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Bodybuilding taught me many valuable lessons that I’ve carried throughout my life. Most recently, I became acutely aware of how this activity shapes the way in which I condition my dogs. Especially in the world of smooth coated or hairless dogs, conditioning may mean the difference between making the cut or taking the breed, group, even show.

Case in point: At a recent show I ran into a peer who also has Rhodesian Ridgebacks. She asked why her nice champion male wasn’t doing more winning. He was in shape, correctly structured, beautiful free-flowing movement, but he appeared unbalanced.

Upon closer examination I discovered that his muscular development was not symmetrical. While some muscle groups were almost over-developed, other, complementary groups were small and under-developed.

The problem was that, from the side view he appeared top heavy and weak in the rear. From the rear, he looked like he was on steroids.

“What type of exercise do you do with him?” His muscles told the story but I wanted to hear from his owner.

“Jogging,” she said. It showed.

“Do you do any resistance training?”

“No. I was always afraid to.”

The successful bodybuilder knows that in order to win, it is not enough to be in shape or have one or two strong points such as big biceps or quadriceps. Muscular development needs to be symmetrical. All competitors are judged in the category of symmetry, among other things.

Symmetry is the art of developing muscles that are in balance relative to other muscle groups in the body. On non-coated dogs, this too is true and more evident than in their coated counterparts.

Jogging develops what is called “slow twitch” muscle fibres—the long, lean muscles so often seen on distance runners. These are the muscles that develop as a result of aerobic activity. Activities such as pulling an old car tire on a harness are called “resistance” training and it develops “fast twitch” muscle fibres—the heavier, bulkier muscles. A proper balance of exercise creates proper balance in both humans and canines.

My friend’s champion male lacked muscular development that only comes from resistance training and upward motion. Now, don’t think that this means you need to take your prize RR and enter her in competitive weight pulling competitions. In fact, your vet would likely recommend against that type of conditioning.

The first thing to do before starting a resistance training program is to decide what you are interested in doing, then talk to your vet and/or breeder. Get a general check up for your dog. Describe the activity you plan to undertake and find out if there are any health or structural problems that would prevent the dog from proceeding (such as age) with training in a safe manner.

Now for the fun part: resistance training can be very simple or complex. It is entirely up to the owner. One bitch I had at my home for showing lacked drive muscles. I had a stack of boards that was about 3’ high x 9’ long x 3’ wide. For five minutes a day I asked her to jump up, then jump down. She too had only the slow twitch type of development. This was a mature bitch whose bones were not still in a state of growth.

Other types of resistance training include:

• Jogging up hills
• Weight pulling in a proper harness using light weights such as bicycle or car tires depending on the condition and size of the dog.
• Jumping for a toy (please, not in dogs that are developing structurally)
• Skijoring
• Carting
• Straight racing (sprinting)
• Agility
• Coursing

To get an idea of the difference between muscular developments in sprinters versus joggers, take a look at long distance runners compared to sprinters. The objective is not to present an Arnold Schwarzenegger version of your RR, but rather a Carl Lewis version—mean, lean, buff. Sprinting is a valuable resistance exercise that is sure to elevate an out of condition dog that wins occasionally, to a top competitor who more consistently wins in the show ring.

There are many other forms of resistance training, but the main thing is to look at your dog’s development, determine his needs and plan a regime accordingly. Ringdove kennels is renowned for having some of the fastest dog (pound for pound) on the planet. Along with regular racing practices for their Whippets, they always walk their dog on leash, flat collars, and allow them to pull. While most RR owners don’t want to be taken on a nature “drag,” there are alternatives. My friends with Malamutes condition in summer months by always walking the dogs pulling a car tire. (Use of a proper harness is required.) She informs me that it works well but that they stop often because people want to know why their dogs are pulling a tire.

Links:

http://www.caninesports.com/fitness.html Article on conditioning by Christine Zink DVM, PhD

http://www.danika.com/library/weight.html Weight pulling for conditioning information