Please remember to make all training safe and fun for you and your dog.

After all types of exercise, give your dog a good 10 min rub down, starting from the nose down to the toes, this does wonders for your dog, and gives you a chance to give a thorough going over to make sure there are no problems with them. Pay particular attention to the pads.

If you take the basic concepts of these exercises, add some of your own flavour,your'e going to have a happy, healthy well adjusted dog

No matter what form of exercise you do, there is no substitute for solid dedication, common sense...... and a good dog

Hand walking

The best exercise you can give your dog is simple walking. This creates a special bond between you and your dog aswell as getting you both fit and a chance to meet other dog owners. Vary the surfaces you walk on and the enviroments. My dogs pull when on the lead, so i use an 7ft lead with a 1ft splitter wrapped around my waist to stop my arm getting pulled about. You can buy purpose made belts which cost around £20-30. I also use a pedometer so i know how far and how long we have been walking for. You can get real good results with walking, if you are willing to put in the hours. Please remember to be responsible when out with your dogs always clean up and have control of your dog at all times as this sends out a good image to joe public about bull breed owners.

 

                                                         

 

A-frame

A good conditioning tool. Very easy and cheap to build. I have 2 types of frame's. 1 large 6ft with rungs and a smaller 4ft without the rungs. The smaller version is sometimes used in competition as many times over in a minute. This can be introduced to a young dog, obviously you will need your frame to be able to adjust the steepness of it and as he progresses, the higher it goes until you get to full pitch, then you can start timing your dog in a minute. Keep your first lessons short and enjoyable. You can use a lure or food reward to intice him over, preferably you would use a lure/toy, but be careful of your fingers as accidents can and do happen. Ideally when your dog is used to the frame, doing 2-3 minutes every other day will keep him in good shape. Always try to leave your dog wanting more after each session, as the next time he will be eager for more fun.                 

Flirtpole

Made from a 3-6ft length of bamboo with a rag or toy attached by either splitting the end of the pole, so it holds it in place, or have about 15" of rope hanging after it has been fixed in place, use duct tape to fix rope and pole together. I choose the latter with a slipknot at the end of rope for easy changing of toy, i use a latex squeaky for this as it is light and inexpensive. This can be used at a very early age. Moving the lure quickly along the floor will get your dog used to changing direction at speed and will better his eye mouth co-ordination. For an adult dog you would normally do 5-7minutes every other day letting him get the lure and play a game with them to keep them interested

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Weightpull

A great way to get your dog in excellent condition.If you are a competitive type of person, there are competitions you can attend.  If you are considering doing weightpull with your dog, please find out as much as possible, as this will help you and your dog get the best possible start in this fast growing sport. I have a great 6 step guide to weightpull, it has helped me out a great deal, if you would like to know more please e-mail me.

    

We have a garden cart capable of carrying 600kgs, also a ordinary snow sledge for drag weighting aswell as sash window weights and chains. Be sure you know how much your dog is pulling.

     

   Though Lunar is pictured in harness she doesn't pull very often in it. She will pull better in a 2" nylon collar. She also needs baiting, we use her Boomer ball place it at the end of the pull and let her play quickly. Olsen will pull on command 90% of the time.

 

Here is GR CH Tessa from Cdpits receiveing her Champion of Champions trophy from a ADBA judge.. Well Done to you both. Please visit there site for one of a kind walking / weightpull harnesses...

 

Boomer ball

This is a must have if your bully loves balls. It is made from plastic so it will last for quite a while. Buy one you know your dog can't pick up, as this will give him good exercise, pushing the ball round with his nose, as he tries to pick it up. You can purchase these from creature comforts for £12 for the largest (10"- 4"- see links) Before our igloo kennel got smashed, we used to put Lunar and her Boomer ball inside and she would go round and round trying to get hold. Funny to watch but very loud.                                                                                                                     

 

Springpole

Ideally you should not have any obstructions around your springpole, so your dog doesn't get injured while having fun. If you have limited space you can fix to walls, fences, trees, rafters etc. But make sure where ever you decide to put it, it is well secure as the last thing you want to happen is your dog getting hurt by not making it secure, go over the top when fixing better to be safe than sorry. You can use springs ( see cosmos link go to adverts) or inner tubes for your springs. I use inner tubes as they are free and easily accesable. The best toy to have on your set up would be a rope toy/ball with a couple of extra knots tied in. To start have toy hanging mouth level with dog, then as confidence grows the higher it can go. NEVER put it up so high that your dogs feet are off the ground, it might look good but one bad fall could really injure your'e dog. If you have 2 or more dogs be careful when playing as they do get pretty wound up trying to get the toy of. Never leave them unattended.

    

 

Ball launcher

A very popular toy for dog owners, no more bending down to pick up a muddy ball. All pet shops have these in stock costing about £5. I would reccommend using rubber balls as to tennis as the latter will not last more than a couple of sessions. Pace out your average throw then you can determine what distance your dog is running. Take 2 balls so you can constantly keep him moving. The 1st day I went out with my launcher, I threw the ball not seeing a lad walking down the path, Olsen didn't see him either, till he went straight in to his side. Thankfully no damage was done to either of them. You can throw ball on to ground to make it bounce and watch your dog do some impressive leaps to catch it.

         

Weight lifting

I haven't seen this used anywhere else before, so I don't know if anyone else use's it. All it is, is a pulley hanging of the springpole hook, with some rope attached to the weightlifting weights. I dont use anymore than 12.5lbs as the heavier you go,  it will pull the dog back after he finish's the pull. I started using a 2.5lb to begin, then 5lb and so on.

Biking

Another great way to get the best out of your dog. If you do decide to start biking with your dog. You will need an attachment that fits on your bike( see links). Also it would pay to get a cycle computer so you know exactly how far and how long you have been out for. I find a nice trotting speed is around 8-9 mph. We usually bike for 1-2hrs go to some parks near us play with ball launcher for about 10-15 mins, then carry on our journey. I  know who's more tired when we get back!!

            

Swimming

Olsen loves going for a swim and will retrieve almost anything you throw into the water. One day we was at Broadstairs beach throwing a 4ft 4x2 he went to get it but got distracted by the fishing boat bouys hanging of the side of the boat and went to try and bring one of them back. He had quite a crowd watching him get up to his antics. We never let him go in during the cold months and most beaches have no dogs allowed during peak season. Always know the area your dog is swimming in so you know what is under foot and that there are no seaweed beds or other such hazards like rip tides and strong  currents that could threaten you or your dogs lives. If your dog is not a good swimmer there are life jackets you can buy from online auctions about £15 each to give your dog more confidence in the water. If you want to swim your dog in colder times find your nearest hydrothreapy centre where the pool is kept at a constant temp consult your local vet to find the nearest to you.