The ability to change hormone balances through diet and supplementation  with careful periodization of one’s training are the absolute KEY to avoiding overtraining while still being able to tolerate (and maximally benefit from) training stress at levels of frequency, duration, volume and intensity far beyond the normal.

There are some easy ways you can maximize your training effectiveness -- WITHOUT overtraining in the process -- through natural hormonal manipulation techniques of dieting and supplementing.
"Overreaching: An accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in a short-term decrement in performance capacity with or without related physiological and psychological signs and symptoms of overtraining in which restoration of performance capacity may take from several days to several weeks.
"Overtraining: An accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in a long-term decrement in performance capacity with or without related physiological and psychological signs and symptoms of overtraining in which restoration of performance capacity may take from several weeks to several months."

These two definitions are clearly identical except for the time periods involved. So we can put these definitions into clearer perspective:
In order to perform optimally, dogs must be adequately trained. However, if we train them too intensely and/or too often, they may be susceptible to short-term and/or long-term decrements in performance capacity as well as myriad reported physiological, medical, and/or other symptoms of overreaching and overtraining. While the etiology of overreaching and overtraining is completely understood, understanding the theorized pathophysiology, physiological and psychological markers, and possible ways to reduce the incidence of overreaching and overtraining may serve to decrease the prevalence of overreaching and/or overtraining.

Improper eating habits or supplementation can contribute to overtraining and overreaching. Since both are caused by stress, can we assume that the stresses of improper diet and lack of appropriate supplementation can also cause overtraining?  In fact, probably faster than training can! And what are the markers associatied with poor diet and supplementation?

Overtraining and overreaching have several markers (symptoms) that even non-scientists are able to discern. The table below describes some of the more common markers and identification methods that we can easily employ.

Overtraining and overreaching markers are generally different for anaerobic and aerobic athletes. The anaerobic activity remains in the ATP/CP and Glycolytic pathways of musclualr energetics, rarely (if ever) venturing into the aerobic pathway. Of course, this may not apply to those of you who ill-advisedly keep their dog endless hours on the treadmill. There is evidence that some of these markers are powerfully affected by both the composition and the frequency of the diet, and also by the use of various nutritional supplements.
 
 

Marker (Symptom)	Detection	Avoided By
Psychological Profile Changes	Mood changes such as irritability and inability to concentrate are among the easiest to detect.	Often, the diet is responsible. Controlling blood sugar has the net effect of altering hormonal balances in the body, particularly insulin, glucagon and the adrenal hormones.
Cardiovascular and Hematological Manifestations	Altered Heart Rate And Blood Pressure, as well as hematological alterations including iron status, protein status, electrolyte balance, phosphorus / calcium balance, elevated blood urea nitrogen, elevated uric acid, and a skewed lipoprotein balance (including cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids)	Radical changes in heart rate can signal overtraining. An occasional blood test is certainly in order for anyone in hard training in order to detect fluctuations in these markers which are frequently dietary in nature.
Changes In Endocrine (Hormone) Profiles		An occasional blood test is certainly in order for anyone in hard training in order to detect fluctuations in these markers
Musculoskeletal Problems	Abnormal aches and pains, nagging injuries that seem not to heal, or other related symptoms are usually brought on by "cumulative microtrauma," the most frequent cause of most symptoms and markers of overtraining.	When this happens, it’s frequently the result of improper periodization in training. However, if you feel that the training protocol is adequate, look to the diet and supplement protocol.
Immune Suppression Accompanying Illness Rates	Succumb easily to pathogens in the environment.	Resolve to begin periodizing the training, and follow some simple guidelines for dieting and supplementing such as those mentioned immediately below.
Appetite Suppression.	Muscle wasting or easily put on fat despite low calorie dieting.	Blood sugar levels that are both too high (hypo-glycemia) and too low (hyperglycemia) can cause this to occur. Clearly, this is a dietary problem that can easily be solved by feeding frequent (small) meals with adequate protein, carbohydrates (preferably low glycemic index carbs) and fat (preferably unsaturated fats such as canola or olive oil).

The Hormones and Overtraining:
The feeding, resting, training and supplementation has an effect on hormone balances. In turn, hormones will determine the rate of muscle growth and repair, and also  getting rid of fat or avoiding putting it on in the first place.
Steroidal hormones are produced from cholesterol in the gonads and the cerebral cortex, while polypeptide hormones are manufactured in the many other glands from various amino acid combinations. Hormones regulate almost all bodily functions. They regulate growth and development, and they regulate all forms of training responses including protein metabolism, fat mobilization and energy production. In fact, they do it all.
The hormones will act in three different ways, basically. They can alter the rate of synthesis of the cellular protein, change the rate of enzyme activity, or change the rate of transport of nutrients through the cell wall. Careful dieting and supplementing can help to overcome the effects of overtraining simply because many of the hormones are controlled by feeding and supplementation. Some of them can aid in avoiding overtraining.
Insulin: Insulin increases cellular uptake of glucose, which in turn causes increased synthesis of muscle glycogen. This leads to a decrease in blood-borne glucose, which causes a decrease in insulin production. During prolonged training, this reduction in blood glucose and the attendant decrease in insulin production causes an increase in the mobilization of stored fat. Insulin levels increases with too much carbohydrate in the diet, which in turn causes the glucose to be stored as fat. Wild fluctuations in the insulin level -- hypo- and hyperglycemia -- are easily avoided by careful control of the carbo-to-protein ratio at each  meal.
Glucagon: Lowered blood glucose (from prolonged exercise or not enough carbohydrates in the diet) stimulates the release of glucagon, which performs the opposite function of insulin. It raises the level of glucose in the blood by stimulating both glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in the liver. The glucose generated in this fashion is released into the bloodstream, thereby once again raising the insulin levels. The process of gluconeogenesis -- the conversion of liver glycogen into glucose -- activates yet another process. Blood-borne amino acids are taken up by the liver which can adversely affect the ability to grow because of the reduced availability of the amino acids during protein turnover promoted by exercise. Again, controlling the ratio of protein-to-carbohydrates meal per meal keeps glucagon at optimal levels for greater protein synthesis and avoiding fat deposition.
Cortisol: Cortisol is catabolic, which means it causes a breakdown of protein in the muscles. Increased cortisol secretion also acts as an insulin antagonist by inhibiting glucose uptake and utilization. High cortisol levels causes the liver to split the fat molecules that are mobilized via cortisol activity into ketoacids. High levels of these ketoacids in the extracellular fluid can cause a dangerous situation to persist called ketosis. This is a common occurrence among those individuals who have been on a carbohydrate-restricted diet . This is also a good reason to do the diet planning well in advance of the show.

The above-noted chain of events is quite controllable, as it happens, and doing so will improve the chances of avoiding overreaching or overtraining by:

1. keeping the workouts short and intense,
2. regulating the amount of fat, protein and carbohydrates in each meal, and
3. The prudent use of nutritional supplements and hormones