Agility Dog Activity Load Measurement Using a Web-based Application and Handler-provided Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
There is very little information about the relationship between training load (duration and intensity of training activities) and risk of injury in agility dogs. In part, this is because we have very few ways to measure training load in canine athletes. In contrast, there is quite a lot of information on this topic for human and equine athletes. In this project we propose to perform preliminary testing of a very simple approach to quantifying training load in dogs.
More Information
Principal Investigator: Debra C. Sellon, DVM, PhD
Contact Information: Email – canineagilityresearch@wsu.edu
Eligibility: Participants must be 18 years of age or older and reside in the United States. You must be the handler of a specific dog which is currently competing with you as the handler in agility in the US. The dog may be competing in any US agility venue (e.g., AKC, ASCA, CPE, NADAC, UKI, USDAA) at any level. You and your dog should have no known injury or other circumstance that might impair normal activity. You must be willing to engage in all study activities including completion of a short (< 5 min) activity survey daily for 28 days (4 weeks) and participation in a follow-up survey and possible virtual focus group discussions that will occur using Zoom.
Participation: Participation in this study is completely voluntary. No details about yourself or your dogs will be used beyond what you choose to provide or directly approve in your answers. You may quit this project at any time and your information will not be included in our research if you quit before completion.
Estimated Time: This initial enrollment survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. If selected for participation, you will be asked to watch a training video that lasts approximately 15 - 20 minutes. For 28 consecutive days (4 weeks), you will be asked to complete a short (< 5 minutes) daily survey to document your dog's daily activities. The follow-up survey at the conclusion of the study should take about 10 minutes of your time. If you are asked to participate in a focus group discussion, this may take an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Costs and Payments: All participants in this project will be eligible for a random drawing to win one of 10 gift cards worth $100 each from Clean Run.
Help Future Generations of Dogs
Participate in canine health research by providing samples or by enrolling in a clinical trial. Samples are needed from healthy dogs and dogs affected by specific diseases.
