The grouse season in the Northern zone of New York opens on September 20th. My dogs stay in fairly good condition all year, but it's time for some serious work!
Dogs that are out of shape are prone to injury early in the season, just like all athletes, so it just makes good sense to get them some work as a preventative measure.
As we've mentioned before, swimming is a great form of exercise, particularly during warm weather, and my dogs get to swim in the bay, as the picture of Holly shows. They also get roaded on a regular basis. Not from horseback or an ATV, but the old fashioned way... manually. Pulling harnesses are required, but it's not only great exercise for the dogs, but the person holding all that muscle back also!
It's also becoming cool enough in the mornings to run the dogs freely, and they just love cutting loose!
Anything that you both enjoy will work... Frisbee, flyball, or sticks... be imaginitive. These are also good for improving retrieving skills..
Don't let an out of shape dog, or handler, put you out of action for the early season..Start the work now, you'll both enjoy it!
B&T...I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteIt's good for the dogs and for us!
Great post!
Shawn
Thanks, Doc!
ReplyDeleteGreat exercise for them, and great exercise for me!
Hopefully we'll all get through the season injury free!
Nice post, Bill. I would speculate that most owners are in much worse shape than their dogs. Hopefully everyone's making sure their part of the team is also shedding a few pounds by getting some decent hikes in.
ReplyDeleteYou headed up north for the opening week?
A+M+M+J