Good Breeder Center

FTBT: Lesson 2: How Exercise Changes During the Breeding Process

What exercises to do when for both males and females

By Good Dog Team

As you might expect, we have to vary the exercises we do with our dog in various steps in the breeding cycle. What is safe for a bitch to do in anestrus (between heat cycles) is not safe for her to do in the second trimester. In this lesson, we will go over what to do when for both males and females. So let’s dig into the stages of the breeding cycle and some generalities about what to do when. You’ll find more detail on each section in future lessons.

In this lesson

Six Types of Exercises

We use six types of exercise to get and keep our dogs fit. Each plays a different role for dogs in general and breeding dogs specifically. They include:

Flexibility – helps stud dogs handle turning during ties without discomfort or injury, and helps bitches aid in the births of their pups and keeping themselves clean after whelping.

Balance and Proprioception – improves a stud dog’s ability to accomplish natural breedings and enables bitches to move amongst her pups, get in and out of the whelping box, and lie down with her pups without injuring a puppy.

Front-end Strength – improves a stud dog’s ability to clasp the bitch and the bitch’s ability to handle the weight of the stud dog during natural breedings.

Core Strength – improves a stud dog’s ability to hold himself up and thrust during breedings, and improves the speed and success of whelpings for bitches.

Rear Strength – improves a stud dog’s ability to hold himself up and thrust during breedings, and enables bitches to hold the stud dog up during breedings.

Good for the Soul – provides mental and physical stimulation for both stud dogs and brood bitches.

 

Exercise Concepts Video Timestamps

  • 0:00 Introduction
  • 2:28 What is a Canine Conditioning Program?
  • 2:56 Differences Between Conditioning Breeding Dogs Versus Other Dogs
  • 3:10 Why Stamina Not Endurance Training?
  • 4:45 Strength Training
  • 6:45 Core Strength
  • 7:41 Rear Strength
  • 8:28 Front Strength
  • 9:20 Balance and Proprioception
  • 10:50 Flexibility
  • 11:14 Skill Training
  • 11:29 Summary

Skill Training

Skill training is the activities dogs do during obedience, sport, or work training or competitions. We have evaluated the risks inherent in 22 activities, and labeled them as low, moderate, and high risk based on the risk of injury during the activity.

Stud dogs can do low, moderate and high risk activities all of the time although we’d recommend avoiding the riskiest when the dog has a bitch in to breed. Be extra cautious doing all activities during hot weather, too, since heat can damage sperm and reduce fertility.

Bitch owners need to be more cognizant of the risks that some activities pose to pregnant or lactating bitches.

  • High Risk activities should be reserved to the period before breedings and during recovery from a litter.
  • Moderate Risk activities can be done before and during a breeding, during the first trimester, and during recovery.
  • Only Low Risk activities should be done during the second trimester, late lactation, and weaning.
  • No skill training should be done during the third trimester and early lactation.

You can find Skill Training Risk Levels on page 2 of Exercise Throughout the Breeding Cycle.

Stud Dogs Stages of the Breeding Cycle

We only have two stages for stud dogs: pre-breeding and breeding. Dogs are either preparing to breed a bitch or she is in season and he is breeding or about to breed her. Some dogs spend most of their careers in the pre-breeding stage because they are used frequently or may not have been used at all yet. If you get and maintain these dogs at pre-breeding fitness, he should be well prepared when a breeding does arise. The only change you might have to make is to put a little more weight on him prior to the actual breeding.

Frequently used stud dogs are more complicated. Depending upon how often they are bred, these dogs may stay in the breeding cycle longer or may rapidly switch from pre-breeding to breeding. Often these dogs are harder to keep fit because of reconditioning, poor eating, and stress. Yet, they need excellent fitness most of all to keep the quality of their semen and breeding success up. This means it is up to you to manage the number of breedings you accept for this dog to ensure he can be in excellent condition for all of his breedings.

Review Stages 1 and 2 of Exercise Throughout the Breeding Cycle for the exercise types and amounts you should do with your stud dog. More details in Lesson 4.

Brood Bitch Stages of the Breeding Cycle

There are nine stages of the breeding cycle for bitches:

Exercise Throughout the Breeding Cycle gives you the exercise types and amounts you should do with your bitch in each stage. More details in future lessons.

Fit To Be Tied Lessons