Most agility handlers spend more time warming up their dogs than themselves—checking paws, doing mini drills, and making sure their dog is primed for the course. Meanwhile, their own muscles, joints, and nervous system are left cold, stiff, and unprepared for the high demands of agility.

Walking your dog to the start line doesn’t count as a warm-up, and skipping it can mean slower reactions, missteps, and soreness that ruins your weekend.

A proper handler warm-up only takes 5 minutes and can transform your performance, keep you injury-free, and make you feel sharp from the very first run.

Whether you’re running one dog, juggling four, or just starting out, you’ll find all your warm up answers here. Or, you can listen in on my Podcast.

A real warm-up isn’t optional—it’s how you prepare your body to perform at its best.

Walking your dog to the ring doesn’t get your nervous system firing or your stabilizer muscles ready for the demands of agility.

Warm-ups increase blood flow, raise body temperature, and activate the core, glutes, and postural muscles that protect you in tight turns and sudden stops. They also help your body adapt to unfamiliar surfaces so you’re less likely to roll an ankle or feel sore two days later.

Skipping this step means starting cold and risking performance and injury.

• Boosts blood flow and body temperature

• Activates stabilizers (core, glutes, feet)

• Sharpens reaction time and precision

• Prepares joints for different trial surfaces

Handlers who consistently warm up see real changes in how they move and recover.

Their footwork gets faster and cleaner, with fewer stumbles and quicker changes of direction. Their posture improves, especially in deceleration, which makes tight turns safer and more effective. They bounce back more quickly during the day and feel far less wrecked on Monday mornings.

Most importantly, clean, intentional movement makes handler–dog communication smoother and more reliable.

• Faster, cleaner footwork

• Stronger posture in turns and stops

• Quicker recovery during and after trials

• Smoother, clearer handler–dog communication

A solid handler warm-up only takes 5–6 minutes and follows a simple formula. Start with dynamic movement—leg swings, arm circles, or light jogging. Move into agility-specific drills like shuffles, karaoke steps, quick footwork patterns, and even practicing front crosses in slow motion.

Add in light jumps or calf raises (if jumps aren’t knee-friendly) to prep for power. Finish with 30 seconds of mental rehearsal to get your head in the game before grabbing your dog.

• Begin with dynamic movement

• Add agility-specific drills (shuffle, karaoke, footwork)

• Include light jumping or calf raises

• End with a short mental rehearsal

🏆 [CLICK HERE – Grab your FREE WarmUp EBook!] 🏆

If you’re running multiple dogs, you don’t need a full routine every single time—but you do need mini warm-ups. A warm up will last you 15-30 mins.

Between runs, just 90 seconds of quick marching, squats, calf raises, or pogo hops can reset your system.

If it’s been more than 30 minutes since your last run, do another full warm-up. The key is consistency: have a “parking lot version” for space and a “ringside version” for tight areas. Pay attention to how much smoother your runs feel when you’re warmed up—that reinforcement makes the habit stick.

• Mini warm-ups = 90 seconds between runs

• Full warm-up if >30 minutes between runs

• Keep both parking lot and ringside versions ready

• Use better-feeling runs as motivation to stay consistent

Not sure if you should warm up again? Our favourite rule of thumb … if it were your DOG, would you warm them up?

Agility is a real sport, and your warm-up is your chance to treat your body like the high-performance system it is.

By priming your muscles, joints, and nervous system before you run, you set yourself and your dog up for safer, sharper, and more successful runs.

The difference is immediate—you’ll feel stronger on your first run instead of waiting until midday to “find your stride.”

Want a simple, follow-along warm-up you can use this weekend?

🏆 [CLICK HERE – Download our free Warm-Up Guide for Agility Handlers] 🏆

Get step-by-step routines (with videos!) that fit right into your trial day.

PS. There are BOTH video and audio warm ups. So you can watch and learn, OR listen in on the sidelines 💅🏼