There is very little common knowledge or information available as to how to train, condition, feed, warm up and improve the performance of the canine athlete.
The majority of trainers understand that the best performance will come from a dog with the correct conformation for the particular sport area it participates in, and one which has been conditioned to peak physical and mental fitness.
They realise that dogs need to be trained and prepared for competitive events and that the best training programme addresses the specific needs of the dog in terms of training, exercise, nutrition, and avoiding injury.
But, most amateur competitors are not exactly sure how to prepare their dogs for canine sports. Just because your dog is active and runs around a lot doesn’t mean it is fit enough to take part in sporting events. And if you do participate in canine sports without properly preparing your dog, you significantly increase the risk of injury.
However a number of top trainers are starting to adapt and apply the principles of Human Sports Science to dogs in order to try achieve maximum performance.
Understanding the principles of Sports Science allows you to condition all your dog’s body systems to achieve peak physical and mental fitness. Sports training principles will help you to design a training and conditioning programme to suit your dog taking into account its specific skills requirement. An understanding of the correct feeding and nutrition of the canine athlete is important to give your dog the stamina, speed and endurance required, as well as keeping it healthy. And, a correct warm up routine is vital to prepare your dog before the event as well as a cooling down period after the event.
If you fail to properly prepare for competitive sports you are risking injuries to your dog.
By applying the principles of sports science to your canine athlete, you will know that your dog is properly conditioned and mentally prepared for whatever sport you both enjoy.
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