BigGameHoundsmen.com

Was wondering about building a swim tank for keeping my dogs in shape. Has anyone ever built/used a swim tank where the dog is forced to tread water? Seems like it would get the job done pretty fast and be better on their joints. Also seems easier construction and smaller space wise than a circle run. I'm thinking I can figure out a way to make it safe for them like life jacket and harness. Or is this crazy?
Sean

get a long tank and lead them in one side and then out the other you shouldn't need to vest them or anything. This is the best way to condition your dogs.

PRW : We never built a tank but we do let the hounds follow us in a canoe while fishing .3 of the 5 hounds seem to enjoy it .2 are good for 2-3 minutes then head to shore . I would think it has contributed to their endurence but no way to prove it . Either myself or my son still roads them 3-4 days per week . Certainly can't hurt . Can't say that we ever saw one stressed out in the water .

If I want anything to do with having my hounds swim I have to build a "pool" for them, I live where it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer, dry, and windy as hell. I need to put a track up to have my hounds run into the 60 mph wind that would get them in shape, or sent to Oz , do the flying monkeys tree very well???

i think it would work very well thats how they keep a lot of the race horses leged up or help them recover from a injery.

Ive used swimming with my dogs for many years I run a breed of Boar dog me and a buddy created in the 70s called the Bullygrey , we intially used Greyhound x English Bull Terrier x Australian Kangaroo Hound and 20 yrs ago we added Pit , we currently have 15 generations recorded history and a very typey hard working dog , swimming is great for keeping and getting dogs into shape , my dogs will do around 2 hrs in the tank 2-3 times a week depending on how much hunting they are doing , I live in a hot climate so it really helps in the heat of summer to get some good endurance work into them during the heat , its the only exercise that works a muscle in both directions so its great for bloodflow to injuries , swimming is a great for getting a strong base in any form of conditioning , cant praise it enough there are so many benefits from very content dogs to adding a bit of peroxide to clean up any rips or nicks they get .

I made my tank 4 ft deep , my dogs stand about 27 inch to the shoulder and if you dont support the belly they will stand up on their back legs , the belly harness tracks them in a straight line and they swim very natural , a tank say 4ft deep 8ft long and 4ft across would swim 2 big dogs , thats my next build size .

Rod

if you have the money you could get one of these but not for me




http://www.k9surf.com/main/underwater_t ... r_dogs.asp

Powder,
Have you ever built one? Have any pics?
Sean

No I haven't I have seen a few and have researched it for horses. The one I saw was about 60' long it had a ramp going down and a ramp out the other side. it was just deep enough that the horse could bearly touch its toes to the bottom.

A cable streched across a pond with a caged coon on the cable. Pull the cage back and forth across the cable out of the dogs reach and they will swimm and bay it. I have a 2 acre pond on my place and do this in the summer. Some hunting clubs use this for their water races. Not much cost if you have a pond already.

why not use a fish pond or swimming pool linner and dig it down that way you can put a ramp at each end so the dog can walk in and out ,you then don't have to lift the dog in or out and i know in the UK this would be least money, also on my other post that link was not the right one but on the same site they have a swimming tank if you look

here is a link to pond linners if they don't have them there
http://www.bradshawsdirect.co.uk/Bradsh ... t/L25Y.htm

RodB, nice looking dogs .

Rodb

do you have jets in the pool to keep the water circulating or do they just tread water? also, when the pool isn't in use, how do yoy keep the slime and algea from forming? that looks fairly simple to build.

thanks for the pics

joe

Rodb,
Thanks for the pics. Exactly what I was thinking. Glad to know it works. I saw some tanks at the surplus store where I went to get plastic barrels. They are plastic about 4x4x4 and have a aluminum frame for support. I think they were used for berry juice. Cost was 85 bucks. Probably good for one dog each.
Sean

Thanks Budd Denny they do a good job as a hot nosed running catch dog that hits hard .

Joe I dont have jets in the pool they just tread water but with a natural swim motion that pulls against the harness , they dog paddle in the beginning but settle to a nice swim pretty soon , you can get them sprinting which makes for hard work , I will often interval train them with spints then let them slow and work their heart rate back down and then sprint again , it builds good muscle endurance while the hunting gives them the air ., I just run a pool filter to keep it clean and add Chlorine or Hydrogen Peroxide .

Sean , you can believe swimming works,, nothing else can work your dogs as thorough while your mowing the lawn ,,, the 4ft long of your tank will probably be to short but I dont know how big your hounds are , maybe you could go diagonal , you dont want the dog so he can can get his paws to the edge front or back , and they are quite long when they stride out , add your leg length to his body length , a dog will swim better when he is beside another , I dont think they would be as keen to work as when they swim side be side .

Rod