by Chris Imlach

When we watch athletics on television or attend a live event do we assume that the athletes turn up in their cars a couple of minutes before their run put on their shorts and running shoes and tear off at full speed around the track when the starting pistol goes off? No, of course we don’t we know that they will have gone through a thorough warm up session intended to minimise the risk of injury and to get their minds focused on the event in hand. So why do we ask our dogs to do it?

 

At every show competitors turn up with their dogs having spent a considerable time travelling, walk the course get their dog to the start line and expect it to perform without injuring it self, at top speed twisting and turning, jumping and weaving, running for 200 meters hopefully in under 30 seconds. Unfortunately many dogs will hide an injury doing agility to please the handler.

 

 

 

Note DYNAMIC FLEX not Static Stretching.
Assuming everyone at some time in their life has used or played with plastercine  you will know that if you try to stretch cold plastercine it snaps, where as if you warm it in your hands it becomes malleable and pliable, the same goes for muscle fibres, tendons and ligaments. If you carry out static stretching exercises with out warming up first you can cause serious injury. Both dog and handler should warm up before competing.

 

The Warm Up is intended to :-
Increase Body Temperature,
Increase Heart rate and Blood Flow,
Increase Breathing Rate,
Increase Elasticity of Muscle Fibre,
Activate the Neuro Muscular System,
Increase Mental Alertness,
Improve balance and Co-ordination.

 

These physiological changes enable the body to work safely and affectively.

 

The warm up must start gradually and increase in intensity and range of movement as it progresses.

 

 

 

Gradually warms the body using flowing movements.
This should start with the team walking slower than normal pace, the emphasis being on control and technique. A distance of about 35 meters (width of an agility ring) is adequate 2 or 3 repetitions up and down, changing the side the dog is on to achieve balanced movement. Increase speed to a walk, trot, canter and as fast a you can go, doing 2 or 3 repetitions of each, dog on each side. (Remember Control)

 

 

Continuation of warm up, allows a controlled start and allows dog to recall at a pace it is comfortable with. This starts to warm the muscles used for jumping. Several Reps.

 

 

Change of focus from controlled movement to faster pace using toy or target motivation, warming up the muscle groups required for faster movement. Start off by keeping the dog with you, throw the toy and release. Vary the dogs position, i.e. Standing, sitting, lying down.

 

 

With the pole set to a low height recall the dog over the hurdle, this increases the range of movement, warms up the muscle groups required for jumping and begins to flex the spine.

 

 

As recalls but this time as the dog approaches throw a toy to the side, this prepares the neuro muscular network for turns, increases flexing and continues muscle warm up. Throw the toy at a shallow angle to begin with, increasing the angle gradually,

 

 

Increases range of movement, continued warm up of Jumping Muscles, Joints, Tendons and Spine.
Introduces tighter turns and spins for more intense levels of exercise.

 

Now that we are warmed up and we have run a successful competition, what do we do next?

 

 

Having completed the task in hand your little athlete has performed at least some of its task an-aerobically, it’s muscles are gorged with blood, it is hot and it’s heart rate will typically be in excess of 250 beats per minute. (up to 400)
To return your dog to the car at this stage can cause muscle cramps including the heart, heat stress (strokes and fitting), tendon and ligament fatigue as they try to return to their pre-exercise state.

 

The body returns to its pre-exercise state more quickly if light exercise is performed during the recovery period.
 The increased blood flow helps to flush out waste products such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide reducing overall recovery time.
Warming down allows muscles to return to their normal temperature and is a good time to perform flexibility exercises.
It allows the athlete to physically and mentally relax, aiding recovery and reducing the risk of muscle soreness and injury.

 

The structure of the Warm Down is essentially the warm up in reverse, and will last for about 5 minutes.

 

The warm down begins with moderate movements, which gradually become less intense and smaller in amplitude.

 

Static stretches can also be incorporated in this phase if desired.

 

By Chris Imlach