A Combined Submaximal and Maximal Exercise Fitness Test to Assess Conditioning in Beagles

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Introduction: Exercise fitness test regimens have primarily been described for elite canine athletes and have described submaximal or maximal fitness assessments on separate occasions. Conditioning protocols for moderate exercise in the pet dog are lacking. The objectives were to describe a combined submaximal and maximal treadmill exercise test and to assess a conditioning regimen for previously unfit beagles. The hypothesis was that moderate treadmill exercise would increase fitness as demonstrated by improvements in various parameters during a combined exercise test. Materials and Methods: Eight adult beagles underwent two combined exercises tests 12 weeks apart (PRE and POST). In between tests they were either exercised five days a week (15% incline, gradually increasing speed), or snuggled for 30 minutes/day. Treadmill exercise tests were broken into submaximal and maximal components. Heart rate and lactate levels were monitored. Statistics included Students t -tests (significant at P≤0.05). Results: Maximum lactate was not different PRE versus POST (1.5 versus 1.0 mmol/L exercised; 2.7 versus 1.7 mmol/L snuggled) in either group (all P>0.34) but was significantly higher in snuggled versus exercise dogs at POST ( p = 0.05). Exercise speeds during the submaximal component were not different PRE versus POST or between groups (all P>0.2) but exercise dogs were able to attain higher speeds than snuggle dogs at POST (3.2 versus 1.9 mph, p < 0.001) and had higher POST versus PRE max speeds within their group (2.5 versus 3.2 mph, p = 0.01). Discussion/Conclusion: The combined exercise test effectively assesses fitness improvements. A 12-week progressive treadmill exercise regimen is sufficient to condition previously unfit beagles. Acknowledgment: Funding was provided by a Brightfocus Foundation Grant. The authors have no proprietary interest. Publication History Article published online: 09 April 2024 © 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

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