Clean Run Magazine - August 2007 - 31

Although you are training alone, always include a leash in your preparation for your agility sequences you could take him for a short walk and then let him rest for a couple of minutes in his crate while you prepare his toys, treats, and decide exactly what you are going to do when you go out to train. When you bring him out you will both be ready to give 100% of your mental and physical energy just as you hope to do in the competition arena. Although you are training alone, always include a leash in your preparation for your agility sequences. Then when you use a leash in competition at the start or ﬁnish lines it will be a familiar part of your routine. In practice, get into the habit of glancing to an imaginary person and saying your dog’s name as you approach the start line of any sequence. In this way the dog will be used to your saying his name at the start line. While training alone you must invest the time to take your dog to different training venues so that he can learn that rewards are also forthcoming when other dogs and people are around. When you visit other venues, set your dog up for success and provide a high rate of reinforcement for all desirable behaviors. Develop a positive ditty to sing to yourself and your dog when you are ready to go out for some serious playing, agility training, or when on your way to the ring for a future competition run. Above all, remember that agility is not a game of perfection; it is a game of conﬁdence. Be patient with yourself and your dog. Maintain your positive attitude and your dog will strive to do his best for you. Beat the Heat & Power Up! Improve •Hydration •Heat tolerance •Mental focus •Energy Lack of planning: Plan your sessions before you ever cut up your hot dogs or head out with the dog. Know what you want to work on and what you’d like to accomplish. Be willing to settle for a shorter session or less progress if things are a bit tougher than you thought. Overtraining or overworking: Knowing when you’ve worked enough is harder for some than others. With less motivated dogs, training sessions may need to be very short. Consider working for 5 minutes three times a day with the dog if that allows you to quit while you are both still smiling. Pushing too hard with a dog that’s working because he loves you (not because he lives to be out on the ﬁeld) will lead to the dog having less desire to be on the ﬁeld or developing stress issues you may never be able to overcome The same problem exists for those who work more motivated dogs (the kind that will not quit). The results August 07 | Clean Run are different of course. With highly motivated dogs you can easily go past your peak performance and start deteriorating before you even realize it. With this type of dog you could have longer sessions but don’t dwell too long on any particular problem. Work through it (or make a dent in it) and move to another problem. Be careful about repeating something over and over until you “break it.” Always leave your dog wanting more whether you have the 5-minute dog or the one you have to actually drag away from the field! Overtraining can lead to injuries that easily could have been avoided. Find ways to isolate the parts of what you want, and once they are perfected, put them together. I’m not saying you don’t need to practice; I’m saying practice smart. It’s easy to push too hard with an agility partner that lives and breathes to be out there working. The results with this type of dog are usually injury. Good luck and happy training! Decrease •Recovery time •Lactic acid build-up ® www.cleanrun.com 31

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Clean Run Magazine - August 2007

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