Activities For American Bandogges

Like the term Bandogge, the concept of strength training a dog has a number of different implications to it. As a general rule of thumb, an activity would only qualify as a strength training exercise if your dog's muscles are being exerted in a noticeable way; exercises where weights are incorporated would definitely fit the strength training mold as well as incline exercises and certain water games. Many strength training activities don't require much set up at all, allowing you and your dog to try them out no matter the weather. Best of all, most of the equipment needed to strength train your dog is usually pretty cheap.

Dog carting is an activity of big dog breeds that, like strength training, calls for them to use their natural strength and size to accomplish a goal. For this activity, that goal would be pulling a cart from one place to another while a human sits in it. Bandogges, as well as most other Mastiff breeds for that matter, tend to take to this activity very well as they sort of have mushing in their DNA. That being said, this activity is a lot more involved than one might expect and things can get quite sticky if one doesn't properly plan them out.

In terms of physically taxing activities that your dog can try out, it doesn't get much harder than this one. The idea behind weighted sled pulling is definitely self explanatory enough - your Bandogge will have to pull a weighted sled from one area to another, in a similar vein to carting. Sounds simple enough, right? But what makes weighted sled pulling harder than carting is the difference in the goals associated with both activities; whereas dog carting is meant to serve as a fun means of alternative transportation, weighted sled pulling is meant to push your puppy to their physical limits. At the end of a carting session, your dog shouldn't necessarily be exhausted. By the end of a weight sled pulling session, your dog is guaranteed to be winded but will be all the stronger for it.