An overall perspective of the roading harness set-up.

One simple idea is attaching a lead to the dog's harness, allowing you to hold back, adding resistance as your dog pulls forward. Another might be using the same harness and attaching weights, like cable or chain to the harness, so that as the dog moves forward the weight drags safely alongside, causing extra resistance--i.e., more work in a given amount of time.

Some folks use chains connected to bungee cords snapped to each side of the "roading" harness, then they allow the dog to run freely through varied cover, terrain, and soil composition. The goal with this type of low level resistance is not only the advantage of working several muscle groups in one workout as the dog travels up, down and around hills and cover; there's also the advantage of varied resistance on the dragging weight. In addition, we have the added benefit of toughening pads as they are conditioned by the soil, rock, and harsh ground cover.

Many of us have seen people attach their dog's harness to a bicycle, letting the dog pull them along. This might be safe for the dog, but I wouldn't give odds on the trainer if the dog spots a distraction--say, a cat in a neighbor's yard--and makes a sudden lunge at it.

For those of you who own a four-wheeler, this is probably a safer alternative for all involved. You can set up outriggers to attach a line to the dog's harness, being sure to keep the line short enough not to allow the dog near the wheels. Using a four-wheeler allows you to apply resistance or move to LSD workouts by controlling the dog's speed in combination with the four-wheeler's speed.

Swimming is another great form of exercise, especially helpful as a low impact form of LSD work that really benefits cardiovascular systems. Most dogs will follow when you paddle ahead in a canoe, and you can easily build to whatever length of time you feel meets you dog's level of endurance. It's especially good for hot summer days, but you still have to pay close attention to overheating, especially in shallow water where surface temps are surprisingly high.

If you don't have a boat or canoe you might do repeated retrieving drills, but remember this might be a good deal more strenuous than simply swimming. Here again, be cautious of heat stress.

These ideas will be enough to get you started, but remember to keep it fun for you and the dog. Be creative and mix in training exercises to keep things in a positive productive mode. Also, as we recommended last time, before starting any exercise program get your dog in to your veterinarian for a checkup and be sure to let the vet know your plans.