KEEPING THE DOG FIT

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There are several activities by means of which it is possible to reach the good physical condition of a dog:

Swimming (combined with e.g. retrieving from water) is useful for the maintaining of dog’s physical condition and in summer it helps to reduce the heat.

(However, never force the dog to swim because we discourage it in this way. On the contrary, accompany it to a shallow water and enter the water first. The dog will follow you, especially if it can see other familiar dogs entering water together with you.)

Jumping over obstacles develops the mobility and muscles of a dog. It is suitable to jump only over such obstacles, which are not placed on a hard surface, for example a concrete, because a jump-down on a concrete surface is detrimental to dog’s joints, especially in heavy dogs. As a rule, a jumping over hindrances of one meter height is sufficient. The best is to jump over tree trunks on a soft soil in the forest.

Overcoming a wood-barrier and jumping over an obstacle when retrieving (RTW Dejvina and Petr Adamovsky from the city of Plzen):

Jumping over tree-trunks:

Miscellaneous movement, which slightly and in all-round manner trains the dog’s muscles, is also appropriate. Walks in the landscape where hills alternate with flatland are also useful. Center of dog’s gravity changes according to the direction of it's movement (uphill, downhill) and it's muscles are well trained.

Moving up-hill and down-hill:

Running is very important. When dogs play and run, it does them good. Another useful practice is when you let your dog wait under the hill, you will go up the hill and then you call it. Your dog then climbs up the hill to you. Or one of your family members can hold the dog and you go away app. 200 meters and then you call the dog. Then it quickly runs to you. These are suitable running activities for the dog. But running along the bicycle is for many reasons unsuitable (except for if you are going slowly by bike by the rapidness of your dog's klus when in an empty street or way. The dog has to be unleashed to run freely; I recommend 10 kilometers once a month in young dogs – two pauses are possible, this we however do only when there is not too hot or too dry weather outside).

Biting into a biting roll or a sleeve, pulling a piece of cloth or stick, now and then chewing the bones (smaller, softer and boiled ones) or chewing big chunks of meat - during these activities trains the dog it's neck and chewing muscles.

Although the sleeve-biting is good for dog's muscles training, at the same time it teaches the dog to bite some thing and hold it. When a real conflict with a man, a re-biting is more suitable and more efficient respectively, because the dogs used to bite the sleeve only can bite anything what the attacker will pass them and what looks like a sleeve (a piece of a rag or clothing, a windcheater on a hand and so on). So if taken sportingly, the sleeve-biting training is suitable (dog's muscles are trained), but if we encounter a real defense of the owner, it is not suitable any more.

Teasing, sleeve biting or pulling a biting roll we practice only with guard dogs and not with companion dogs, of course.

Biting the sleeve:

Biting roll pulling (Petr Adamovsky and his Dejvina for the first, and then Jitka Reizenthalerova's dogs, “Anaco” the kennel):

(The helper is releasing the sleeve after a short fight so that the dog is always the one who is wining and tearing it's prey.)

If puppies (and adult dogs) pull a piece of a rag, a stick and similarly, it is also a good way to strengthen (Rottweilers from “Anaco” the kennel):

Retrieving heavy “apports” or jumping over hurdles or running uphill with a heavy retrieve object in mouth strengthens the dog’s muscles too (Agar managed to retrieve logs of about 30 kg weight). But we never let the dog wear so much thick things to force it to open it's mouth fully to be able to catch them, because it is dangerous to it.

On the following picture we can see a dog that is running with a log. Both front dog's legs are above the ground:

Last of all, the portrait of a dog that strengthens with a log:

Fight with other dogs as a kind of a play is a natural part of puppy’s education. Through play fighting prepares puppy to be - when grown - a skillful and fit dog.

Puppies and young dogs snapping (firstly Rottweilers from “Anaco” the kennel, then Mr. Tomas Muron's Dogues de Bordeaux and, finally, Presas of Mr. Malgorzata Imosa-Nogiec):

My personal opinion only (which is not a throughout-the-world legal way how to train the dog) runs as follows: When a puppy turns into an adult dog, it should be given an opportunity - under the sight of professionals - to participate in a temperament test (sharper play fighting) with another young dog of approximately same size to develop a little bit of fighting fitness and to recognize / display it's character. It is one of the basic experiences of life and the dog - without this experience - would not be the right dog.