Something that I have found many working dog handlers overlook is the warming up and cooling down of their dogs pre and post exercise. Neglecting to do this can put the dog at risk of injury and put them out of action. In extreme cases related conditions can be fatal.
A warm up is a gentle movement that serves the purpose of gradually raising the heart and respiratory rates, loosens joints and increases blood flow to the muscles, warming them up and providing them the nutrients they need to work well under pressure. This gentle movement before intense physical activity prepares the body for what it is about to do and significantly reduces the chance of injuries such as tears or sprains. The ideal warm up should last at least 10 minutes with the ideal time being around 20 minutes to half an hour.
For dogs, when you reach the working destination you can walk them gently, do some slow trotting and stretch their legs for them. If dogs are scenting from a ute or bike (such as pig dogs do) and jumps are few and far between, it is important to regularly pause to repeat the warm up. If you start a hunt but have significant time gaps between pigs and do not continue warm ups, then the dog is still running off cold bodied and is still at risk of sustaining an injury.
Cooling down is of the same importance as warming up and has similar principles. Cooling down is supposed to be gentle movement to help restore the body back to its resting state and recover from the exercise before the next activity happens. Cooling down lowers the heart and respiratory rates, cools the muscles down, assists with the removal of lactic acid and prevents blood pressure dropping significantly- and subsequent fainting, which can occur when heavy exercise is stopped abruptly resulting in blood pooling around large muscles.
Once again, for dogs cooling down can be a gentle walk and assisted stretches for approximately 20 minutes. If warming up and cooling down is done correctly, it gives your dog the ability to use their body even better for you, bringing results and keeping them safe at the same time. Warming up and cooling down doesn’t only make an immediate difference in performance ability and recovery but also increases your dog’s working life by taking care of joints and muscles and extending their working ability. For a treatment that’s done with your own two hands, costs nothing and takes up a small amount of time in the big scheme of things, it makes a big difference for your dog while it works, and can save you a lot of money by preventing vet bills created when injuries or tie up happen.
Essential Canine Care 