How to deal with weak pasterns? - Page 5

And didn't manage to drown you, obviously, LOL! Glad you had a good time; sorry to hear about her foot, hope its totally better now.

I'm a mountain bike racer since I was 14 years old and 4 months ago I started to go to triathlon races too. Despite my good shape, she was able to swim with my pace(not when I was swimming front crawl but however she was faster than I had imagined :D ). She is quite confident when swimming(most important she's willing to swim) and didn't try to drown me or sth :D . But there was a black lab forced to swim on leash by his owner. He started to drag the lab deeper and deeper in the sea. Finally the owner got some awful scratches while the dog was trying to climb on top of him. Till the end of their holiday this dog didn't want at all to get into the water...he was afraid even to get into the river...

SMH. What a fool. He can't have had any more pleasant an experience than his Lab did.

Hi again! Unfortunately dogs aren't allowed to swim in the local leak anymore. They put cameras and some signs. So I'm looking for other ways to exercise the dog. We continue to play fetch on the football pitch but that can do almost nothing about her lack-of-muscle problem. She would be able to swim rarely till the weather gets cold when we go by car somewhere but it isn't enough. I sometimes take her when I do some uphill running. I'm thinking of starting playing tug o'war with her but I don't think this has much to do with her problems...

Oh, I dunno, Tug of War is a decent all-over exercise ! Must build SOME muscles both in neck & shoulders, and in their rear end, from bracing (could be good if she is still 'hocky' !).  I am more concerned about the tone of your most recent post; I thought you were seeing improvements with her muscle tone, from all the work you have already put in with her - and yet this sounds so pessimistic ... Maybe you will just have to take more coastal vacations, or forget the swimming and concentrate on using as much "soft & shifting" ground as you can find to walk her on, plus build up the up-and-down-hills stuff.  Actually she should be getting stronger by now and just the playing Fetch off lead using the pitch can only go on building, provided it is intensively done and you are both working up a sweat !

Yes, definitely she has improved her muscle tone a lot since she learned how to swim but she's still weaker compared to my working line boy or dogs that were not living on chain and starving during their puppyhood. Swimming in the lake had great effect on her improvement but now I have to help her continue this improvement without the swimming exercise. She could play fetch from autumn till spring on a plowed cornfield but won't she hurt her paws there or sth?

Maybe a ploughed up field isn't the best place for fast games, especially if you are still worried about the degree of strength she has (still lacks) in her pasterns. Depends on the type of soil, though; if the plough ruts get really solid 'cos there's a lot of clay in the dirt, I'd personally avoid it. But if its a nice soft shifty sandy loam, don't see much harm. What are your other options ? Can you get on any grass sports fields ?