So now that Max and I are really working hard with our sheep herding, it's time to really being thinking about the possiblity of injuries to both him and I, although more him then anything. I'm looking at investing in some sort of protection for my busted up knee but what I'm most worried about is, are there any stretches I can do for Max that might help prevent injuries? With Maggie I often have to massage and stretch her hip, but what should I do, if anything with Max to help prevent injury? This is a concern for the simple fact that in herding, you are forever switching directions, turning on a dime and making short fast burst of speed. Any advice or tips would be awesome!
I have no advice for you there, ive never stretched any of my dogs. Is your dog old?
Maggie isn't even three years old yet, and Max is not quite two years old yet. Maggie was wrestling with a much larger dog at the top of my moms basement stairs when she was only about 8ish months old and things got out of hand. Harley grabbed Maggie's back leg and yanked her down a couple of stairs to carry on their play. When Harley pulled ( and she never meant to hurt Maggie, just two very young dogs playing ) Maggie down the stairs by her leg she partly dislocated Maggie's hip and ripped every muscle and tendon from the top of her hip joint and into her lower back all the way down to her foot.
well i could understand worrying about maggie... but not max? Hes almost two, hes got all the ability to move quick and do whatever. But i guess if you want to stretch him out... do a warm up with playing ball or going for a walk. LOL that is the best advice i could give.
maybe someone else has better ideas then my own But personally with him being young and all i think hes fine. Good luck with the herding!
Always a good idea to get them warmed up - any athlete will tell you that
We used to have the first 5 mins of Agility sessions warming the dogs up making sure they were balanced.
I usually have taught my dogs a 'Stretch' Command (play bow)and we start with that and jumping up me (Push) then we do some left and right heelwork then some spins and twists and circles around me..
Big thing to remember is to keep them balanced - don't over work one side.
Sweet! Those might actually work with our balancing for herding. I will have to give some of those a try because I worry about taking him fresh from the truck and into the field. The aim of the game is always having fun but being safe about it as well. Because of all my problems with Maggie I really don't need a second lame dog in the house. It breaks my heart to see Maggie so painful sometimes, injuries can happen to any age of dog, but I read that working dogs no matter their age are always at a much higher risk of injuries, pulled muscles, torn tendons and the like. Better safe then sorry I always say!
Quote:Before performing the stretches, walk your dog, building to a trot over the course of five to 10 minutes. This activity should increase the dog’s heart rate by 40 to 60 percent.
Next come the stretches:
Hip flexors: These muscles allow the hip to contract when the dog trots or runs. With your dog standing, gently grasp one of his back legs above the knee and slowly move the leg back, so it’s extended straight out behind his body. When you feel resistance, hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat two or three times with each leg. If your dog appears to be in pain, have his hips examined by a veterinarian.
Shoulder flexors: With your dog standing, gently grasp a front leg above the elbow and move the leg forward, as if the dog was giving a high five. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, repeating two or three times with each front leg.
Back stretch: With the dog standing, use a treat to lure his head gently toward his tail. The dog’s body should bend in a C shape. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, repeating two or three times on each side.
This is what I was given for Ari. I also have her stand with her front paws on the fence and run my hands down her spine, starting at the shoulder, and onto her back legs a few times. She always has a nice long stretch after.
IMO, no need.
My grandfather will let his 4 working Kelpies off the lead, jump on the bike and they'll run straight off to 20km.
If you really are worried, simple walking for 2-3 minutes will do the job, but honestly, there really is no need
howcouldi Wrote:IMO, no need.
My grandfather will let his 4 working Kelpies off the lead, jump on the bike and they'll run straight off to 20km.
If you really are worried, simple walking for 2-3 minutes will do the job, but honestly, there really is no need
Hummm......you think its Ok for an animal to into full pelt working with cold muscles?
Tassle Wrote:howcouldi Wrote:IMO, no need.
My grandfather will let his 4 working Kelpies off the lead, jump on the bike and they'll run straight off to 20km.
If you really are worried, simple walking for 2-3 minutes will do the job, but honestly, there really is no need
Hummm......you think its Ok for an animal to into full pelt working with cold muscles?
....come now, they are dogs.
Do you think in the wild they stretch up before hunting?
howcouldi Wrote:Tassle Wrote:howcouldi Wrote:IMO, no need.
My grandfather will let his 4 working Kelpies off the lead, jump on the bike and they'll run straight off to 20km.
If you really are worried, simple walking for 2-3 minutes will do the job, but honestly, there really is no need
Hummm......you think its Ok for an animal to into full pelt working with cold muscles?
....come now, they are dogs.
Do you think in the wild they stretch up before hunting?
Err...yes.....
They get up - go through greetings and then will start hunting - tracking first (usually at a slow pace) and then only speeding at full pelt when they are in chase. (Talking wolves here as dogs of course, are more scavengers than hunters)
We are expecting our dogs to get out of the car, Stand about (sometimes in cold weather) then go into full flood working.
I have seen numerous injurys on dogs through doing agility/Flyball and even just out walking when people just allow them to go into full flood running without warming them up first.
Its a pet hate of mine as it is SO unnecessary - for the sake of 5 mins.
If Lance was in the wild he wouldn't be a scavenger. He would be recruited by a pack of Wolves and quickly become Alpha Male. He would be the smallest, fluffiest Alpha in history.
j/k, he'd be terrified of Wolves I think.
After Lance hurt his leg I have tried to warm them up before any intense activity. I never really thought much about it before but obviously it cant hurt. I'd like to start doing what Tassle described. A sort of balance warm up.
Hold on a second. There is a difference between warming up and stretching, lets make that clear. Stretching with cold muscles does more harm than good. Stetching is to be done after exercise, warming up is before.
Any kind of movement is warming up the muscles. Whether for 20 seconds or 20 minutes. Any kind of movement gets blood pumping, which is essentially what is warming the muscles. Even spinning in a circle three or four times is enough to warm a dog up.
They arn't people.
Well I used the techniques you guys gave me this sunday and he did seem a bit more supple although it's hard to tell with only one stretch on him. He seemed to quite enjoy being stretched out and flexed, but he's always been good with being handled. While some might say it's a waste of time if I can avoid one pulled muscle or torn ligiment after only a few minutes of warming up and stretching instead of weeks of rehab then I will take the five minute waste of time. I used to play sports so I don't need to be schooled on warming up muscles before stretching them. What I'm wondering is this though, you say they are not human, therefore they don't need to be warmed up and stretched before hard work.. What makes their muscles and joints different then your or mine? When do we draw the line on performance animals compared to humans? I always warmed up and stretched my horses before working them, so why is it that my performance horse requires a warm up and stretch before riding, but my performance working dog does not require it? Why is it that I need to walk my horses out before putting them away for the night, but my dog is allowed to jump out of my truck cold, run till he drops, then loaded back up for a nice meal and a nap? So my new question is, what is the difference? Horses in the wild don't warm up and stretch before running, yet we are required to do it to prevent lameness. Is my vet on drugs and out to waste my time and money? Am I gullable for listening? It's not just animals that require being warmed up either, I can't just jump in my truck, do a burnout in it and race down the highway, or my rod will be hanging out of the side of my block. ( Sorry, the mechanic in me screamed that one. xD ) Ok. Enough said, sorry to have caused a disagreement, I will get off my soap box and carry on with life.
howcouldi does make a good point. With humans we warm up with light exercise, then do our workout, and
then stretch. So wouldn't it be the same with dogs? This became the norm after it was discovered that stretching before exercise can lead to injuries. So maybe that's how you should go about it.
