Clean Run - December 2011 - 3

Cover
THE MAGAZINE FOR DOG AGILITY ENTHUSIASTS DECEMBER 11 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 12
PHOTOS © KURT SCHULZ, CHRIS OTT/SPEEDDOGGIE, ANN CROFT

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New Options in the Management of Elbow Arthritis All owners want their dogs to be free of pain but we know from our own experience with arthritis that it is not that simple. Arthritis is a disease we manage versus cure. Here’s a look at well-established treatments as well as at several new treatment options. By Dr. Kurt Schulz with Dr. Peter Lotsikas

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Fit to Be Tricked: Left- and Right-Foot Targeting Targeting with two left feet or two right feet is a variation of the foottargeting theme that works on body awareness and teaches the dog lateral movement while at the same time increases flexibility and coordination. By Frankie Joiris

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How to Train Smart When You Can’t Train a Lot You and your dog will make the most progress in your agility skills by having a training plan. Here are my suggestions for developing a training plan and monitoring your progress, as well as ways to creatively make efficient use of the time, space, and equipment available. By Ann Croft

10 The Science of Strategic Reinforcement: When, Where, and How to Reward Understanding when, where, and how to reward your dog for a particular behavior takes a lot of the mystery out of training. Rewarding correctly can make a huge di erence in your agility training. By Jubie Rueschenberg CPDT

Features
5 Editorializing: It’s All About the Teamwork This sport is all about the teamwork. What’s important is not that you’re a perfect handler or that your dog is perfectly trained, but that you understand each other weaknesses and can think outside the box and adjust. By Silvia Trkman 56 Challenges for Rising Stars: Interval Training Revisited This month’s exercises encourages the handler to try to learn a sequence faster, gets the handler used to the quick physical and mental ups and downs that can happen at a trial, develops the handler’s ability to run and focus even when tired, and gets a lot of agility practice into a short amount of time. By Stuart Mah

29 Combining Front Crosses A double front cross occurs when two front crosses are performed in succession, typically on the takeo side of a jump followed by another on the landing side of the same jump. Here we’ll discuss the appropriate use of both the double front cross and the blended front cross. By Linda Mecklenburg 46 Start-line Training Do you struggle to lead out on a course from your dog, worried that as you step away from him, he is likely to bolt away any minute? Are you guilty of “Wait, wait, wait, wait...?” Ooops! O he goes, and there you are chasing behind. Here are some suggestions for training a solid start line. By Laura Manchester Derrett 62 Get Connected... and Stay Connected Handlers need to understand that if a dog does not bring his own drive and intensity to the job, they must take on the job of manufacturing and maintaining the connection. By Sandy Rogers

15 Challenges at CR Central Many agility handlers often forget that jumping is a “skill set,” not a singular “behavior.” Circle work over jumps is very for dogs. This month we’ll practice the mechanical skills required for the dogs and the handling skills necessary for repeated pinwheels and circle work on course. By Annie Pyle 42 Teaching FOCUS and Impulse-control Classes: Week 8 For the final class, our main goal is to have fun with our students and their dogs. We’ll play some graduation games that target the behaviors we’ve learned and engage in some friendly competition. By Deborah Jones, PhD 51 Ready, Set, Trial! A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Finish Line Despite training and proofing before competing in agility, sometimes life throws you a curve ball. These unexpected challenges happen to novice and experienced competitors alike. Here are some experiences you can learn from. By Jamie McKay, CPDT KA

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

37 Agility Bloopers By Brenna Fender

Cover Dog
Camelot’s Simply Irresistible MH, AX, OAJ, NAVHDA UT II, a.k.a. Tyra, a 7-year-old Weimaraner owned by Sue O’Donnell of Connecticut. Photo by Lesley Mattuchio, www.pbase.com/lesleylou.

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 1995-2011 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.

December 11 | Clean Run

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Clean Run - December 2011

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