Week 5, Day 6

First conditioning routine in about a week. We've been busy doing other things and I wanted to make sure that Gata wasn't working too hard after her mild collapse early last week. So we've been playing around at Schutzhund stuff, some jumping grids, etc. Plus she has been making the change over to the Royal Canin 4800. That process should be complete by about Labor Day.

The only big change that I made today was to make sure that the dogs had recovery water at the end of each set. Gata drank easily and was happy to have it. Tor doesn't really see the point of this yet. I imagine that he will get better about it as he becomes more accustomed to it.

Start time: 5:50 am; 65-degrees F
Program: Walk to park, 3x5, Straight sets. Gave Gata some short throws in set 3; Recovery water at the end of each set, before the break.
Total time: 42 minutes
Status: Both dogs tired; Tor seemed a bit more tired than Gata, perhaps because he doesn't drink as well as she does at the end of each set; Took 500 ml of recovery water - came back with 100 ml, Gata drank probably 2/3 of it; Both dogs handled the work well, recovered well. Walk home uneventful. No signs of drunken sailor walking or any other early signs of collapse.

Really pleased with the session this morning. Nice to see both dogs working that hard and also recovering that well between sets. I admit that I have always loved to watch Gata move and feel the same way about Tor. Interesting how my perspective has changed over time. Prior to Tor, Gata seemed quite large, now she seems sort of small. I still think Gata's movement is more correct but also love the "lightness" of Tor's movement, even if it isn't as ground covering.

I think they will rest well while I am at work today :-)