Wellness Wednesday: Exercise and Recovery for Sport Dogs

Q & A with Chad Dodd, DVM

Chad Dodd, DVM, founder of Animatas Consulting, has more than 20 years of animal health experience. Recently, he participated in a USDAA Facebook Live event: Exercise and Recovery for Sport Dogs, sponsored by #Get Moving YuMOVE. For those of you who missed it, here are a few of his responses; you can also view the entire session with detailed responses on nutrition questions and more here.

Why is it important for dogs to warm up? What are some good ways to warm up your dog?

For the canine athlete, warmup is really important. As a trainer or pet owner, you are the person who knows your dog best. You wouldn’t jump up and go for a sprint without warming up first as you’d probably get a Charlie horse or throw out your back. But why is that? Our muscles contract when we run and stretch them because the blood flows to them from the heart pumping. The idea of the warmup is like starting an engine, getting it pumping before using it. When our muscles aren’t in use, we need to stretch and get the blood flowing to them so we don’t injure them — the same thing goes for dogs. 

With most dogs, you open the door and they are ready to go. They aren’t thinking about warming up — they are thinking about wanting to play fetch or thinking about running around and having fun as they head outdoors. However, we need to help our dogs ease into it by putting them on a leash and allowing them to stretch their legs so they are warmed up. 

A warmup can be simple things like putting on a loose leash and practicing commands (sit, stay, heel) to reinforce your training while moving around to warm up. In addition to the physical warmup, the mental warmup will help get the brain engaged too. All of this is going to maximize your performance as your dog gets amped up.

How about cool down? Why is that important, and what are some good ways to cool down?

Cooling down is also important as you gradually reduce the heart rate and dissipate heat that has built up. Most owners know that dogs don't sweat. They get rid of the energy they build up through panting. That is why when you take them out of an activity, you want them to gradually slow down and gradually cool down to lower their breathing rate and heart rate, so you don't stress their system. From a biological perspective, it's a very stressful time in the body, and dogs are good about using aerobic exercise as a way to convert energy and utilize it. Simple things like a slow trot on the leash will allow them to cool down. I also encourage people not to do it too fast. For example, if you're outdoors and there's a lake, don't tell your dog to go jump in the lake — that would be an extreme body temperature change, and an abrupt change can sometimes be problematic. So just use simple things for cooling down like you would use for warming up.

Do dogs experience sport fatigue, like human athletes? How can we prevent that in our dogs?

This is a case where the owners really need to know their canine athletes. Some dogs can spend week after week doing the same kind of activity. There are two pieces to this: one is mental, and one is physical. You may see that your dog isn’t performing at the same level; maybe their run times are a little off, or they seem slow to start. It's important to figure out whether it is a mental fatigue, something physical, or both. 

With high-performing dogs, just like in human athletes, there is a mental piece to this; they get an adrenaline rush and excited. I would encourage people to think about the kind of training you're doing; know your dog and know where their limits are. It may be subtle little things that you notice. Maybe your dog didn't do as well and you think “oh it was a rainy day” or something else, but you need to pay attention. Notice if the performance issue happened every time they turned to the right, or something else if it is physical. The biggest thing is to pay close attention, and if you see something that isn't quite right, talk to your vet about it. 

One participant wrote in this question: My older dog is retired from competition (15 years old) but likes to play. Other than low jumps and contacts, are there things you can suggest to keep her safe as she ages but still wants to play?

For an old dog that is slowing down, variety is important; geriatric dogs may still think they are a puppy, so you can create variety in many ways. Instead of always turning left on a walk, turn right. For the dog that loved to play catch all day (like mine), you don’t have to throw the toy as far, and you can still have fun. You can teach old dogs new tricks and get great results. I encourage people to do that because it keeps your bond with your dog strong, especially for those athletes that are used to doing so much. 

What’s the role of sleep during sport recovery?

Sleep is important. We've all been sleep deprived, and we know how our body acts and performs when that happens. Sleep is an essential part of allowing our body to slow down and recharge. Dogs do sleep a lot, and it's important to allow them that time. I also tell people to notice the sleep position: some dogs like to be in the Superman position with their legs up; others cuddle up in a ball or like to stretch out on tile to dissipate heat. For our pets, it's really important for them to be on a routine and stay on a routine and have good sleep habits. Inappropriate sleep habits could be a sign of early dementia in dogs…. Those cues can be helpful in allowing us to intervene early.

Summary

There are three things that impact performance: genetics, nutrition and environment. Those three things have to work together. Everything we are talking about is important, including exercise, what you do in the home environment, and nutrition.

When it comes to nutrition, I tell people to find a trusted resource, like your veterinarian. People can get passionate about this subject and may just go on someone’s word, but without evidence, someone’s word isn’t reliable. When it comes to nutrition there are some basics for muscle recovery and optimization proteins, fats amino acids and things like anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. 

Watch the full discussion here.