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Exercise options

2K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  Henricus 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

So bit of bad news first. Last week I decided to play fetch in the garden with Madoc. I was sick that day and he had not had nearly enough exercise. So I just did a past paced 15 minutes fetch game with two balls. After that he went down and seemed quite tired. We walked around the corner for him to go potty, but he wasn't walking right. He walked slowly with clearly a weak hind, sometimes it looked as if he couldn't stand well. I contacted the orthopedic vet and he didn't seem all to worried at first, also not after seeing the video (https://youtu.be/TOGwQRmQ6RQ). It's dark, but he wasn't walking well here. The day after though, everything was back to normal. The vet later on mailed me again saying that he would recommend a CT scan, which is almost a thousand euros. Money I simply don't have, so I just have to save for a while.

Anyway, long story short, I feel like I cannot have him do anything explosive. But the poor thing is super energetic. I walk with him, I play light fetch indoors, some tug (which can be heave because he jumps a lot), I hide food around the house for him to look for, I do some basic obedience, and that's about it. He looks hardly ever satisfied with all of it. If I also have to cut the light fetch indoors and tug, then I'm totally lost.

Sorry if this is a repeated question, but I hoped someone could give me some tips. I read a lot about mental exercise, but either I'm really bad or my boy had ADD, but most games he just loses immediately his focus. I have a Nina (forgot her last name) puzzle, which is fun, and he kind of likes, but he's also much to "aggressive" with it.

Thanks for your time, again.
 
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#2 ·
Nosework can be done indoors....you could get enough supplies for under a hundred bucks to teach him that.

Teach him hide and seek with a toy outside. This is one way I still play "ball" with my old dog who I cant throw toys for anymore because she will still chase a ball like she is 2 and then come up lame afterward. But when she runs around searching she doesn't crash or come up short so fast. Easier on her. Kind of labor intensive to put her away, hide the toy, let her out, ect, because she finds it pretty quickly.

Is there a field where you could teach your dog to track?
 
#4 ·
@Thecowboysgirl
Thanks for the tips.
He is, in my experience, super inpatient. Most of the times I need to crate him, hide the treats, and then give the search command. I can't wait too long with that though or he'll bark and run away to search it.
But I liked the idea of hiding his ball, I will do that then.

There is a field close by, kind of the only one I can use. This one: https://youtu.be/5kgmeL9K-KU
It's private terrain next to an equestrian center, which also many hosts many of our province's events, so I can't go there all the time.

@CatChandler
Yes, I've been to my regular vet about 1.5 months ago. She suspected something neurological, but thought it was best to make some xrays with the specialized vet. After the xrays he just said my dog was lanky, nothing to worry about.
But I haven't heard heart before. I will call my vet to ask her about it.
Thanks.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, that will definitely not work with Madoc yet, haha. But it is a very good idea, thanks!
Alright, then I'll search a bit on the internet about it, where to start, etc.
 
#11 ·
@misfits
Thanks. I looked around but there is no place for that in the neighborhood. That's the downside of living "far" away from the areas with large population.

@gsdluvr
Thank you! Yes, he is quite food motivated, especially with cheese. That's love on the first sight.

@Thecowboysgirl
Thanks!
That sounds like a good and productive plan. I will have to do that really slowly. He does seem to like a fast reward and when he doesn't find something, or I'm not actively enough playing with a toy, he moves to something else.

@SuperG
Did you mean low temperatures? It doesn't get very cold here in the Netherlands on average. We have quite weak winters, sometimes hardly below 0c (32F). Last year we had little snow and maybe a handful of ice skating days. Actually, no month had an average below 0 Celsius (32F) since 2010, the one before that was 1997.
I've never brought him to swim yet, but that is something I really need to start doing.
Could you elaborate on low impact fetch? He is so enthoustic about it that the only way I can do "low impact" is indoors. The floor is a bit slippery, so he can't put much force on his back legs to run.
On a field though, the ball always gets to a full stop before he gets there because I throw it quite far away (about 60m/ 196feet). But his acceleration is explosive, no matter if I hold him first or just let him go immediately. I thought that was the main issue.
 
#12 ·
@SuperG
Did you mean low temperatures? It doesn't get very cold here in the Netherlands on average. We have quite weak winters, sometimes hardly below 0c (32F). Last year we had little snow and maybe a handful of ice skating days. Actually, no month had an average below 0 Celsius (32F) since 2010, the one before that was 1997.
I've never brought him to swim yet, but that is something I really need to start doing.
Could you elaborate on low impact fetch? He is so enthoustic about it that the only way I can do "low impact" is indoors. The floor is a bit slippery, so he can't put much force on his back legs to run.
On a field though, the ball always gets to a full stop before he gets there because I throw it quite far away (about 60m/ 196feet). But his acceleration is explosive, no matter if I hold him first or just let him go immediately. I thought that was the main issue.
I was looking at the extended temps and saw the highs to be in the mid to upper 40's.....even getting into the low 50's...which would be adequate for taking my dog swimming...granted, I'll only be getting in knee deep. GSDs seem to equipped to handle cooler water temps for a reasonable amount of time....especially if the sun is out and you give them a few minutes to soak up the warmth of the sun with their darker coats.

I meant using fetch while the dog is swimming. Dependent on your dog's situation....I'd have the dog return to you in knee deep water...lessening the impact of the initial "burst" when you throw the fetch item......more swimming ( bouyancy ) rather than the load bearing exertion when the dog is on land. I used an improvised long line at first....really long...thin and lightweight...it's a bit of a hassle at first...but you'll get it figured out. I did this for two reasons...to reel the dog in, if needed....and since my dog was a bit reactive...it kept her honest. If your vet agrees that swimming/fetch would not exacerbate the problem.....I'd go for it...it is great exercise....really works the dog.

Since you've never introduced your dog to swimming....be sensible and methodical about the initial process...most dogs take to it no problem...but some might get a bit weird when their paws lose contact with the bottom of the lake...let your dog explore the shallows and slowly lure your dog deeper until they are swimming....doesn't hurt to get in the water with them in the beginning.

SuperG
 
#13 ·
@SuperG
Ah yes, that's about the temperature at this moment. :) The sun is out some days of the week, which really does make a great difference.

I guess the vet himself doesn't know if he has a real problem or not. As he stated, he needs a CT for that. But they did advice to go into the water after the the x ray.

Thank you for the explanation, really helpful! I'm calling my vet tomorrow to ask her about it and if she gives me a green light I'll search for a place where he can easily get in and out.
First time he touched the water outside he jumped backwards in shock, haha.
 
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