On the other hand, if your dog is already in an active conditioning program, make note of the average time, distance and intensity of this exercise. You may find you can start at week 2 or 3 of the program. While the minimum age to enter the AD is 16 months, we recommend waiting until 18 months or two years before starting intensive conditioning. Slow maturing dogs, for example, are often at an awkward physical growth stage at 16 months and high mileage can be damaging to joints and tendons at this stage. Conversely, dogs older than 5 years of age take longer to get fit and to recover from the physical stress of conditioning.
Older dogs are also more prone to developing overuse injuries.
Allow the older dog more time to prepare for the AD and more time to recover between conditioning runs. The dog s physical structure must absorb the repetitive pounding of running. The amount of angulation a dog has determines how effectively its structure handles this stress. Think of the dog s shoulders and hindquarters as shock absorbers. For example, a dog with straighter shoulders and rear quarters will not absorb the pounding as efficiently as a dog with more angulation.