Hi

Just wondered what you all do to warm your dogs up before a run at a show?

Vince has his first grade 1 show at the weekend and has 3 runs. Don't think I'm going to have time for a proper walk before we go but want to make sure that he is warmed up.

I do:
- if possible a few toy throws (or send to a toy if throwing isn't allowed or there are lots of dogs around)
- circling around me (both ways)
- stop/start (in a line - run then instant down, repeated - I'm also running which warms me up too)
- a couple of spins each way
- a little tugging
- in the queue, when there are 3 or 4 dogs to go, I do a few tricks - high hand touches, up/down, reverse - roll over if I have space. If it's a long queue, I may take the dog a little way away and do some more circle work to keep warm.

Also, don't forget to cool him down - walking around, letting him relax - before you put him back in your car/crate.

There are a few courses around now on fitness/conditioning/warm-up/cool-down. It's worth doing one of these, and also don't forget to warm up yourself.

Hope this helps.
:)

this gets my goat at training, the sheer amount of ppl that get their dogs straight out and expect them to work headwallbash

THanks Carol that's really helpful. I've printed it off as a reminder!!!

Haven't seen any of those courses - will have a look on agility net