the430miler wrote:
the430miler wrote:
eventually you need to have him do some speed training. from what i hear, this is actually even more beneficial to a dogs health than distance running, and its less pounding on their paws.
in order to get him up to speed pace, you need to have him run from something/someone, such as a larger or more aggresive dog or person; perhaps even in a scarred state.
the other way to get his legs moving at top speed is to throw a frissbee or dog toy and have him fetch it. you need to throw it FARTHER that he can run/jump, therefore he is running at full pace to get the object and giving it all of his effort.
if all else fails, just put on a t-shirt with steak imbroidered on the back and have him chase you over 100 meters. you dont want him to know that it is just a shirt though, so dont let him catch you. from what i read, dogs are more likely to run at top speed for 100meters; because they lose focus for 200meters and get worn down due to their short legs. short legs means shorter stirdes.
ps, if you really have to due the 100's like i mentioned, i recommend that you give yourself a 10-20meter lead. dogs are very fast when they are hungry (atleast my dog is)
but i recommend that you do the phrisbee theory first, its much safer on you because you arent the main target for the dog.
the physiological complications between humans and dogs arent that much different. we are both animals, and a mater of fact we are both mammals. the only thing closer to a human than a dog is a monkey, but i doubt many people on here have monkeys as pets.
that being said, we are dogs are similar to us and they also get SORE. you need to give him a slow recovery/jog day to help aid/facilitate his recovery. overtraining a dog can lead to injuries, just as humans.
since dogs are never in the "competition" phase of their recreational running, they are able to run all year long with their master because they are never competing/running full speed against any other dogs. even though you give them an occasional speed workout as i prescribed, you need to try to keep it all fun and recreational, because that is the whole point of having a dog. they are your friend and you both need to have fun. there is no need for him to undergo any excess pain that runners like you and i go through on a daily basis.
one more thing, remember that dogs do NOT have sweat glands. this is why they "pant" all of the time. panting is their physiological way of cooling themselves off. please allow them a few more seconds between intervals if you noitce them panting excessively. a normal ammount of panting is natural, but if they are severely panting and weezing, give them a few more seconds before starting the next rep.
While the paragraph about putting a "steak" on a t-shirt was very humorous, i still believe 430 was trying to be part of the solution in a sincere way. Im not so sure that canines can see 2-dimensional objects such as t-shirts or television screens because of their color blindness, but his text makes it seem as though he really thought the steak would work.
Whether or not he meant that to be a serious comment or a hoax, his last 2 paragraphs in his post really make me think that he is for real. He starts talking about having a dog as a friend and being recreationally "sound". He cant possibly be a troll, nobody is as good as this guy is pretending to be. The steak comment makes me think of him as a legit poster who also has funny solutions to problems, but those last 2 paraghraphs make me wonder if he was even intending to be funny; it sounds like he really believes what he says. Its funny, yet sad.