So how do you warm up your dog before training or competing in Dog Agility? Take it for a toilet walk? Throw a ball? Do a few jumps? Kelly Daniel from Hybrid Dog Training is here to tell you that you can have increased performance, and decreased chance of injury from a more deliberate warm-up, and by excluding some of the above activities!
Kelly has recently collaborated on a new online theme for the OneMind Dogs learning platform — Canine Conditioning! This exciting collaboration is all about getting your dog fit and ready for dog agility, preventing injuries and maximising performance.
The importance of a warm-up for agility dogs
Unfortunately, there is little specific research relating to performance dogs and warm-ups, but experts in the area such as Dr David Levine (University of Tennessee) are confident that the human research and guidelines are transferable to performance dogs. The American College of Sports Medicine’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription recommends (for people) that each exercise session should be preceded by an appropriate warm-up, and followed by a cool-down.
The purpose of a warm-up is to reduce the chance of injury, and increase performance. This occurs because a sufficient warm up increases blood flow and temperature of muscles, and physically prepares the body for the activities that will be performed by activating muscles and moving joints through their range of motion.
The benefits of a good warm-up may include:
- Enhanced muscle contraction time
- Faster reaction time
- Improvements in force and power
- Increase in speed of oxygen release by hemoglobin (due to increased temperature)
- Increased blood flow to muscles, and venous return
- Increased rate of metabolic reactions
An appropriate warm-up is aiming to move all muscles and joints through a full range of motion, as well as increasing the dog’s body temperature. It’s important to consider that the warm-up can be made specific to the activity that the dog is going to perform. This gives the additional benefit of both physically and mentally preparing the dog for the subsequent activity. We also want to consider individual needs of the dog, for example if a dog routinely has tight hip flexors after agility adding a hip flexor specific stretch.
Treadmill warm up prior to fitness work:
Warm up prior to agility training:
So what could be included in your dog’s warm-up?
Here’s a list of the different exercises you might choose to put into your dog’s warm-up.
Essential:
- 5 minutes of gentle on lead walking (this can be your toilet walk!):
- 5-10 minutes of trotting. This may include handler changes of directions (like front crosses), and circles of varying size and direction. (ESSENTIAL)
And then range from the following, generally increasing in intensity:
- Rotation between positions e.g.
- Sit to stands
- Down to stands
- Sit – down – sit
- Individual paw targets
- Moving downs
- Reversing
- Side stepping
- Spins and twists,
- Handler leg weaving
- Sit, wait, recall sprint
- Any sports specific skills you want to do e.g. some jump skill warm up
- Active stretches e.g.
- Stretch forwards and up (tip toe – great for hip flexors / iliopsoas)
- Say prayers (great for chest, shoulders and neck)
- Cookie stretches (neck and back)
- Extended beg (hamstrings)
A simple warm up prior to a walk and some fitness exercises:
Example of a more extensive warm up:
It’s also interesting to note that passive range of motion stretches (these are when the handler stretches the dog, instead of the dog controlling the stretch) can actually decrease the dog’s performance. For this reason, we should only perform active stretches, where the dog controls the level of stretch, before any physical activity.
Passive vs active stretch example:
Tip toe to nose hip flexor (iliopsoas) stretch:
Cookie stretches:
A warm-up will only ‘last’ for around 15 minutes, and is best performed within minutes of the sporting activity. The use of products such as Back on Track coats may contribute to keeping muscles and body temperature high, therefore helping keep your dog ‘warm’.
It is important to avoid concussive ballistic activities such as chasing a ball, or jumping over a series of agility jumps until the dog is sufficiently warmed up as this may cause damage. It is also important to consider that excessive warm up may cause muscles to build up lactic acid (a by-product of muscle activity), which may cause fatigue, potentially contributing to injury.
Cooling down agility dogs
A cool down is required for your agility dog to decrease soreness, and can also decrease muscle recovery time. I also like to use the cool down to watch for any changes in gait or indication that the dog is sore.
Cool downs can:
- Prevent blood pooling in extremities
- Help balance venous return and cardiac output, that can contribute to cardiac related issues such as fainting
- Enhance the recovery of energy stores
If you had sufficient time your cool down could be a reverse of your warm up, from more intense to less intense activities. However most of us just don’t have time for this. An appropriate cool down could include gentle trotting working down to walking, massage, and gentle range of motion activities and stretches.
After a day of agility, I also include some bodywork as a part of the recovery process. Massage, or bodywork, is useful to help your dog relax, help circulation which will aid in the recovery process by moving lactic acid from the tissues, and also help you identify areas of tension, heat, or soreness.
Introduction to bodywork:
So what could this look like at an agility competition?
The problem with agility shows is the unpredictable nature of when you will run. This becomes especially difficult if you are running multiple dogs, across multiple classes.
Here’s what to consider:
- Can you time your first initial long warm up for each dog competing between course walking, and the dog’s first run?
- What can you do to ensure that your dog doesn’t get cold while waiting for the next run?
- Can you plan a series of activities / tricks that you do as a routine from the vehicle, to the check in / marshaling area?
- Do you really need to practice every little difficult part of the sequence in the run, on the practice jumps?
- Can you plan a route to trot, and then walk the dog, when you exit the ring to give them a little cool down. I plan a ‘long way back to the vehicle’ that forces us both to have some cool down time.
- How many runs is too many for the fitness level of your dog? Injuries are most common when the dog’s muscles are fatigued.
A strong start for every agility run
Warming up your agility dog isn’t just about a quick toilet walk or a few jumps—it’s about boosting performance and preventing injuries. A well-planned warm-up ensures your dog is physically and mentally ready, with muscles primed and joints moving smoothly.
Whether your goal is sharper reactions or smoother runs, intentional warm-ups will make all the difference. Remember, tailoring exercises to your dog’s needs and sport can enhance results and keep them in top shape. And don’t forget a cool-down afterward to aid recovery and reduce soreness!
If you want to dive deeper into fitness routines that boost your dog’s well-being and performance, check out our Canine Conditioning online course —developed with the amazing Kelly from Hybrid Dog Training. It’s the perfect way to make fitness fun and effective!
