what type of exercise for a saluki?

I know salukis are sprinters, and more specifically, long distance sprinters. I've seen a youtube clip of them running at full speed for two to three minutes catching a gazelle.


but what is the best type of exercise for a saluki if I do not have gazelles or even another dog to let him run and play with? (my other dog is a middle aged rottweiler with a bad ligament - running is out of the question).


the thing is, if I let my saluki boy offleash in a fenced park (about 50metres by 25 metres), he WILL sprint, but only for at most two minutes, and then sniff/pee/poop, then sprint for another minute or so, and then stop. he'll then roll on the ground, etc, and not interested in sprinting anymore.

I take him out jogging almost every day, and I vary my jogging routes and times (sometimes very quick uphill intervals, sometimes slow and long up to 45minutes). I find this is the best way to tire him out (he'll usually be very good the next day when I leave for work).

but on the days I do not go out jogging with him, but take him to the fenced park for him to sprint, he gets frustrated the day after, when I leave for work.

question is: is there any way to get my saluki boy to sprint around the fenced park more, and for a longer time?

what other sports/exercise do you engage your saluki in, other than offleash sprinting, jogging, and walks?

I take him and my rottie to the beach once in a while, but he's a very poor swimmer compared to my rott - he doesn't seem to float as easily..

My saluki and saluki lurcher get daily off lead exercise in the nearby country park. It is about 10 minutes onlead to and from the park and about 40 minutes in the park off lead. We normally walk early in the morning or later in the evening when it's quiet there, so I can let them run without having to worry about other dogs. My saluki in particular will run, run, run... He will often sprint around for two or three minutes on the playing field, but will also run most of the off lead time too (though not necessarily at top speed). They also get to chase the odd fox, so get to run at top speed almost daily too.

I don't do jogging or anything like that, but I do do obedience training with them! Although they are not the easiest breed to train, they do enjoy it if done with positive training methods and it gives them a bit of mental exercise, which my saluki thrives on! He needs both mental and physical exercise!
They also love agility training, again a combination of physical and mental activity which they enjoy.

Vera

Sorry I have had a bit of a mad week and I didn't get chance to reply to this yesterday. Where I live dogs are not allowed to be off leash at all. The way I work around this is to cycle with my dogs, I have 2 springer attachments on my bike and have one dog either side and off we go. I tend to go with them and what they want to do, so if they just want to trot round, we do, and some mornings they flat out run the whole route. They enjoy the bike and it keeps them toned and fit. If we had to walk around we would have to do so many rounds as it is a small compound and we would all die of boredom, this keeps them alert and gives them a good work out. The reason I allow the dogs to set the pace is the weather here, it can be extremely hot (I live in Saudi Arabia) and rather than work them too hard, I go with them.

We only exercise once a day which is enough for them, as it is generally a good work out. We do an hour in winter and just 15 - 20 minutes in the height of summer depending on how the dogs fair on the run. I have to get up at 430 am in summer as that is the coolest part of the day. This regime suits my two and tires them out enough that they spend much of the day and evening sleeping. We do play indoors as well to keep them mentally stimulated and of course they play with each other.

I think that you have to adapt to each dog and also circumstances and you will find that as long as the dog has a good routine they will fall into it and it will be enough for them. I never take my dogs out on a Friday, which is our equivalent to Sunday in the western world, because it is the only chance I get to have a lie in and catch up on my sleep. They never pester me, they wake me to go in the back yard and are happy to return to their beds and go back to sleep too. I have two highly driven dogs, a Weimaraner and a Saluki and this routine works for us all. Both dogs are very fit and of a very good weight.

With my saluki lurcher I walk her both on and off lead for a minimum of an hour every morning and then we do obedience training, tricks, and agility in the garden in the afternoon (I have some jumps, weaves and tunnel etc), she also likes a good game of football. I find that she needs a lot of mental stimulation as well as physical action to wear her out, and I do things like hiding treats all around the house or garden and get her to seek them out, or her dinner stuffed into kongs or treat ball.
She loves run after a ball or my mums border collie when we get the chance, other days she will wander along and have a good sniff and hardly run at all. I have found that a long walk on a lead will tire her just as much as running around at top speed.

I always think the bike with dog thing looks like great exercise but I'm rubbish on a bicycle! I have done some running with Layla, but I'm bad at that too! I've seen a few saluki X dogs doing 'Cani X' - a running with your dog organised sport, and you can do it on a bike too - 'bikejoring'.

Maybe you could try finding a friend with a similar type of dog to walk with to encourage him to run in the fenced area. Would he chase a ball or frisbee?? I use a ball on a rope and throw it when they have got tired of running, it sets them off again for a while, they get it then run rings with it, drop it and forget it. It does mean you have to keep an eye on where it has been dropped and retrieve it yourself, but this usually works a few times for mine before they get bored.
Have you also enquired about lure coursing? This can be a great chance to exercise the dogs and meet like minded people. It usually makes for a very quiet evening!
There are also things like obedience classes, and agility might be worth thinking of too.

Mine get an hour up the forestry on a morning, I do lure coursing about once a month and the girls get a class about once a week.
I tried the bike thing, but too many rabbits around here....

I have to run the gauntlet on the compound with cats and pigeons The Springer attachments that I have stop the dog from being able to pull away as they are "sprung" back into the position they should be in again if they try. I also find that two dogs are a good balance as opposed to just the one. I have been cycling with the dogs every day now for over 4 years so I am a bit of an old sweat at it these days!

wow, GREAT replies!

OK, first, I would love to do cycling with my Saluki. It is a good idea.. and probably the only practical thing I can do with him here.

I would love to do long walks and hiking and running, offleash, but 1. dogs are not allowed offleash in my country except in fenced dog parks (which are at best, largest at about 400m x 200m), and 2. in nature reserves, dogs are not even allowed (!!!!). jeez.


lure coursing - I CAN ONLY DREAM!!! I dream of that all the time.. I even have thought about building something mechnical on my own.. maybe even a remote control toy car, to try to get my Saluki to chase. There are no lure courses grounds in my country.. and I think my Saluki is too fast for any remote controlled car.


yes I will have to find similar dogs - lurchers and sighthounds - to play with, but so far I have only met a whippet in my neighbourhood, which is always kept in the garden/house. I have never seen it taken out for walks.. hm



will try the cycling method once I move out of current place. yes Kags, you are right about routine, though inadvertently my routine will change on weekends (I sleep in, I stay with the dogs more), and so on Mondays.. my saluki boy isn't happy.


obedience: hmmmm! my boy is NOT at all itnerested in food.. and I cannot hide treats around the house as my rottie girl will sniff them all out and gobble them before my saluki boy could even blink.

reisende, out of curiosity, what country are you in?

Gave it a try today!

One Excited, energy full Paddy, one mountain bike(with suspension for a comfy ride of course) and me with an extendy lead.

The lil guy loved it!

pottered along to our local sports field, and did 2 laps, after all he is still a pup!

He loved it, trotted alongside the bike, then off at a proper run across the field! Absolute poetry in motion watching him run!

Gentle trot back home and hes fast asleep for the afternoon. Not seen him that smiley since we got him!

Seems to like the whole thing!

Oh isn't paddy just a youngster? I wouldn't recommend cycling with a young dog, because they are still growing. Cycling is quite hard exercise and you could do some damage to their joints when they are so young. I personally wouldn't cycle with a dog until they reach at least 18 months and have finished growing to avoid the risk of damaging the joints and also hip displatia. Cycling is great exercise but you need to build up the dogs stamina and endurance and it is best not to do it with a dog so young.

I wouldn't cycle with him just yet, but once he is fully grown, it seems he will love it.

just included it as part of his days exercise. In effect its probably twice round a football pitch, so not that far.
My garden is small, so he cant get a good run up and down, and there isnt such a thing as a fenced in exercise area, and the lil guy isnt going to be off leash at the moment!
Gave him chance for a small run, and he was a very smiley dog after.
Dont worry, its only at a weekend, and very short(5 mins per month of age kinda thing)

Lil guy is just getting over a bug of some sort. He came back from obedience(first class), and had the runs ever since..........boiled rice and chicken at the moment.....

not to mention a midnight washing and fumigating my kitchen session.....eeurgh

am in Singapore. a tiny, tiny country. but weather is quite perfect for a Saluki - and my boy is also the short-coated type of Saluki too.