Clean Run Magazine - April 2007 - 46

CE’S E C How to Warm Up By Debbie Gross Saunders, MSPT, OCS, CCRP Photos by Clean Run and Cool Down Now, how many people honestly warm up and cool down their dog before a performance event or practice? And how many of you warm up and cool down yourselves before and after an event or practice? I am fairly confident that many of you are reading this and squirming in your chair. Walking from the crate to the course or from the car to the rings does not count—sorry! Both handlers and dogs need proper warm up, stretching, and cool down. Could you perform a run without a warm-up and cool down? Absolutely. Could you continue in this fashion for a while? Absolutely. Could the lack of warm-up and cool down eventually lead to problems with the dog? Possibly. Could you play a significant role in preventing injuries in your dog with a proper warm-up and cool down? Absolutely. G The American College of Sports Medicine has taken a position on warm-ups for people, stating that an appropriate warm-up and cool-down period, inclusive of flexibility or stretching exercises, is recommended to develop and maintain cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and flexibility in healthy adults.1 Generally the current view in the sports medicine community is that warming up before exercise reduces the risk of injuries in humans.2 The exact amount of warm-up time needed is presently being studied in people, but it’s already been shown that warming up before exercise reduces muscle tears and tendon ruptures or tears. We also know that a warm-up before undertaking a psychomotor task, the physical arousal of a warm-up, aids in reaction time and movement times.3 And this data may easily be applied to our canine athletes. Much of the information we know about human medicine and treatments was first tested on animals, but we tend to apply the principles to the animals last. There have been many disputes recently about the need to stretch before physical activity for both humans and dogs. Observations by athletes and coaches have called into question the universal prescription of stretching for enhancing sports performance.4 It has been concluded, however, that in combination with proper warm-up, stretching will benefit the performance. Human athletes go through a routine before activity in the form of a warmup, stretch, activity, cool down, and then further stretch. When we work with canine athletes, the same routine should be followed. 46 YM The Warm-Up Benefits of a Warm-up A n appropriate warm-up is an essential part of your dog’s activities. A warm-up • Increases blood flow to the tissues, which increases delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the dog’s muscles • Prepares the dog’s body for stretching • Prepares the dog’s heart for the increase in activity • Primes the neuromuscular system, or the nerve to muscle pathways, to be ready for exercise • Provides physical arousal and improvement in reaction times When to Do Your Warm-up T h e warm-up program should be performed before each run, not only at the beginning of the day. Ideally, plan to bring the dog out and begin your warm-up 20 to 30 minutes before the activity begins. If the weather is cold or damp, or there has been a significant change in the weather— especially later in the day—plan to spend more time warming up the dog. In the fall and spring in many parts of the country, we could see 20° to 30° temperature changes throughout the day. The change in the weather could cause issues with the dog’s performance and cause an injury such as a muscle pull or tear, or aggravate an existing injury. Depending on the running order, it may be difficult to coordinate your course walk-through with a proper warm-up. If this is the case, remember: any warm-up Clean Run | April 07

Clean Run Magazine - April 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - April 2007