Clean Run Magazine - January 2008 - 17

DG: How did you develop your running style and training methods? SNAPSHOT AR-C: Even before I started to adopt Linda’s handling methods, I primarily used body cues versus verbal cues, and I always tended to handle from in front. Teaching at Linda’s camp and taking lessons led me to a greater understanding of how dogs take and use body cues. Linda helped me add ﬁnesse to my handling skills. Although at the time I was also working some with Greg Derrett, Linda’s system matched my needs and I’ve adopted a lot of her handling methods into my own system. Wish is a natural athlete who can collect or extend ﬂuidly, but Catcher is harder to handle. She used to get obstacle focused and then ignore my cues. By implementing Linda’s training methods, I can give earlier cues and that helps Catcher to turn tighter and be more responsive. And, pushing through the rough times with Catcher, pushed me to the next level in my own handling and teaching. DG: In addition to your all-out, burn-rubber front crosses, you are also known for your dogs’ incredible running contacts. Do all your dogs have running contacts? AR-C: Actually, yes. Robby was my guinea pig. She started with two-on/two-off contacts but then I played around with different methods for teaching running contacts. With Player and Catcher, I began organizing my training into an actual methodology. With Wish, I actually started with four on the ﬂoor—though we didn’t actually Catcher call it that at the time. I had students who needed to use this method so I wanted to teach it to one of my dogs. Wish got nominated, though I very quickly changed to running contacts with her also. DG: How did your methodology for training running contacts develop? Ali and Kid, at the 2005 USDAA Grand Prix Finals Handler: Ali Roukas-Canova Home: Port Murray, New Jersey Occupation: Full-time agility trainer Training Affiliation: Mountain Freaks Agility Current Agility Vehicle: Full-sized GM Denali Dogs: ADCH MACH2 Sagehill Catcher, JCH-Bronze, SM, SACH-Silver, TM-Bronze, GM, RM, a.k.a. Catcher, 7-year-old Border Collie ADCH MACH2 Wishful, JCH, TM-Gold, SACH-Silver, SCH, TM-Silver, RM, GM, a.k.a. Wish, 7-year-old Border Collie Intention, MAD, MX, MXJ, a.k.a. Kid, 5-year-old Border Collie, TM-Silver, SAM, JM, GM Holiday’s Out of the Blu, MX, MXJ, CD, a.k.a. Robby, 13-year-old English Springer Spaniel Most memorable moment in agility: At the 2006 USDAA Nationals in Phoenix, I won the semifinals in Grand Prix and placed 5th in the ﬁnal. Those two runs in particular were special. Catcher gave me 110% on those runs. Her accuracy and speed were incredible. She was on ﬁre. In fact, she was under 30 seconds in the semiﬁnal run. AR-C: I wanted accuracy but I also wanted speed. I knew I absolutely didn’t want to stop my dogs. I wanted to run and run fast so I could win at the national and international level. Big dogs at the time were not training running contacts so I knew this was an advantage that I could exploit. I initiated the system with Player so I knew what I wanted. By the time I was training Catcher, she never stopped on the A-frame or dogwalk. DG: Do you teach all your students running contacts? If not, why? AR-C: No, deﬁnitely not. The majority do two-on/two-off contacts for several reasons. Many of my students at Mountain Freaks simply want to compete locally. They can be and are successful without running contacts. They also may not want to devote the time to training running contacts, and some don’t have equipment at home. This is a must. Running contacts require training four to ﬁve times per week. Although I developed the DVD Running Contacts! for teaching running contacts, I mostly teach the system in private lessons to a few highly competitive teams. DG: What makes a successful agility team? Wish AR-C: I think as a trainer/handler you must accept responsibility for putting the training into the dog and then you must get yourself to the level of handling your dog needs. A successful team requires both a thoroughly trained dog and a thoroughly trained handler. January 08 | Clean Run Most forgettable moment in agility: This past fall I ran Kid at an AKC trial in New York. On the Jumpers course, I underestimated the size of my stomach (being six months pregnant) and ran into a jump stanchion, knocking the whole jump over. Luckily, Kid had already taken the jump so we qualiﬁed anyway. 17

Clean Run Magazine - January 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - January 2008