your's time.

Get out the bike, stud up the tires, and get out there. Obviously, you are not going to be walking/jogging for 4-5 hours when the ground is ice. Pads are something that needs extra attention. I will check them every 5-10 minutes when the weather is horrible. I've experienced dogs with frostbitten pads, caused by the weather. None of them during a conditioning program, but it gives you an idea of how quick things change when the weather sucks.

It's a sick joy doing it. It will be one of the most miserable times of your life, many nights. However, the entire time it's hard to keep from grinning knowing your competition is taking short cuts and making excuses.

I wouldn't put the dog, or myself through it, if I wasn't entirely satisfied with the results, or felt I could simulate them on a mill. Regardless of what anyone says about mills, most have no idea how to use them properly. A dog I've conditioned has yet lacked in that area compared to the other show dogs, especially against animals conditioned solely on mills. Generally miles ahead of a "conditioner" who throws their dog on a mill, grabs a six pack, and watches tv. I've won with lesser dogs, only because their conditioning was far superior. Yes, even in the horrible weather I mentioned above.

Vowed to never do it again if it could be avoided, but it cannot always be. As such, I've been put in that situation once again. Still, have no mill, jenny, or any other "tools" outside human power, and bicycle wheels. Winter apparrel is on sale right now, get a pair of Carhart overalls and other warm gear

For your animals health, you need to eliminate as much other stress, as possible. Warm bedding, a quiet, dark place to sleep, and in good health before beginning any work. This is common sense for any conditioning program, but the weather makes it that much more important. Something like a minor infection, turns into a huge problem if you condition in cold weather! Had one run through a barbed wire fence, and cut above his eye a few weeks before beginning his program. He received AB's and was healthy when we finally began. 4 weeks out, it reared it's ugly head again, much more severe. Expect set-backs such as this, if you are not extremely careful.

A cool-down period, is extremelly important for your animals health, when the weather turns nasty. You do not want to work them hard for an ammount of time, and then take them straight into a heated area for their rub-down.

One excersise that works fantastic for intense, short workouts, when the dog isn't too eager to just jog.....get out your weightpull harness, and let him pull a neighbor kid or your own, on a sled. Trust me, it's bucket loads of fun for all involved

I really like Stillwaters working/weightpull harness. Nice thick fur, padding ensures there is no irritation from the cold and nylon on short hair. Also, the fur helps keep their core nice and warm. Even if they are not pulling, the harness is always on. No matter if it's june, or january it's a good habit and practice to have a nice working harness.

I've got a video on my phone, of one of our mutts, using these exact same methods during his program. Namely, the harness, pulling a child on a sled. He was an average dog, who was miles ahead come show time in conditioning, and reaped the benefits. Pointed out in mid February. If I had a way to get the video off my phone, and uploaded to photobucket or such, I'll gladly post it for you.

Don't cut corners, you're not doing right by your dog who is willing to give it his all.

 

Very nice!

 

Hey Thanks for the information and advice. I have no problem with getting out there in any condition. What worries me is the following: like you said the snow and there paws\pads and knowing when it is causing problems. What are some things to look for, any way to protect there pad\paws in the snow. Also i wonder how long is too long in very cold conditions being that they dont have much of a coat. Once again i really appreciate your post. Yeah its nice when ur willing to go the extra mile, sometimes it makes all the difference.

 

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to 14rock again.

As usual good post 14Rock! It's almost like being in class for me...lol.
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Great post 14Rock. The weather is not that bad over here, we've got mostly rain, so thats fine. About the pads.. I heard some folks with dogs living in the south of germany where lots of snow are use those dogboots from sleddog equipment stores. Never seen them...

 

There were a handful of times when the weather was so bad, I considered looking into dog boots. Instead, I turned around, and went back home. As I said before, I will only consider extremely active work-driven animals to spend time with in the cold. I'm pretty confident I may be in serious danger of any dog chosen, to grab his own paws to get the boot off. LOL

There is a product called mushers secret, which works well. As important as ever, you need to get the dogs pads acclimated to not only the work, but also the weather. I would prefer to start walking the dogs for a few miles a day, for a month while the weather is still decent. Of course, it's not always possible, but it's ideal :p


Before checking the pads yourself, watch the dogs steps from a slow walk, to a jog. Does he/she favor or hobble a bit on any feet? You can judge if it's time to pick the dog up and walk back, or continue, just by looking and feeling. If the pads are HOT, stop. If they are extremely red, raw-looking, or cracked-stop. Any other signs that don't look "right", don't continue.

Not only are the pads in danger, but certain snow conditions can cause wounds on the dogs feet, all the way up to their elbows (or wherever the snow ends). When it has rained in severe cold, and frozen on top in a sheet of ice, that will cut paws, and legs in almost no time flat. Don't venture off the beaten (soft) path. I have to state this, because I remember the first time I experienced it and how it never crossed my mind. Walking for less than five minutes, hopping through the snow after a rabbit, and leaving bloody paw prints and blood streaks in the fresh white snow. Scared the hell out of me, and I was scared to work him for quite some time, even after he healed for fear it would re-occur throughout the entire keep. If you stand on top of the ice, it almost supports you, then "crunches" with ice flying off the top, don't walk through that. Wait for it to melt off a bit, that ice will do more damage than you would think.

In the middle of December and Janurary, in typical conditions, I won't let the dog stay out there to work for more than 2 hours. This includes a 20 minute cool-down, and 10 minute warm-up. Rub-downs, are extra, extra, extra lengthy We've attached a small chain to a post, over top of thick carpet (sometimes even hay on top), in front of a space heater, specifically for rubbing dogs down in freezing weather. Both of you get to relax, warm up, and get comfortable once again. Theres been nights were the last thing in my mind is to get up off the floor and leave the dog to sleep, and will spend hours just sitting, and petting the dog in front of the space heater. Watching.

I'll never forget the first mutt I took the plunge with. Chopper, in my gallery. In fact, one of those pictures was taken in the middle off a long, cold, keep*. We spent hundreds, and hundreds of hours together in the same manner. He's an obnoxious, ugly, pain in the ass, stubborn, loud-mouth son of a bitch. But he loves to work. And the one-on-one time together, more than makes up for any short-comings in him.

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