Can you overdo the exercise?!

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NellRosk

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At my new yard there's loads of off-road hacking and yesterday I took my little JR X out with me on the horse for about an hour and a half. I have a big long striding horse and she has to trot quite fast to keep up! I took her again tonight and she was a little reluctant to leave the yard but did when I called her a few times. We have small periods of trot and canter when she really has to run to keep up! Last night and tonight she's been absolutely knackered and I'm just wondering if I'm overdoing it a bit?! She's only a small dog with little legs! Do you think I should calm off the hacks a bit or will she be okay? I was chatting to my vet a few years ago when we had a border terrier and he said high amounts of exercise are good in that they keep the heart strong but bad in that they knacker the joints. The border had terrible arthritis when she was older and I'm worried ruby will be the same!
 
I think this always a trade off with dogs the trade off between the slim and fit settled well exercised dog and too much work on the joints bringing on issues early .
If the dogs not wanting to go it might be better to take it on shorter hacks and leave her behind on the longer ones .
I am always very careful when it's very hot I tend to take them more in winter .
 
Fitness levels need to be built up, and the message from your dog, tonight I'd suggest, was that she was exhausted. Depending upon your local weather conditions, and temperatures, so extended exercise for any canine, needs to be carefully considered. During the heat of the day, my dogs, fit or otherwise, play in the river, and I ask nothing else of them.

Alec.
 
Goldenstar said:
I think this always a trade off with dogs the trade off between the slim and fit settled well exercised dog and too much work on the joints bringing on issues early .
If the dogs not wanting to go it might be better to take it on shorter hacks and leave her behind on the longer ones .
I am always very careful when it's very hot I tend to take them more in winter .
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Maybe I should calm it a bit and as amymay said build it up a bit? I couldn't tell if she was reluctant to go because she was sat with the yard dog or just being lazy.. :(
 
Alec Swan said:
Fitness levels need to be built up, and the message from your dog, tonight I'd suggest, was that she was exhausted. Depending upon your local weather conditions, and temperatures, so extended exercise for any canine, needs to be carefully considered. During the heat of the day, my dogs, fit or otherwise, play in the river, and I ask nothing else of them.

Alec.
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She's reasonably fit anyway but a tired wee thing tonight so not super fit! We had a little play in a stream too which both horse and dog alike enjoyed! Until my mare started pawing and we had to evacuate pretty quickly before I got rolled off..
 
Also remember that some dogs find the concept of not being able to keep up very very stressful .
Their drive to keep up with their " pack" is all consuming it's a sad day when the once young energy filled idiot young dog looks laboured following the horse and you realise they are beginning to feel their age .
Ignore me I had my old boy PTS recently and I am still a bit reflective .
 
Goldenstar said:
Also remember that some dogs find the concept of not being able to keep up very very stressful .
Their drive to keep up with their " pack" is all consuming it's a sad day when the once young energy filled idiot young dog looks laboured following the horse and you realise they are beginning to feel their age .
Ignore me I had my old boy PTS recently and I am still a bit reflective .
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Yes I didn't think of that too. I'm sorry for your loss, I saw your thread and he was very lucky to have you. Xx
 
Goldenstar said:
Also remember that some dogs find the concept of not being able to keep up very very stressful .
Their drive to keep up with their " pack" is all consuming it's a sad day when the once young energy filled idiot young dog looks laboured following the horse and you realise they are beginning to feel their age .
Ignore me I had my old boy PTS recently and I am still a bit reflective .
Click to expand...

That's an interesting reply, because having 'hacked out' over many years (previously!) I found that it was quite some while before dogs actually wanted to follow 'us'. When we're on the back of a horse, I suspect that the dog feels as though it's following the horse, and not its pack leader. I suspect that the dog somehow doesn't feel connected, almost like those who exercise the dog from outside the car, and whilst they drive. Perhaps I'm wrong and perhaps that doesn't make any sense. Dunno!

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
That's an interesting reply, because having 'hacked out' over many years (previously!) I found that it was quite some while before dogs actually wanted to follow 'us'. When we're on the back of a horse, I suspect that the dog feels as though it's following the horse, and not its pack leader. I suspect that the dog somehow doesn't feel connected, almost like those who exercise the dog from outside the car, and whilst they drive. Perhaps I'm wrong and perhaps that doesn't make any sense. Dunno!

Alec.
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No I can kind of see what you're saying, on both hacks ruby has slotted in at the back of the horse and trotted along very workman like with her head down and not run off into the hedges to sniff etc like she would if I was on foot. She did seem more distant and less connected!
 
NellRosk said:
No I can kind of see what you're saying, on both hacks ruby has slotted in at the back of the horse and trotted along very workman like with her head down and not run off into the hedges to sniff etc like she would if I was on foot. She did seem more distant and less connected!
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Mine are labs so bigger dogs when we start they run about and sniff then as I move faster they do the determined following thing that's when it's beginning to be harder work to keep up.
Mine are very connected ( I think ) they know I am on the horse and which horse in the group I am on as they always go to sit by that horse ( they are trained to come back and sit beside my horse if we meet people ).
 
In the days before there was so much traffic I used to take my collie out with me on hacks, 7 miles at a trot and she would want to go round again. I think building up fitness is important but dogs have not off switch and if they are fixated with being with you, chasing a ball or rabbit they will do it until they are exhausted. One of my friends have a spaniel that was a right pain, then she married a farmer and the dog spent all day following the tractor up and down the fields, it became a completely different dog, it was too pooped to play up. Even though its cooler in the evenings I would worry about over heating.
 
I don't know any dogs who are lazy! Mine would run forever then collapse but if just training, one will retain the dummy and lie in the shade, then we know he's done and with dysplasia, we're super careful with him.

I think as Amymay says, build up, you can't expect the dog to suddenly do marathon equivalents and even the evening is very warm, almost too hot to sleep in this weather.
 
NellRosk said:
No I can kind of see what you're saying, on both hacks ruby has slotted in at the back of the horse and trotted along very workman like with her head down and not run off into the hedges to sniff etc like she would if I was on foot. She did seem more distant and less connected!
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On the very few occasions I have taken my BT out he's like this. He's much happier if OH comes on foot as well or another dog comes out with us, otherwise it's almost like follow m'leader.

Yesterday was very hot though, he was finding it warm sat on the sofa doing nothing. The heat makes him really lethargic (unless you take him to the yard then he runs around like a loon).
 
Goldenstar said:
Also remember that some dogs find the concept of not being able to keep up very very stressful .
Their drive to keep up with their " pack" is all consuming it's a sad day when the once young energy filled idiot young dog looks laboured following the horse and you realise they are beginning to feel their age .
Ignore me I had my old boy PTS recently and I am still a bit reflective .
Click to expand...

So true. Sorry for your loss :(

You made a really good point re. not being able to keep up and it being stressful for them, too.
 
Alec Swan said:
That's an interesting reply, because having 'hacked out' over many years (previously!) I found that it was quite some while before dogs actually wanted to follow 'us'. When we're on the back of a horse, I suspect that the dog feels as though it's following the horse, and not its pack leader. I suspect that the dog somehow doesn't feel connected, almost like those who exercise the dog from outside the car, and whilst they drive. Perhaps I'm wrong and perhaps that doesn't make any sense. Dunno!

Alec.
Click to expand...


I actually find my collie is more tuned into me while on horseback. It's almost like it becomes a job for her instead of just playtime. She will listen out for every command far more than she does if I'm walking. The moment we get to a road she knows straight away where she needs to be, anything can happen on that road and she won't step out of line. Cats dart out, dogs barking through gates etc, things that might set her off normally will have no affect on her. She will look up to me and make eye contact regularly. Love her.
 
I used to do a bit of Cani x and 14deg was the absolute warmest we would do 5km in so a 20/23 min run max and only longer if it was sub 10 deg He hacks with us but absolutely not this week and only when we are doing short rides say 40mins just beggaring about
 
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