MCINTYRE REHABILITATION
  • Home
  • What is Canine Rehabilitation?
  • Services
    • Elite Coaching Program
    • In-Person Canine Rehabilitation
    • Fitness evaluations
    • Our Story
    • Products
    • Online Consultations
    • Seminars and Workshops >
      • Sporting Dog Baseline Assessments
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • MCR Online Training
  • Functional Fitness Membership Site
  • Functional Fitness Challenges
  • My Dogs
Picture

Sport Breakdown: Fitness and Conditioning for the Agility Dog

10/8/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Karey Grisdale and Reason – IFCS Netherlands 2019
Does your agility dog have what they need to succeed?  
 
The key to success at whatever level you are in the sport of agility encompasses many different factors. One factor that is well known to reduce injury and improve performance and happens to be in your control actually happens off the agility field and in the canine gym!  
 
Think of any sporting venture you have attempted or currently train/compete at. Did you just do your sport-specific training, or did you have some other cross-training activities that you did to help improve your performance? Chances are, you completed specific exercises and workouts that would help to enhance and compliment your sport-specific training. 
 
For the past month, we’ve been taking a deep dive into the sport of agility; reviewing the history of the sport, potential injuries and how to prevent them. In our final instalment breaking down the sport of agility it is time to review the role of canine conditioning. Canine conditioning (aka fitness training) is important for all dogs, but particularly for our agility athletes. ​

Read More
1 Comment

Sport Break Down – Injury Prevention for the Agility Dog

9/14/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo submitted by Stacy Bols (True Colors)
Do you know the best way to treat an injury is to prevent it from happening in the first place? Whenever we do ANY physical activity with our dogs there is a certain amount of risk we take on. Accidents happen, but that doesn't mean we can't be proactive and help to reduce our dog’s chances of getting hurt. So, what can we do as their training partners and biggest advocates to reduce their chance of injury?
​

In our previous blogs breaking down the sport of agility we took a look at the physical demands and the potential injuries that can occur in the sport. While the physical demands of the sport are high and the injuries our dogs can experience can be frightening, we can still do a lot to prevent an injury from occurring! In Part Three of our agility sport breakdown we take a closer look at injury prevention strategies and the simple things we can do NOW to help our dogs avoid getting hurt in order to enjoy a long sporting career.  Let’s take a look at my top injury prevention tips for the agility dog. 
 ​

Read More
0 Comments

Sport Breakdown: Potential Injuries in the Agility Dog

9/3/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Gaius, a Cavalier, has a misstep and rolls while coming out the chute. (Teds Photo Reflex)
In any sport our dogs compete and train in there is always a potential for injury. The sport of agility, however, has a high degree of physical challenge and with that also comes a higher risk of injury. As a canine physio, my personal view is that an active lifestyle far outweighs the potential risk of an injury. One key part of injury prevention is becoming aware of the potential injuries your dog may experience in their sport as well as aspects of the sport (e.g. certain movements or obstacles) that are known to cause more strain on the dog’s body. Knowing the potential injuries of the sport means we can better prepare our dogs to avoid injuries and begin to recognize the signs and symptoms of an injury while it’s still in the early stages. This is critical as it’s not always obvious that our dogs are hurt or injured. With any high drive sport, particularly in agility, it is often very subtle signs that point towards an injury rather than something obvious or dramatic (e.g. severe limp). Our dogs have a lot of heart and love for the game and slowing down (due to pain or discomfort) does not come naturally to them. When their adrenaline is spiked, these dogs can push through anything! Although this may be desirable from a performance standpoint, it is can make injury identification far harder!!  
​

In Part Two of the Agility Sport Breakdown, we will review the obstacles and movements that cause more strain on the agility dog and then review potential injuries and the common signs and symptoms of these injuries.  ​

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Carolyn McIntyre

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    January 2019
    April 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017

    Categories

    All
    Canine Body Mechanics
    Chronic Condition
    Conditioning
    Injury
    Injury Prevention
    Performance
    Puppies
    Research Breakdown
    Sport Breakdown
    Training
    Weight Loss

    RSS Feed

Like us on Facebook


Our Story        Services        My Dogs        Blog        Contact        MCR Club

Physical Rehabilitation           Canine Conditioning        Injury Prevention         Teaching and Seminars         ​Products
  • Home
  • What is Canine Rehabilitation?
  • Services
    • Elite Coaching Program
    • In-Person Canine Rehabilitation
    • Fitness evaluations
    • Our Story
    • Products
    • Online Consultations
    • Seminars and Workshops >
      • Sporting Dog Baseline Assessments
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • MCR Online Training
  • Functional Fitness Membership Site
  • Functional Fitness Challenges
  • My Dogs