ENDURANCE TRIAL

Rocky and Angie doing Endurance Training, by the beach near to where we live.

So you've decided to do an Endurance Test with your dog? I created this page out of sheer frustration, because I couldn't find any info to help me train my Boxer, Rocky, for Endurance. I could find info about the test itself, but no info to help me get into a routine, and for how long, how often, and what distance to train for.

What I had decided was that although I am only 22, and of a small build, I am most definitely NOT fit enough to run 20km in 2 hours:) So I decided to go for the bike option. Here's a little tip for you - if you're planning to train by using a bike, use a rusty old one with no gears to train, and then for the actual test, Bring a Nice new bike for the day, and the test itself should be a cinch.

Anyway, before you even decide to start training, it's advisable to do what I did, and by a cheap Odometer specially made for bicycles. I bought mine from Big W for about $12, and it's helped me to fasten my pace. It has an odometer, distance, a timer, and a speed reading. All you'll really need for Endurance Training. If you're not familiar with the rules for Endurance click on the link below, to take you to the ANKC Endurance rules page.

ENDURANCE RULES

Whilst I have told you to train on a rusty old bike, and Ride a new one, I must tell you, it would be best if you bought both Bikes with you on the day. I will be using an 18-speed mountain bike on the day, but I have heard so many unfortunate dog owners who've had a puncture etc, and haven't been able to finish the test because of it. There have been a smart few who have bought a spare bike, and a lucky few that have had a nice person lend them their back-up bike, so they could finish their Test. Before we start talking about training for Endurance, there is a more important element of Endurance we have to talk about - FOOD

What has food got to do with Endurance you may ask? A lot actually. When training for Endurance, your dog needs to be fed more Proteins, and more Fats. Why is that? Because when a dog is Running these kinds of distances, they need to bulk up, because the fats stored in the body get burned when the dog is exercising. Raw foods rich in Protein and Fats include Red Meats - the more fat the better, Chicken, Bones, Eggs, Sardines, as well as a little bit of vegetable oil. You shouldn't replace these with what you normally feed your dog, you should be adding these thing, or more of these foods, to their diet. But remember you must also still be feeding them vegetables and fruit, and some cereal, as they can't get all the essential minerals and vitamins from just meat, and meat substitutes. You can also buy specially prepared dog biscuits which are marketed under names such as "Working", "Energy", and "Active", for dogs that are doing more exercise than pet dogs that are just kept indoors, or in the backyard all the time. If you check the packet, you'll notice that the Protein Level will be roughly 26%, and the Fat will be around 12%, any lower than that, and it's not really worth buying for a dog doing physically strenuous activities.

Now onto Training...

When I first started, my aim was to be going 5km/h uphill, 10km/h on the flat, and 15km/h on downhills. This is the minimum that could be run in the test, and I and my dog had not done any long-distance walks or runs before this time. We started off doing little short runs once a day, about 3km or so. We did this distance every 2nd day for roughly 2 weeks. Then we started going about 5km, but cutting it down to about 3-4 times a week. Gradually you must increase the distance, while also trying to make better times, or the same time as your last distance. Below is a basic 16 week Chart for roughly how to train a Large Size dog eg Boxer for Endurance. It is just a reference, and you don't have to follow every detail, but this is the approximate distance we did, and times we did it when we were training.

Remember it may well take a lot longer for each individual dog, especially if they don't get much exercise to start with, so make sure you don't push the dog too hard. We didn't do as long a train in the week before the test. This is because we didn't want the dog tired for the Endurance Test itself. Some people don't even train at all the week before the test - the dogs are so excited that they fly through the test.

We competed in our Endurance Test at Laidley Qld, which is run by the Ipswich Obedience Dog Club, a CCCQ Affiliate. We were competitor #28, and were 2nd last in the Group 2 line-up. We passed, but only just, because the temperatures and heart rate were taken in full morning sunlight. It was a bit warm for Laidley at that time of year, so our 3rd reading were both a bit high, so we decided that we, and a few other owners, and dogs would go and wait in the shade of a building to bring down our dogs temps. The temperature is meant to be in the "normal standing temperature" between 37.5-39.5*C. It worked and we passed with our ET title. 

Well I hope that this page has given you a rough guide to training your dog for Endurance. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at the link below.