Don,
conditioning a dog for the show ring is different than simply getting them into better shape. Moxie is actually in amazing shape for running, jumping, etc. But, she's a little heavier than ideal and the show ring is all about what the dog looks like when they trot -- whether it's going away from or back to the judge in a straight line (coming & going) or trotting around the ring so the judge can see their sidegait. By giving her two different types of workouts -- aerobic as well as anerobic -- I can harden her topline, get some weight off of her and train those trotting muscles so that she won't break down if a judge asks her to go around the ring a dozen times or so. And judges will ask the dogs to do that because it is a great indicator of how structurally sound the dogs are. Keep in mind that Rottweilers were bred as drovers -- cattle and sheep -- and they were expected to be able to trot all day without getting tired. So, the workouts with Sundance are great for building muscle and the long sessions of trotting are great for building endurance and muscle memory.

It's no different than when I was running a lot. I'd do lots of miles (70 a week) at reasonable speeds to build endurance and cardiovascular fitness but to run fast you have to train your body to run fast. So, I'd do speed work on the track at 220, 440, 880 and mile distances so my body would know what it was like to run 5-minute miles. When I raced, I would try to combine the speed with the endurance and see if I could maintain that pace for the entire race distance -- 10K for example.

Jim