Warm-up and cool-down for the active dog

A cold muscle is less elastic and responds worse to a sudden change of direction or an explosive sprint. The warm-up gradually raises blood flow and temperature in the muscles, improves joint lubrication and also prepares the nervous system to coordinate fast movement. Skipping this phase means asking the body for peak performance without any warning.

The cool-down works the other way. After intense effort, easing the intensity gradually helps heart rate and breathing return to normal and avoids the stiffness many dogs show the day after intense activity tackled cold and ended abruptly. It is also the moment to watch the dog calmly and notice slight limps or sore spots that went unnoticed in the excitement of play.

The warm-up is not static stretching, which makes no sense on an unconditioned, cold dog. It is movement of rising intensity, from slow to fast, that takes the body from rest to effort gradually. A few minutes are enough, and the rule is to increase the effort by steps.

1. 1

   Slow walk on the flat

   Start with a few minutes of calm walking, no tight lead, so muscles and joints warm before any sprint.

2. 2

   Brisk pace and gentle turns

   Raise the pace to a light trot and add soft curves left and right, which prepare the dog for changes of direction.

3. 3

   A few short accelerations

   Alternate stretches of trot with brief bursts, without yet asking for the maximum sprint. The aim is to raise the heart rate, not to tire.

4. 4

   Simple mobility movements

   If the dog knows them, ask for a few slow sits and stands, a turn each way and a pass under a leg, gentle movements that loosen the back and limbs without forcing.

5. 5

   Only now the intense activity

   Once the dog moves loose and responsive, move on to the game or the sport itself. The jump from rest to sprint has been filled, not removed.

The cool-down is the warm-up in reverse: you reduce intensity by steps instead of going from a run to rest in an instant. It brings heart rate and breathing back towards normal and avoids next day stiffness.

1. Drop the pace from fast to trot and then to a walk, with no hard stops.
2. Finish with a few minutes of slow, relaxed walking until breathing settles.
3. Offer cool but not iced water in small amounts, avoiding the dog gulping it all'at once.
4. Watch the gait calmly, looking for slight limps, altered footfalls or reluctance to bear weight on a limb.
5. Let the dog rest somewhere dry and not too cold, avoiding a sharp chill on a dog that is hot from effort or wet.
6. Delay the main meal, because eating right after intense effort is not ideal and in some dogs is a factor to manage carefully.

The cool-down is also the moment to check the pads and the spaces between the toes, especially after activity on hot tarmac, abrasive ground, snow or ice. A small cut or the start of irritation caught at once is easier to manage than one discovered days later.

Many dogs cannot pace themselves: they keep playing or running even when they should stop, driven by excitement or a wish to please. It is up to the person with them to read the signals and stop before fatigue becomes risk.

Warm-up and cool-down reduce risk, but they do not replace a sensible progression of load. Most overload injuries come from raising distance or intensity too fast, often concentrated at the weekend after days of inactivity. Condition is built through regularity, not through single extreme outings.

• Increase distance or intensity gradually, with no sudden jumps from one week to the next.
• Spread activity across the week instead of concentrating it in one long outing.
• Alternate intense effort with low impact activity, so tissues recover between sessions.
• Match the load to age and condition: puppies, seniors and overweight dogs need more cautious progressions.
• Mind the surface the dog works on, because hard repetitive ground stresses joints more than soft, varied terrain.
• Before starting a sport programme or greatly raising the load, have the dog assessed by the vet, in particular the joints.

Keeping a simple record of how much and how the dog moves helps avoid the spikes that lead to injury. Knowing that the weekend is always far more intense than the other days is already half the work of correcting course.