Minnesota Disc Dog Club Forums

I was curious, what sort of warm up people do with their dogs and for how long before doing a Toss and Catch comp.? I think Mikko is ready to start doing Toss and Catch at competitions and was trying to think of ways to warm him up before hand.

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Laura Caldwell
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Laura and Dalen's Crew:
CH Ruler CGC RA RL2- The naughty basenji
Cruiser CGC RL1- The very naughty chi mix
Mikko- The crazy, disc loving, flyball chasing, weight pulling, dock jumping, Brittany
Lakota CGC- The lovable Pitty

We do a lot of walking before, during & after. I do some stretching with both dogs, not much. We also do a little ball throwing. Definitely get them out 2-3 competitors ahead of your turn & walk them, potty them etc. Do a little focus work too. Everyone will have their own ideas for their dogs. This is just a start.

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If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other.
If you do not talk to them, you will not know them and what you do not know you will fear.
What one fears, one destroys.

~Chief Dan George~

It really depends on the dog. For Jun, I just take her out to potty and walk/jog her around a little. Maybe a short toss or two, but usually not. In hot weather, she wears out really quickly and I want her at full steam on the field. Some dogs will be overly-crazy to the point of missing discs if you put them on the field cold, but that has never been an issue for Jun.

For me, it's more important to warm up myself. If you can throw on the field (it's usually open for practice before the comp starts) do so. A bit before your round, check on what the wind is doing and find another place to throw, ideally in the same direction you'll be throwing on the field. Playing catch with a friend can help calm nerves until you're up.

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Tania, Lok, Jun & Elo

Can't add much here except to second the point of warming yourself up. Success comes from being able to put the disc in a position for the dog to catch without wasted effort.

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TeamGrady - Paul, Shelley, Grady and Shiner
Saving one dog won't change the world, but the world will change for that one dog!

Something else that's important to do is cooling them down before re-crating. Slow jog or walk for about 5 minutes should be good. If it's hot, look for the kiddie pool.

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SheltieScirocco > Abby | Zac | Zoey