|
At this point (June, 1996. In
1997, three more Airedales achieved their AD titles) I believe I am the
only NAWATA member to have attempted and passed the Endurance Test. Lill
(Devotion v.d. Laubenhaid CD. AD. SAR Certified) successfully passed this
test in Buffalo NY in spring. 1990.
There were five dogs. Many of you know that Lill is a rather large dog
(24 inches) and she has rather good reach both front and back. But to
keep up with the pace (the German Shepherd's flying trot at 8-9 miles an
hour). Lill often had to break into a run. Let there be no mistake, this
is an endurance test! But because I had carefully conditioned her, she
breezed through it and afterwards kept jumping the meter jump over and
over when the other dogs had simply had it.
The judge rides along, watching all the dogs. If a dog shows obvious
signs of stress such as limping or slowing down, the judge will stop the
dog and examine it. At the judge's discretion, the dog may be excused
from the test.
The Endurance Test is a rather different sort of event than what most
trainers have experienced. It consists of determining whether your dog is
able to work after having spent two hours traversing 12 miles with only
two 15-minute rest periods. It is, in a way, a conformation test. Only
dogs that have the proper structure will successfully complete this test.
It will weed out any dogs that are too small or that have faulty,
inefficient movement, Let us see why:
1. The Endurance Test is a timed test.
In order to cover 12 miles in 1.5 hours a dog must average 8 miles per
hour. Most areas where these tests are conducted also have hills. To keep
this pace uphill, dogs have to compensate on level ground by going
faster.
This speed must be kept up for long periods of time. A dog with a short
reach will simply tire unless he is in fabulous condition. This pace is
tiring even for an Airedale with adequate reach. The judge watches for
obvious signs of tiring, such as heavy panting or slowing down.
A heavy, cloddy dog will begin to have foot trouble. Stretches of the
test will be on pavement or worse yet, crushed gravel. Feet are inspected
at regular intervals. The judge also watches for limping or any kind of
compensating for sore feet.
2. The Endurance Test tests endurance.
Unless you are yourself a marathon runner, most NAWATA members will not
have experienced such intense exertion over a two-hour period, let alone
put their dogs through it. Any kind of physical weakness in a dog comes
out in this period of time.
It is not enough that the dog successfully completes this run. After
everyone returns to the training field, the dog will be asked to do some
work. In my case the dogs were required to do an extensive heeling
pattern and also to jump the 1-meter jump. (The judge was the late Harald
Hansch. a highly respected SV judge who was a world competitor in
tracking). The point is, if his conformation is correct and his
conditioning is good, the 12 mile excursion should not make such an
impact on your dog as to snuff out his desire to work.
3. Preparing for the Endurance Test: Preliminaries
Having said that the Endurance Test is a conformation test, it is still
important to condition yourself and your dog for this event. A dog that
is poorly conditioned or that does not feel well will not present himself
well and may create the impression of conformation faults that in fact
are not really present. Also, the feet need to build up callouses.
Conditioning for this event should involve not only distance but interval
training. The schedule is much like a runner preparing for an event. I
will suggest a schedule a little later.
It is good to begin the training three to four months before the event.
For the feet I recommend a product called "Pad Tuff'. This is
available through Vet Vax 800-369-8297 for $2.95. Use this about once a
day. There are other products out on the market but they leave stains or
oil marks - most undesirable if your dog spends time in the house like
mine do. Use the spray e.g. at night when the dog is more quiet and less
likely to "run it off". This will toughen the pads - an old
trick used by field dog trainers whose dogs spend hours running through
rocks, briars and other hostile terrain.
Get a bicycle that is capable of maintaining a steady speed of 8 miles an
hour even on hills. It should have all-terrain tires and be reasonably
sturdy. Have a speedometer put on so that you know how fast you are
going. (Note! Do not be foolish enough to try this test without a
bicycle. None of you look to me like you are exactly marathon runners! ).
If you are out of condition, get comfortable with the bike yourself for a
week or so without involving the dog.
There is a knack toriding a bicycle with a dog. You want a very light
weight leather lead - I like those thin ones offered by J and J Dog
Sports that are 1/4 inch thick and 6 feet long. I like leather because it
is kind to your hand and very strong for its size. Also leather does not
tend to get tangled in the bike. Avoid web leads if possible, because
they tangle easily and a tangled lead on a bike spells trouble and
possible injury.
Take two or three weeks ahead of the training schedule to get comfortable
with running a dog on the bike. The dog must also learn how to do this.
Go to a quiet parking lot, perhaps a church or a school for this. Put the
lead on the dog. Bring him up to the bike on the right hand side. Hold
the lead in your right hand about six inches to a foot crumpled up and
grip the handle bar. Make sure the lead does not wrap around the handle
bar but remains crumpled up in your hand. This gives you a little of
reserve lee way for turns, etc. Now invent a command, e.g. "bike!"
and start off slowly in a straight line. Go 20-30 feet and then slowly
stop, giving a command like "slow". This is a new experience
for the dog and it may take a little while for him to gauge the speed of
the bike. The heeling dog is suddenly on the "wrong" side for
him and must learn to look in a new direction to gauge the bike. But a
few sessions with lots of encouragement will do the job nicely. Give
water and praise together, frequently. Carry a water bottle.
The next thing the dog must learn is turns. There are two ways to
introduce the dog to turns. I give a command signal "turn" and
start out with a very gradual turn to the left or to the right. For
really sharp turns or about turns it is best to stop, get off the bike,
reposition the dog and begin again. You are rather vulnerable while on a
bike, and you don't want a situation where your dog causes you to lose
your balance and your temper. Always slow down on turns as an added
indicator to the dog that something different is about to happen.
Distractions must also be learned but this is better done when you can
get some speed. I find that the best thing to do when a dog comes out is
speed up. That causes your dog to have to concentrate and a little sprint
is a good workout for him that day!
4. The Training Schedule: 14 weeks
In warm weather, always watch for heat distress in your dog. Carry
drinking water and a bowl, plus a spray bottle or sponge to wet the
underbelly and even inside the ear leather to help cool your dog by
evaporation. The training schedule has two aspects - distance training
and interval training. For distance training the distance is the
important thing. If the dog shows signs of tiring, decrease the speed but
maintain the distance. If necessary repeat this week at the recommended
speed. For interval training it is the opposite. Speed is the important
thing. If the dog gets tired. stop and rest, give water. Then continue at
the proper speed. Again, it may be necessary to repeat a week. By week 12
the dog can easily pass the endurance test, but give yourself a little
cushion in case the schedule is too severe early on. That way if it is
necessary to repeat a week, you still have some slack.
Week 1: Begin by riding I mile every day with the dog. Do not work for
speed -5--6 mph. Do this some days by riding laps around a parking lot.
Other days take a relatively untraveled road and go 1/2 mile down the
road, dismount and turn around, and go 1/2 mile back. Lots of praise.
Week 2: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Ride 2 miles at about
6 mph. If possible use a country road, otherwise laps around a parking
lot. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval training-Ride 1 mile at 8 mph.
Week 3: Monday, Wednesday. Friday: Distance Training- Ride 3 miles at
about 6 mph. Same terrain. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1
mile at 9 mph.
Week 4: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Ride 3 miles at
about 6 - 7 mph. Tuesday and Thursday Interval Training-Ride 1 mile at 10
mph.
Week 5: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training- Ride 1 miles at
about 7 mph. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1 mile at 10
mph.
Week 6: Monday. Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Ride 5 miles at
about 7 mph. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1 mile at 10
mph.
Week 7: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Two days ride 5
miles at 7 mph. One day ride 3 miles at 8 mph.
Week 9: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Two days ride 5
miles at 8 mph. One day ride 6 miles at 7 mph. Rest 15 minutes after the
first 4 miles. Give water. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1
mile at 12 mph.
Week 10: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Two days ride 6
miles at 8 mph. One day ride 7 miles at 8 mph. Rest 15 minutes after the
first 4 miles. Give water. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1
mile at 12 mph.
Week 11: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Two days ride 6
miles at 8 mph. One day ride 8 miles at 8 mph. Rest 15 minutes after the
first 4 miles. Give water. Tuesday and Thursday: Intelval Training- Ride
1 mile at 12 mph.
Week 12: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Distance Training-Two days nde 6
miles at 8 mph. One day ride 9 miles at 8 mph. Rest 15 minutes after the
first 4 miles, 15 minutes after the next 4 miles. Give water. Tuesday and
Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1 mile at 12 mph.
Week 13: Monday, Wednesday. Friday: Distance Training-Two days nde 6
miles at 8 mph. One day ride 10 miles at 8 mph. Rest 15 minutes every
four miles, give water. Tuesday and Thursday: Interval Training-Ride 1
mile at 12 mph.
Week 14: Up to week before test: Maintain week 13.
Week before test: Distance Training: 6 miles once at 8 mph about 5 days
before test. Interval Training twice for 1 mile at 12 mph 6 and 4 days
before test. Rest 3 days before test with a couple of 3-mile slow 6-7 mph
rides just to keep limber.
Week of test: Take test and breeze through it!
|
