Clean Run - April 2013 - 30

WEAK
CORE

eventually decline and injure themselves often and have short careers.

Core strength can be achieved by exercising on physioballs, swimming,
wearing a weighted back pack, pulling
COMPENSATORY
ISSUES
weights, etc. And, specifically for develINJURY
POSTURE
oping the iliopsoas muscle strength,
CHANGE
you want motion where the dog will extend and flex the back such as walking
up hills, going through low tunnels, or
STRESSES
NEW
AND FORCES
crawling. You also want hip flexion with
REPETATIVE
CHANGE IN
MICROTRAUMA
BIOMECHANICS
sit-to-stands and crawls. You can encourage back and hip extension by luring the dog to put his front feet up on a
Pathophysiology of a weak core
bench or physioball and then luring his
head up and out so that he is reaching
and stretching for the goodie. I encourage you to seek out proper core conditioning
exercises for your performance or working companion.
Chiropractic & Massage
Preventative hands-on care is necessary for the canine athlete. Prophylactic veterinary
chiropractic care will ensure that the spinal segments are aligned. This will allow the
nerves that come off the spinal cord to be able to transmit impulses to the muscles and
tissues. Proper alignment of spinal segments will prevent inflammation of the surrounding tissues which can impinge on the nerves and decrease their conductivity. Also, a
skilled canine massage therapist can manipulate the proprioceptive sensory receptors:
the Golgi tendon organ (GTO) and the muscle spindle cells (MSC). When stimulated, the
GTO (at the musculotendinous junction) will relax a tense muscle. The MSC are found
in the belly of the muscles and respond to lengthening of the muscle. They can help

tonify the weak muscle when manipulated properly. A regular scheduled massage and spinal adjustment are very beneficial for the health of the canine athlete.
Proper Nutrition
A balanced diet with the appropriate vitamins and minerals is essential for the
active, athletic, and working dogs. The
demands that are placed on the bodies of
these canines will increase the nutritional
daily requirements since cell metabolism is higher and energy requirements
are increased and more free radicals are
formed as a product of metabolism and
cell turnover. What to feed and when to
feed is useful information (see my articles
in CR February and March 2013 for additional information).
Here is a little review of muscle physiology.
The muscle stores a small amount of fuel
that is used up immediately (in less than a
minute) at the start of intense exercise in
the form of creatine-phosphate. This can
be done without oxygen (anaerobic). Also,
glucose is used to produce energy in the
cells but is quickly used up over a few minutes. Meanwhile, carbohydrates are recruited to supply food to the muscle cells. The

YOU CAN HANDLE IT!
After many years of observation, study, experimentation, and practical application,
Linda Mecklenburg has arrived at a simple but comprehensive approach to agility handling that
is appropriate for all dogs and handlers, from the beginner to the most accomplished competitor.
Her books and DVDs describe how to communicate with your dog and eﬀectively cue him to perform
the challenges he will encounter on course. They are designed to be resources that you will refer
to for many years to come.

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Clean Run - April 2013

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