- Dec 4, 2025
- 137
- 135
I think this is a niche training exercise that I've learned recently, and I wanted to share it with anyone here who is interested in bite work or just loves a good intense session of tug.
We started doing a conditioning exercise where Maliketh carries a large jute bite pillow during a part of our conditioning runs. The primary goal of this is teaching breath control, builds endurance, sharpens mental focus, and strengthens jaw muscles.
The theory behind this is based on a simple conflict found in protection sports. When a dog works in high drive, their natural response is to open their mouth and pant. However, a dog cannot pant effectively while maintaining a full grip. The goal here is to get the dog to be comfortable breathing through their nose while their heart rate is elevated and are tired.
If a dog has not been conditioned to breathe comfortably through their nose while under physical stress, they will often loosen their jaw or get chewy on the bite simply because they are going to open their mouth to get some air.
By having them run with the pillow, you are forcing them to rely entirely on nose breathing. This builds the stamina and muscle memory to breathe through their nose without ever having the feeling that causes him to let go of the bite.
It also sharpens focus by forcing them to consciously override that urge to pant, keeping them in a thoughtful state rather than a frantic one.
---Big Warning----
I have to add a massive safety warning here, though. I only do this because it is winter right now, and even then not long duration. Since dogs rely on panting to cool themselves, and this exercise prevents that, you cannot cap their cooling system in the heat or for a extended time. If you try this in warm weather, you risk overheating the dog very quickly. This is strictly a cold-weather drill for short intervals!
We started doing a conditioning exercise where Maliketh carries a large jute bite pillow during a part of our conditioning runs. The primary goal of this is teaching breath control, builds endurance, sharpens mental focus, and strengthens jaw muscles.
The theory behind this is based on a simple conflict found in protection sports. When a dog works in high drive, their natural response is to open their mouth and pant. However, a dog cannot pant effectively while maintaining a full grip. The goal here is to get the dog to be comfortable breathing through their nose while their heart rate is elevated and are tired.
If a dog has not been conditioned to breathe comfortably through their nose while under physical stress, they will often loosen their jaw or get chewy on the bite simply because they are going to open their mouth to get some air.
By having them run with the pillow, you are forcing them to rely entirely on nose breathing. This builds the stamina and muscle memory to breathe through their nose without ever having the feeling that causes him to let go of the bite.
It also sharpens focus by forcing them to consciously override that urge to pant, keeping them in a thoughtful state rather than a frantic one.
---Big Warning----
I have to add a massive safety warning here, though. I only do this because it is winter right now, and even then not long duration. Since dogs rely on panting to cool themselves, and this exercise prevents that, you cannot cap their cooling system in the heat or for a extended time. If you try this in warm weather, you risk overheating the dog very quickly. This is strictly a cold-weather drill for short intervals!
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