Clean Run - May 2013 - 3

Cover
THE MAGAZINE FOR DOG AGILITY ENTHUSIASTS
PHOTOS © MATTALLISONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM,
WENDI PENCILLE/HORSEFEATHERS PHOTOGRAPHY,
DR. JULIE MAYER

11
So You’ve Got a Small Dog Now
Are there “tricks” to training very small
dogs? You’ll find that some things in
agility are harder for our tiny friends
and some things are more difficult for
our big pups. But being aware of the
differences allows you to focus your
training on what might be challenging
for your small dog. By Brenna Fender

MAY 13

VOLUME 19

36
Knowledge Equals Speed! Teaching
Verbal Directional Commands, Part 3
When you get behind your dog, you
need to provide him with information
to allow him to continue with the
course or he’ll have to slow down and
check back to see what you want. This
month we’ll look at teaching a verbal
Go on command. By Dawn Weaver

NUMBER 05

Carpal Hyperextension Injuries
Carpal hyperextension in dogs is an
injury where the soft tissues on the
underside of the carpus (wrist) have
failed to support the carpal joint so the
upright position of the leg collapses.
Canine athletes are more prone to this
injury because of repetitive landings
on the front limbs. By Dr. Julie Mayer

18 Training to Your Strengths
Problems and holes in training
need to be addressed, especially
if they that prevent us from
qualifying. But sometimes we
are so focused on these issues
that we neglect to see how easily we could improve our overall
performance by spending more
time zeroing in on our strengths.
By Frankie Joiris
22 Front Cross Footwork
Many of us aren’t as athletically
gifted as our dogs, so we need to
be as efficient and clear as possible with our body cues when
we are communicating to them
on course. Understanding front
cross footwork will increase our
efficiency on course. By Laura
Manchester-Derrett

Features
5

Reflections from a Novice Handler
or What I Have Learned from My Dogs
Dogs have important lessons to teach us,
if we’re willing to listen. By Janielle Daniels

33 Out Spot Out! Teaching Independent
Obstacle Performance, Part 2
Independent obstacle performance is essential
for all facets of agility and is particularly important for distance work. The process of teaching
independent contact performance is similar to
what we did last month when teaching independent tunnels. By Lorrie Reynolds
40 How to Choose Your Best Agility Instructor
It’s one of the most important, long-term relationships you will share with your dog. You owe
it to yourself and to your dog, to choose your
best agility instructor. By Julia Kamysz Lane.
51 Power Paws Drills: Timing Turns
We want to keep the dog in full, long strides
until just a moment before he needs to turn
in order to have him collect up just the right
amount. Every dog needs a different amount of
collection and turning information, you need to
pick the correct amount and correct timing for
your dog. By Nancy Gyes
57 Ultimate Instructors:
Lesson Planning & Foundation, Part 2
Lesson planning is fundamental to the success
or the downfall of any instructor. This month
we continue to develop a lesson plan for a foundation class. By Lauren Langman

59 Busting the Myths: Too Slow for Your Dog?
Many people say, “I’m not fast enough for my
dog!” But it’s not about the length of your legs
or your age, it’s about trusting your dog, teaching him good commitment, sends, and distance
skills, and then just showing him the jump to
take while you move to the next spot you’re
needed. By Silvia Trkman
61 I Know That’s Not the Way You’re
Supposed to Handle This, But…
When I walk a course I look at how I can get my
dog to run the shortest route possible, regardless
of what bizarre handling things I might need to
do to accomplish that. By Michelle Hrnchar
63 Training with the Stars: Amanda Nelson
While everyone knows that it takes two to play
agility, Amanda Nelson’s concentration on
understanding and honing the team relationship has propelled her to the top of NADAC
competition. By Sally Silverman

Columns
6

Tip of the Month
By Deborah Davidson Harpur

Everything You Always Wanted to Know
About Agility… By Brenna Fender

Backyard Dogs By Marquand Cheek

20 The Judge’s Debriefing By Ann Croft
29 The 10-Minute Trainer By Daisy Peel

26 Club Games to Light
the Competitive Fires
Just as a smoldering match can
start a mighty blaze, a wee bit of
competitive success can spark a
flame that will motivate agility
neophytes and keep them coming back to classes. Succeeding
in competitions, whatever the
magnitude, raises our self-confidence. By Jan Manning
42 4 Easy Steps to Getting More
Accomplished When You Train
Use this simple four-step process
to ensure that your dog is learning what he needs to be learning
each time you train. By following
these steps you will increase
your dog’s comprehension of
your handling cues and you will
stay on track, addressing exactly
what your dog needs, when he
needs it. By Sandy Rogers

Cover Dog
Bubba ExFH, ChFH, ChWC, ChSn, ChJP,
and 10 Qs from C-ATCH, an 8-year-old
Border Staffy owned by Judy Raffone
of Vermont. Photo by Jim Poor The Dog Sport Photographer.

Clean Run (ISSN 1089-8506) is published monthly by Clean Run Productions, LLC. Principal office: 17 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. Periodicals postage paid at South Hadley,
Massachusetts 01075-9902 and additional offices. © Copyright 1995-2013 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.

May 13 | Clean Run

http://www.MATTALLISONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Clean Run - May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2013