Clean Run - August 2018 - 47

Active Stretching

After the cardio work, the next part of warming up is active stretching.
* Play bow: Allows for spinal extension and forelimb stretch.
* Cookie stretches: Active range of motion stretches of the whole body. See Figure 4.
The Next Phase
After active stretching, you can add movements targeting specific limbs if the dog
has a pre-existing injury.
Transition Phase from Warm-Up to Competition
Human studies have shown that up to 10 minutes is optimal from warm-up to competition. This is not always possible, so mixtures of active and passive techniques are
used to stay warmed up during this phase.
Simply keep walking and moving for this period. Do not stop and allow the dog to sit
and wait. Coats are a good way to help the dog maintain core temperature. A different thickness coat can be used depending on the time of year, and in cold climates, a
heated coat can be used. Do not think the dog's natural coat is enough to maintain his
elevated core temperature. Again, human studies have shown an effective prolonging of the transition period to 30 minutes by the use of passive warming aids and an
increase in performance of up to 9 percent.

If you are competing in a sport such as agility that has multiple runs over the course of
the day, be sure to warm up before each run. The benefits of the first warm-up in the
morning will not carry over to the runs later in the day.
If you happen to have two runs that are back to back, you might consider a shorter
warm-up for the second run if the dog is already warmed up, his heart rate is elevated,
and he has not been crated.

Cool-Downs
Once the run is over, it is just as important to cool down your dog appropriately as it
was to warm him up.
* Sidestepping: Have the dog side
step for 65ft. This is a good proprioception exercise to activate awareness as well as engaging shoulder
and hip abductors and adductors.
* Low level jumps: These activate the
PAP system discussed earlier. Only do
four or five jumps.
* Left and right pivots: Do for a minute
or so. See Figure 3.

A cool-down period helps to lower the heart rate and respiratory rate which aids with
the removal of waste products from the muscles produced by the high-intensity exercise period. This, in turn, allows for quicker recovery and less muscle cramping. It
also enables the canine athlete to unwind mentally, which they need to do as much
as humans.
The cool-down also assists with stretching muscles, removing lactic acid build-up,
and reducing the changes in chronically tight muscles. The lactic acid build-up is a
result of normal strenuous activity and contributes to early muscle soreness and fatigue. Over time, shortened muscles will create less power and can potentially cause
uneven pressures on the articular cartilage but also lead to a variety of compensatory
issues in neighboring muscles.

We want our agility dogs to not only exert their best performance, but also maintain good health,
conformation, and complete activities without injury. Without warm-up and cool-down routines,
you can unintentionally put your dog at risk for a poor run, or worse, an injury. Canine agility
is an explosive sport and requires high muscle activity in short durations. It is also a demanding
athletic activity and requires dogs to perform tight turns, make difficult contact and weave entries,
and abruptly accelerate and decelerate.
August 18 | Clean Run

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - August 2018