Clean Run - January 2020 - 5

January 2020
By Brenna Fender

It's a new year, and once again, it's time for new beginnings!
For Clean Run magazine, moving to "digital only" is definitely a fresh start. We know some of you are still sad about
it; we get it-so are we! But we've been investigating some of
the new technological options available to us in the digital
world that weren't possible when there was a paper magazine
involved as well. There are some really cool things that can
be done. It might take us a while to determine what would
best serve our readers, but we are looking into it now. We will
keep you posted.
So, 2020 is the beginning of a new decade. 20/20 also stands
for perfect eyesight. What do you need to take a closer look
at this year? Your handling? Your contact training? Your attitude? Your mental game? Are you dissatisfied with your agility experience in some way? What needs to be done to fix it?
What if 2020 is your year of really looking hard at yourself
with the goal of increasing your enjoyment of agility and life
in general?
Recently, I attended an agility trial. I don't get the opportunity to trial very often these days, thanks to a life that's full
of a lot of other responsibilities. When I do, we don't qualify
a lot because my dog runs at the speed of light, and I don't
run, well, at all, pretty much. At this trial, the last two runs
of the day were classes I didn't "need" for a title. I entered for
the fun of it and decided to try to handle it from a small box
designated in one area of the course. I had never done that
before, but I gave it a try. While we didn't qualify (my dog
flew off the dogwalk contact), upon reflecting on the trial,
I realized that the most fun I'd had all day had been on the
runs where I tried that bonus box work. The much "needed"
Q we earned in another class was not the run I kept thinking
about when the day was over.
I'd only tried the distance challenge because I didn't need
the Q, but really, isn't that the silliest thing? Who needs a
qualifying score, really? The whole point of agility is that it's
a fun hobby, right? I mean, some of you might instruct for
a living and feel that you need to accomplish certain things

for your business, but the vast majority of us do not. So why
not take a look at what you really enjoy about the sport and
do more of that, regardless of the external rewards like ribbons and qualifying scores? It's a different mindset, outside
most of our comfort zones, but running a course the way
you want to run it to accomplish your own goals (or running only classes you really like and not the ones you don't,
or competing in an agility organization that your friends
don't really like, or whatever it may be) can be very freeing and fun. I encourage you to consider this when you are
giving your agility life a close examination here in "20/20."
This month's magazine includes the opportunity to learn
how to be the trainer you want to be in Sandy Roger's
"Three Hats" series. It's a good article to help you to reflect and reorient for the new year. Elsewhere in this issue,
Megan Foster tackles weave problems, and Cynthia Hornor
helps you improve your rear crosses. Plus, we continue our
long-running Power Paws series, which features Nancy
Gyes's invaluable drills and skills lessons, with the addition this year of occasional international skills as well. And
of course, beloved Backyard Dogs returns monthly with
great training opportunities to fit in small spaces. We also
plan to start some new series and mini-series as the year
gets rolling.
All of us at Clean Run are excited about 2020. Not only
does the magazine have lots of good stuff in the store, our
online school, the Clean Run Learning Center, has more
classes than ever starting in the first few months of the
year. And, of course, our store is always getting in new and
exciting products to share with competitors. It's going to
be a great year!
Thanks for spending time with us! Happy New Year!

Brenna Fender

Brenna Fender is a freelance writer and editor who works for Clean Run. She lives in Florida with her husband, two children, a Papillon (Spark), a Beagle (Wrigley), a
Border Collie (Tessa), her daughter's Chihuahua (Chase), and a variety of other creatures. Tessa has agility titles, UpDog Challenge disc achievements, and a Trick Dog
Champion Title. Over the years, Brenna's dogs have been titled in conformation, agility, Junior Hunter, Junior Courser, rally, obedience, and Canine Good Citizen. Brenna
can be reached at brennafender@gmail.com and you can visit her website at brennafender.com.
January 20 | Clean Run

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Clean Run - January 2020

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