Clean Run Magazine - February 2007 - 26

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Forum By Brenna Fender Do you have any suggestions for training without
agility equipment for those who can’t get outside to practice during
cold or wet months? Melissa Frye I have a lot of suggestions! Most are for
the newer team and focus on obstacle skills. I do use a couple of stand-ins
for equipment, but they are cheap, easy to obtain, and ﬁt in a normal
living room. One of the first exercises I have my beginners teach their
dogs is to Go Around an object on cue. Use a chair, trashcan, a pole,
anything. I have the handlers start up close to the object, lure the dog
around Melissa competes in a variety of dog sports with her Skyrocket
Cockers: MACH Ch. Hunter, SH, CD, RN, FDCH-G, and Dice, MX, MXJ, FDCH; and
also runs Ibizan hound, Kizzi, AX, AXJ, JC, CD, RN, the #1 AKC Ibizan in
2005. Frye teaches agility and rally at WOOFS Dog Training, and Skyrocket
Dog Training in northern Virginia. Contact her at mfrye@mfrye.com a few
times, and work back gradually, always supporting the send by extending
the arm next to the dog, while stepping forward and using a body cue.
Remember to work both directions. This maneuver becomes one to add lateral
distance to jumps, which is so useful. For training contacts, I initially
use a 12” x 2” x 4’ board, painted and with a sanded surface. I
teach one-rear-toe- on, but most of these suggestions work with any
stopped contact. I work on sending to the end of the board, calling to the
end of the board, lateral distance with the board, and so on. I use it for
prooﬁng. If I have a baited target down 10’ beyond the contact, will
my dog stop at the end and wait to be released to the target? What if I am
bouncing a tennis ball? What if I am swinging a tug toy? Remember to always
Bonnie Calhoun McDonald This is a problem that many people face but not
just because of the weather! In today’s society land is at a premium and
many people simply do not have the space or face deed restrictions that
would prevent them from erecting agility courses in their subdivision.
With a little creativity you can help your dog master many of the skills
he will need without the use of your yard. I make these suggestions to all
my students that do not have access to equipment on a daily basis. To
progress, daily training is best. Weave poles are probably one of the
biggest challenges in all 26 B o n n i e judges AKC, USDAA, and UKC
agility, WWKC obedience, and WWKC rally. She owns and is the chief trainer
at Bonjon Training School LLC, operating in Tampa, Florida, since 1992.
Bonnie has earned MACHs, UDs, HXs, Schutzhund titles, and more with GSDs,
Mals, and Shelties. Visit Bonnie’s website at
www.BonjonTrainingSchool.com. courses from all venues. Weave poles are
very narrow, less then 2’ across, but they are long and a set of 12
would need a straightline space of around 22’. You may already have a
hallway that is close to meeting that requirement. Many suppliers offer
weave poles that fold in half or otherwise break apart for ease of storage
so you won’t have to explain to guests that this is some sort of
ecoclothes-drying apparatus to help save the environment . If you do not
have space for all 12, ﬁgure out how many you can accommodate and go
with that number. Now, you have the opportunity to teach your dog how to
weave completely independent of you. You can call him through the poles
and send him down the poles away from you. You’ll be perfecting entries
and working on gamblers skills. Backchain if you need to this is where
weave poles that break into multiple sections come in handy . Contact
behavior is another area that many people need to work on. There are
contact trainers readily available from a number of sources. Many of these
fold up or break down for easy ﬂat storage in your garage, under your
bed, or just leaning up against a wall out of the way when not in use. If
you’re teaching a two-on/two-off contact then you can isolate this
easily using a contact trainer. If you’re trying to teach the
up-andover, nonstop contact, then this won’t work for you. Your dog can
master many skills with just one jump. If you have slippery floors you
need to put down a non-slip mat. With one jump you can master leado u t s
. You can teach your dog to “wrap” the jump. You can do many exercises
and perhaps invent some yourself that include teaching your dog rear
crosses, tandem “on-the-ﬂat” turns, turn Clean Run | February 07 Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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http://www.BonjonTrainingSchool.com

Clean Run Magazine - February 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - February 2007