1/16/12
Football and Dog Sports….

Four playoff games were played this weekend.   Two of the games resulted in huge upsets.  In another game the underdogs lost – but it no one expected them to be there anyway…the team should not have won the previous weekend!  How does that happen?  You could say it’s random, one team had more heart, football is unpredictable, etc. OR… maybe it makes complete sense.   In 2007 the New England Patriots had a near perfect season.  They were the outright favorites to win the Super Bowl… yet they lost.  The Giants had a less than remarkable season, but somehow seemed to gather steam towards the end of the season and did the unthinkable – beat the Patriots to win the Superbowl.   A fluke?  A stroke of luck?  Or another example of Periodization at work...

This past weekend the two BEST teams all season, teams that had blasted records, the Saints and Packers, were clear favorites to win.  Yet they both lost…  The Giants, again, have had a less than stellar year yet they dominated the superstar Packers.  The Denver Broncos were easily beaten by the heavy hitter Patriots but, even more remarkable, Denver should not even have made it that far in the first place – the beginning and middle of their season was not great, but they improved towards the end.

OK, so you hate football and who cares what these teams did and why am I rambling on about it?  What does it have to do with dog sports anyway?   Periodization!!!  As stated in my prior blog (8/15/11), no one can perform their best all year long.  In football if a team is going strong all season and is undefeated or close to being undefeated, I would not expect them to win the Superbowl.  I would always put my money on the team that comes on strong at the end.   Studies have proven that it is almost impossible to perform at your peak for a sustained amount of time.  This is especially true at the top level of any sport.  

So why then do people trial their dogs week in and week out?  Why do these people hope to have a “great” performance every time they go in the ring?  It’s just not possible.  It is well documented that if an athlete trains the same amount week after week, month after month they will NOT improve.  Even more noteworthy, they are setting themselves up for burnout (both mental and physical) resulting in a DECLINE in performance.  

“But my dog Wants to work.”  “My dog Hates time off.”  “My dog Loves to train and compete.”… are just a few of the statements made by competitors.  And I agree.  I have dogs from working lines that LIVE to work and HATE time off.  BUT I give it to them anyway…like it or not.  I am their coach, I am their trainer, I have responsibility for their well-being.  And, I admit, I want my dogs to perform at their BEST.   Last but certainly not least, I want them to have long, healthy careers.  So I make choices.  I don’t trial very often.  I give my dogs dedicated time off on a weekly and yearly basis.  I condition my dogs.  I switch between sports for a “change of scenery” and as a cross training tool.  I hike my dogs.  I watch my dogs like a hawk and at the slightest sign I modify my training and/or conditioning program. 

Periodization may seem confusing, daunting and, if you don’t have a background in athletics, sound like an urban myth.   Besides, maybe your goals aren’t to compete at the “top” level.    I will argue that it is still well worth your time to see if (a) your dog can perform better than it ever has and (b) it can stay healthy and compete longer.  I challenge you to give it a try.  I can help you set up a monthly schedule.  If you want to do it yourself, there is plenty of information on the internet.  Come on, step outside of your comfort zone…you might be pleasantly surprised with the results!

1/2/12 
Competing with the Senior Dog: 

Are you getting the most out of your senior dog?   Like it or not, we are all aging.  And aging brings changes and challenges.  This doesn’t mean we have to stop competing, but we need to change how we train.  I’ve trained for one sport or another for close to 20 years.  I can’t train as many days in a row as I used to.  I just need more time to recover between workouts.  So I train less days, but I get QUALITY workouts on the days I do train – because I have adequate rest/recovery time. 

It is now CRITICAL that I stretch regularly.  I just don’t get away with not stretching like I used to.  If I don’t stretch I end up pulling muscles which obviously sets back my training.  On the up side, if I am diligent about stretching and very smart about how I train I can still improve upon my fitness and put out decent times when I race. 

The same holds true for our “older” competitors.  They require more recovery time between training sessions and between trialing weekends.  They need a more comprehensive warm-up and cool down.   It is important to stretch them regularly to maintain their range of motion. 

With dogs (unlike humans) it is also critical to specifically target strengthening their hind end.    Healthy dogs in their prime do 70% of their work with their front end and 30% with their rear.  With normal aging their rear gets weaker and that shifts the load to the front.  This begins a downward spiral.  The front is overworked, the rear gets weaker, and so on.  It is important to maintain range of motion and manage overuse of the front end while targeting hind end strengthening.  This helps maintain the dog’s ability to compete as they reach the tail end of their career. 

Our Super Seniors DVD is a comprehensive guide that covers every aspect of maintaining the senior dog including:  early signs of aging, stretching, strengthening and balance exercises that will help maintain a working dog’s performance and quality of life in their senior years.

8/15/11  Tyler
Woohooo!!!!  Tyler completed his Master Hunter title the weekend of August 5 and 6!!   By the time he completed this hunt test he was super fit.  Now we are changing gears and focusing on the NOI and Crufts.  That means rearranging his training AND conditioning schedule.  We will start by giving him 10 days off from conditioning to allow his body to recover.  Then we will start with 6 weeks of endurance training.  Why start over??  It is well documented that a body (and mind) can only peak 1-2 times a year.  It is also documented that your body will not gain fitness if you stick to the same routine week in and week out (you can maintain your fitness but not improve it).  In addition, sticking to the same routine can lead to burnout – both physical and mental.  A well thought out program that pushes the body (and mind) a little bit each week  over a period of several months results in a peak.   My goal is for Tyler to peak at the NOI in December and again at Crufts in March 2012.   We started his endurance phase last week.  However, this past Monday Tyler had a molar pulled due to a slab fracture.  So we are going to put his conditioning on hold until he is fully recovered.  The surgeon said one week, but I am going to give him two weeks…Tyler will do what I ask, but it is more important that he is fully recovered from the anesthesia, medication, surgery, etc. before I start conditioning him.  The danger of starting him to early is that I will stress his body and break him down instead of building him up.

I am in the process of finalizing his training program for the year as well.  I create a periodization schedule not just for his conditioning program but also for his training program.  Shows are used as stepping stones towards the ultimate goal of the NOI.  I have small goals for each show (i.e. assessing if “problem” areas are improving, assessing his attention, consistency, etc.).  I typically show once a month and match between shows.  I believe that asking a dog to perform its best at each and every show throughout the year puts to much pressure on a dog and, as I mentioned earlier, a dog can’t peak that many times.   I make sure to incorporate an off leash hike once a week – so he can “just be a dog” and relax.   Training sessions are broken into distraction work, skills training and matching.  Each training session has a goal.   Goals, both short term and long term are the cornerstone of any successful training and conditioning program.  Make sure you set your goals today!!

8/5/11 Zaidan
Zaidan is a busy boy!!!  I am training him for obedience, field and agility.  Today’s training methods have advanced so that we can start training a puppy in all disciplines when they are 8 weeks old.  The DISADVANTAGE to this is that we are often pushing our puppies to quickly – especially physically.  We have to remember that they are still babies.   Although they may have advanced skills well before they are two years old, their bodies are not ready for the demands of their sport(s).  It is critical that we remember this!!  We have to keep our eye on the BIG picture.  If you want to train and compete with your puppy for many years you must TAKE YOUR TIME.   Dr. Kris recommends puppies do NOT jump full height before they are two years old.  The only conditioning we do up to that point is ball and disc work, leash walks and hikes – no land treadmill or underwater treadmill.    We also feel strongly that the puppies should NOT be working physically every day.  When training for multiple venues you must be very careful to arrange your puppies schedule so he is not working more than 2-3 days in a row.  Unfortunately, we see quite a few dogs at the clinic under the age of two with significant injuries.  The majority of the injuries were caused by too much activity to soon.   We are all eager to show off our rising stars – remember to resist the temptation of doing too much to soon!!!  It will pay off in the long run.
Check the website periodically for our Puppy Power! Seminars to learn how to safely condition your puppy.

8/1/11 Tyler and Zaidan
Earlier this year I was not sure I wanted to return to Crufts in 2012.  It took a tremendous amount of time and effort to retrain Tyler’s heel position and teach him the different exercises for Crufts.  I wasn’t sure I was up that again.  Well, I thought, let me see if he remembers any of it.  Not only did he remember the heeling and exercises – he performed the BETTER than he did in 2010!!  Interesting….  Last fall I picked up field training with Tyler.  I couldn’t believe how much he remembered after a five year “break”.  Hmmmm…. 

Zaidan has an interesting learning style.  When I introduce a brand new task he has a very hard time learning it.   He whines, gets frustrated and makes little to no progress.  When I come back to it the next day, he instantly demonstrates the behavior.  Zaidan is a latent learner.  That’s just his style.  He needs to absorb and process the information.  Then he can demonstrate it.  Actually, I’m the same way!  Especially with physical tasks.  When I was learning footwork for heeling, I NEVER figured it out right away.  But give me a day or two to process it and I can do it.  The same is true for me with agility (I’m a novice in every sense of the word).   When Diane shows me something I just can’t learn it right way.  But the next day I can do it. 

 I’m sure this has happened to everyone at one point or another.   We have all experienced it.  BUT do we consciously use it when training our dogs?  I have now added this to my arsenal of training tools.   When I am teaching Tyler something new I work on it for a few weeks.  Then I PURPOSEFULLY do not work on it for two weeks.  After the two weeks he has it all figured out J   With Zaidan I don’t worry in the least when he doesn’t seem to understand a new task the first time I introduce it.  I know he will get it in the next one or two training sessions.   Happy Training!

4/27/11
Welcome Zaidan!!  Today Zaidan is 9 weeks old.   He is a black field lab puppy.  He has already been on the peanut ball, on the bosu ball, walking through the ladder and on the disc.  He has been taught to sit on a small box to encourage awareness of all four feet and a tucked up sit.  He is now learning to sit on a disc – so cute!!  He has learned to put his front feet on a small bucket and walk around it in both directions.  He has gone on a number of short hikes.  I have also done recalls through streams, corn stalks, up hills and across the side of hills.  He has been on the playground equipment and all types of uneven surfaces.  It is incredibly important to expose a puppy to as many different surfaces as possible.  I will be spending a lot of time teaching him body awareness, improving his proprioception and balance.   Lots of fun times ahead!!  Check back periodically for videos of Zaidan learning body awareness!

3/1/11
Training has been going well.  I’ve been diligently stretching and it has really helped with my recovery as well as keeping my back pain free.   I always find running very relaxing, especially when I run outdoors.  On my cross-training days I take my dogs for a hike.   I am a firm believer in letting our working dogs just “be dogs”.  My dogs LOVE running off leash, chasing one another, enjoying the fresh air, sniffing wonderful scents and loving life.  This is an integral part of their training and conditioning program.   And I enjoy it just as much as they do!!

3/1/11
Tyler’s 2011 Goals:  Complete Tyler’s Master Hunter title (he needs 4 legs); Compete at the 2011 NOI in Florida.  Tyler’s back has been looking great.  I am now working on improving his overall endurance and strength.  He needs to regain some of the muscle mass he lost over the winter.  It is important that his base fitness is good before I start field training in April.  Field training consists of repeatedly sprinting over various types of terrain.  If he is not fit BEFORE he starts field work, there is a good chance he could become injured.  I don’t want to risk that!    Currently he goes in the underwater treadmill twice a week, land treadmill once a week and does ball work to improve balance and proprioception once a week.  When field training starts, his program will once again change.  Before and after EVERY workout I stretch his back.

2/21/11
I was recently at an agility trial and spent some time sitting in the stands observing.  I saw many dogs tumble, fall, crash…only to get right back up and keep running full speed.  That’s a working dog for you – nothing can stop them!  But I am sure they are sore later that day or the next day.  (Think about how you feel the day after shoveling, or slipping and falling)  Hopefully the owner knows to have them looked at to make sure they are not seriously hurt.  Luckily, many trials have certified specialists on location.  Just because a dog doesn’t limp or show any obvious signs of distress does not mean they are not hurt.  They will keep running, compensating with other muscles, and the dog will get more and more sore over time.  By the time they are lame or refusing jumps or obstacles the dog is often sore all over.  This means their recovery time will take much longer than if it was addressed immediately.  Something to think about!

2/20/11
Tyler:  2011 started off with lots of rest for Tyler.  Oh boy, he was NOT happy!!!!!!  But rest, both mental and physical, is a critical component of a well thought out conditioning program.  I am in the process of finalizing Tyler’s goals for the year.  Why is this important?  This will determine my training and conditioning program for the entire year.  It is a well-known fact in athletic circles that a person can only peak 1-3 times a year!!!   A person (or dog) cannot perform their best week in and week out.  It’s just not possible.   That is why I focus on 1 or 2 big events a year.  Everything in between is just preparation for the big events.    During this down time I have been focusing on stretching Tyler’s low back and strengthening his core.   Structurally Tyler is very long bodied and long in the loin.  This predisposes him to injuries in the mid to low back and iliopsoas strains. 

2/15/11
Well, it’s official.  I signed up for the Long Branch, NJ Half Marathon on May 1, 2011.  Not only will this be my first half marathon, it will be my first running race.  I have been running for several years but just for fitness.  There has been no rhyme or reason to my training.  I am now following a 12 week program tailored for beginners training for their first half marathon.  I am two weeks into the program and already learned a valuable lesson…STRETCHING is critical!!!!   Whenever I increase my running time or intensity I tend to get tight.  Lately I was so busy I didn’t make the time to stretch and before you knew it, I hurt my back!  Valuable lesson learned.  This also reminds me how important it is to stretch my dogs regularly.  As the saying goes “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.