Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 66

Constructing a Safe and Inexpensive Backyard Practice Area By I. Martin Levy, M.D., Peter A. Torzilli, Ph.D., and Rolf A. Svensson, BSLA (PSU) from The Center for the Scientific Advancement of the Sport of Canine Agility It has been long recognized that athletic surfaces can be responsible for injuries to the athletes who use them. Various surfaces have been evaluated extensively in both human and equine literature. Human dancers, gymnasts, and runners are very aware of the interruptions in practice or competition that can result from repetitive training on unyielding surfaces. Similar observations have been made with equine jumpers and racers. Repetitive practice on unyielding surfaces can result in the failure of joints, tendons, and bone. Still, success demands practice and practice often requires repetition. With the rapid growth of the sport of dog agility and the emphasis placed on practice for high-level competition success, it is reasonable to expect that acute, chronic, and fatigue injuries will increase in the canine athlete as well. Commonsense guidelines adapted from human and equine experiences can help avoid some of the maladies seen in those wellstudied arenas. The average owner-handler cannot designate the finances necessary to create the sophisticated solutions used to protect horses, ballet dancers, and gymnasts. Nevertheless, successful canine agility athletes are coming out of the backyards of competitors and therefore it seemed appropriate to explore the possibility of developing a safe practice surface that is reasonably sized and low cost. In The Equine Arena Handbook, Robert Malmgren describes the factors that influence the footing of an arena.6 Resilience, soil strength, depth, moisture percentage, texture, gravel content, and drainage contribute to the footing of the arena. He further noted and emphasized that the unseen hazard is arena hardness. This was supported by research at California racetracks that concluded that the hardness of a racetrack can contribute to lameness in horses.2,7 Stiffer, less yielding tracks enable horses and humans to run faster at the expense of increased impact loads. Softer tracks decrease impact loading but increase the energy expenditure of the exercising muscles.3,5 Care must be taken to avoid the side effects of fatigued muscles. However, the judicious use of softer surfaces has the potential secondary effect of strengthening the dynamic components of the musculoskeletal system. 66 Our goal was to develop a surface that was dimensionally stable, drained well in all weather conditions, had reasonable impact characteristics, required minimal maintenance, and didn’t track mud into the house in the spring. It was the objective of this study to evaluate a small backyard practice area that was developed specifically for practicing the jump obstacles used in canine agility. We evaluated the surface, in a variety of weather conditions, for ease of maintenance, acceptance by the dogs, and for surface-attributable injuries. Finally, the hardness of the surface was compared to known practice and competition facilities. Materials and Methods After consultation with a landscape architect (RAS), a 50' by 60' section of backyard of a home in Westchester County in New York State was set aside for an agility practice area. The area was initially elevated and leveled. Using existing earth, a gentle berm was created along the perimeter on the side designated for water discharge as shown in Figure 1. A 50' by 60' by 1' deep pit was then dug into the elevated area, with the excavated earth used to support the perimeter berm. The subgrade was pitched downward toward the discharge side and was compacted. Lines of 3" perforated pipe were run across the bottom of the pit and connected to a single outlet pipe on the discharge side. The outlet pipe was run through the berm, out of the pit, and down a 3% grade to the outside of the perimeter berm. The subgrade and pipe were then covered with 6" of compacted gravel. The gravel was then covered with stone dust. We then placed 5" of double shredded mulch (the play surface) on top of the stone dust. The agility practice area was maintained by deep raking, and leveling and fluffing the surface two times each week. During the summer months, the area was lightly sprayed with water to keep down dust. During the winter, a small, electric snow blower was used to remove snow, and the area was raked to break up any icing. After the spring thaw, lost mulch was replaced (approximately 1"). The area was used by four Border Collies, four to five times per week, for practice sessions that each lasted for 1-2 hours. A regulation dogwalk, an A-frame, and an open tunnel obstacle were permanently installed at the perimeter of the practice area. Removable jumps, weave poles, and other obstacles were regularly placed on the jump surface. When exercises were repeated, and the dogs displaced the surface, the area was raked to level it. Observations were made over one year, starting and ending in June. The hardness of the practice surface was determined using a 2.25kg Clegg Impact Soil Testing Device (Lafayette Instrument Company, Lafayette, Indiana) following standard ASTM protocol F1702-96.1 The Clegg Impact Tester determined the hardness of soil by measuring the deceleration of a free falling missile (hammer) from a known height.4 An electrical pulse that resulted from the impact was recorded as a numerical value, the Clegg Impact Value (CIV). The harder the surface, the higher was the value. In addition to the hardness of the practice surface, CIVs were also recorded for a regularly used dog agility competition site (FDR State Park, Field #2, Westchester County, New York), an indoor practice facility using rubber horse mats (Tenderfoot Stall Mats, RB Rubber Products, Inc., McMinnville, OR at the Port Chester Obedience Training Club, White Plains, New York), and a middle school baseball diamond (Ashford Park, Ardsley, New York). Hardness tests were performed, over two days in the late spring, four days after the last rainfall. Four locations were selected at each of the four test sites and six separate tests were conducted at each location. The six tests were averaged for each location and standard deviations were calculated. The averaged results for each location were then graphically illustrated as seen in Figure 2. Results There was no day during the test year that the surface was unusable. Drainage was adequate, even on days experiencing significant rain. The surface was readily cleared of large amounts (6"-10") of snow using the snow blower and the surface was made ready for use by raking the top layer of frosted mulch. Throughout the year, mulch compaction was managed by regular deep raking. Divots were easily filled, leveling was not difficult, and there was no tracking of mud. To date, no injuries have been recorded. The surface has not injured the foot pads of our four dogs. We have not seen any lameness attributable to the surface. The Clean Run | June 07

Clean Run Magazine - June 2007

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

Cover
Contents
Editorializing: Monday Morning Blues
Tip of the Month
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility...
Backyard Dogs
Trainer’s Forum
On Course with Carole Evans
City Dogs
Spy Kids: Distractions and Discriminations
Running Contacts, Part 1
Training for NADAC Novice Challenges
Power Paws Patterns: Arrow
Backyard Champions
Distance Challenge
Drive It Like You Stole It: The Evolution of a Speed Demon
The Judge’s Debriefing
Cross Training for Your Canine Athlete
Bridge and Target Training for Agility, Part 2
Constructing a Safe and Inexpensive Backyard Practice Area
Master Plan
Review
In Cider
Agility Organization Update
Course Diagram Keys
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Cover
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 2
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Contents
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 4
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Editorializing: Monday Morning Blues
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Tip of the Month
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility...
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Backyard Dogs
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 9
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 10
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 11
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 12
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 13
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Trainer’s Forum
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 15
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 16
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 17
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - On Course with Carole Evans
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 19
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 20
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 21
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - City Dogs
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 23
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 24
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Spy Kids: Distractions and Discriminations
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 26
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 27
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 28
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 29
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Running Contacts, Part 1
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 31
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 32
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 33
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Training for NADAC Novice Challenges
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 35
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 36
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 37
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Power Paws Patterns: Arrow
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 39
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 40
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 41
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Backyard Champions
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 43
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 44
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 45
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 46
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Distance Challenge
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 48
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 49
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 50
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Drive It Like You Stole It: The Evolution of a Speed Demon
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 52
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 53
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 54
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 55
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - The Judge’s Debriefing
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 57
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Cross Training for Your Canine Athlete
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 59
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 60
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 61
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Bridge and Target Training for Agility, Part 2
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 63
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 64
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 65
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Constructing a Safe and Inexpensive Backyard Practice Area
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 67
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 68
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 69
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Master Plan
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 71
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 72
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Review
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 74
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - In Cider
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 76
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 77
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 78
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Agility Organization Update
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 80
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 81
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - Course Diagram Keys
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 83
Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 84
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