Clean Run - April 2012 - 3

Cover
THE MAGAZINE FOR DOG AGILITY ENTHUSIASTS
PHOTOS © DONNA STOCK HEDRICK, DIANE LEWIS PHOTOGRAPHY, CLEAN RUN

APRIL 12

VOLUME 18

NUMBER 04

32
Building Blocks: The Recall Building a strong reliable recall during all levels of distraction is necessary for dogs competing in agility. Most of us train the basics of a recall but when we start agility training this very important but basic behavior takes a back seat to our other training. By Rachel Sanders

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The Grand Debut: The Perfect Trial Site So much needs to go into training before a dog can make his agility debut. But what other factors do you need to consider? It turns out the actual debut trial site is very important for your agility partner’s first success as well. By Deb Eldredge

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Agility Suzuki Style, Part 2 Agility has made great strides in building skills in dogs, but the same can’t be said for the training of handlers. If you don’t come from an athletic background, your role as handler can be frustrating. Can the Suzuki Method of piano instruction help handlers learn more easily? By Peggy Swingle

12 Tai Chi Principles for Great Agility Handling Do you admire the handlers that look like they are dancing across the agility course? Tai Chi can help you learn to ow and move more gracefully and e ciently in your agility handling. It also strengthens your body and relaxes your mind. By Diane Gibbons

Features
5 Editorializing: Agility: Sport or Hobby? Is agility a “sport” for most of us? Or is the beauty of agility that it can be whatever you choose for it to be in your life. By Linda Hall 50 Agility Mind Gym: Your Own Worst Enemy You have heard of positive thinking and affirmations. This is the skill of controlling our mind and only thinking empowering thoughts. If we can be our own strongest negative influence, then we can also be our own strongest positive influence. But positive thinking doesn’t work on its own, at least not effectively. There are two things you must do to make it truly effective. By Kathy Keats

22 Your Questions Unleashed: A Bad Case of the Zoomies Learn how to identify the triggers that may be causing your dog to stress and zoom in the ring, and also how to apply some of the Control Unleashed games to your agility training sessions and trials. By Leslie McDevitt 41 A Home Away from Home for Fido: A Review of Portable Crates There are a wide variety of portable crates available. They vary in construction, stability, style, and extras. Recently, we set up eight crates at an agility trial and asked competitors to check them out. By Brenna Fender 57 Knowledge Equals Speed! What Type of Handler Are You? There are many di erent types of handlers in agility. Let’s look at each type and the e ects of each type on our dogs, as well as what type of handler should we be striving to be? By Dawn Weaver

18 Awesome Paws Drills: Skills Checklist, Part 2 These drills will challenge you to perform a variety of cue combinations and provide you with a skills checklist. For each drill, you will be directed to perform a specific skill or combination of skills. The skills required are very basic at first, but quickly progress to an advanced level. By Linda Mecklenburg 28 Analyze This! Challenges from international courses are making their way into US courses with increasing frequency. This month we look at a UKA Masters Jumping course designed by Bob Griffin. By Laura Manchester Derrett 37 Challenges for Rising Stars This month’s exercises deal with getting the dog to release to the next obstacle in sequence with good acceleration after a wrap turn, instead of watching the handler. By Stuart Mah

Columns
6 7 8 Tip of the Month By Rachel Sanders Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility… By Brenna Fender Backyard Dogs By Mary Ellen Barry

16 From Hoof to Woof: What Riders Can Teach Handlers By Holly Newman

Cover Dog
ADCH-Silver, MACH Susan’s ult-RA Dar-ing, MXJ, TQX, SACH-Platinum, JCHPlatinum, TM-Platinum, SCH-Gold, RCHSilver, GCH-SILVER, LAA-Silver, a.k.a. Radar, a 9-year-old Toy Poodle owned by Susan Gross of Pennsylvania. Photo by M. Nicole Fischer Photography, www.mnicolefischer.com. Clean Run (ISSN 1089-8506) is published monthly by Clean Run Productions, LLC. Principal o ce: 17 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. Periodicals postage paid at South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075-9902 and additional o ces. © Copyright 1995-2012 Bud Houston and Clean Run Productions, LLC. All world rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Clean Run, 17 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075.

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Clean Run - April 2012

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