Clean Run - September 2012 - 3

Cover
THE MAGAZINE FOR DOG AGILITY ENTHUSIASTS
PHOTOS © DIANNE SPRING, ISTOCKPHOTO, IAN WATTS

SEPTEMBER 12

VOLUME 18

NUMBER 09

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Why You Should Play with Your Dog At its most basic, agility is a game of chase with refined rules. We train the dog to chase us around a field or we give the signal for the dog to go on so that we can chase the dog down a line. Explore how tapping into a dog’s natural playfulness and chase/prey drive can enhance agility training and make the game more fun for your dog. By Anne Stocum

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Stem Cell Therapy and Platelet Concentrate Therapy Advances in veterinary regenerative medicine give owners of canine athletes an opportunity to recover from a career-ending injury, immune-related arthritis, or chronic osteoarthritis. But, cellular therapy is not for every situation nor is it a substitute for a “balanced” approach to diagnosis, treatment, and rehab. By Anne Hale, DVM

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Power Paws Drills: International Trends Decision making on choosing your dog’s path—that is, turning him left or right on a jump where there is an option—is a big aspect of this month’s drills. There are many opportunities for practicing lead-out pivots, front crosses, forward threadles, and push throughs as well as post turns. By Nancy Gyes

30 How I Taught My Dog to Stop Worrying and Love the Teeter An agility competitor shares the retraining program she and her instructor used to help get her Standard Poodle to perform the teeter reliably and enthusiastically. By Diana Dickinson

Features
5 Editorializing: Nobody Clapped Have you ever crossed the finish line after a clean run only to be met with deafening silence from outside the ring because everyone was too busy to clap? By Jan Manning 35 What’s in Your Toolbox? Many times in class situations we only have time to execute a sequence in one particular way. In reality, there is usually more than one way that sequence can be efficiently and effectively executed. To be the best competitor you can be, rather than fret about how to get through a sequence you see in competition, you should have several different ways to do it in your toolbox. By Mary Ellen Barry 44 Analyze This! Challenges from international courses are making their way into U.S. courses with increasing frequency. This month we look at a standard agility course designed for the 2012 World Agility Open in Belgium. By Laura Manchester Derrett

32 Exercises to Improve Handler Balance Balance is the foundation of all exercise. Doing a few balance exercises after training your dog will make you stronger and give you more con dence in your course running. By Karen Holik and Eric Bobkowski 39 Yee-Haw! Training the Zoomer Rather than run the course, some dogs prefer to use the agility ring as their personal racetrack. These zoomers can often be seen running at top speed around and around the ring. So how can we channel the dog’s energy into running the course with the handler rather than re-enacting the Kentucky Derby? By Tracy Sklenar 59 Dispelling the Myths: Blind Crosses and Layering Blind crosses fell out of fashion some time ago, but are becoming much more popular again. The problem has always been the execution and placement of a blind cross, not the actual cross itself. Layering is another handling option that can open up your options on a course. By Dawn Weaver

12 Building Blocks: Are You Ready for Your First Trial? Agility events and matches where training is permitted in the ring aren’t always available. As a substitute you can develop and rehearse your competition routine during your regular training sessions. These exercises will help you get your dog prepared for competition. By Rachel Sanders 22 Training with the Stars: Stacy Peardot-Goudy Stacy Peardot-Goudy has been giving heart and soul to agility since 1989. So how does a pro with a full roster of classes and lessons, and a business to run, find time to train? Learn the answer to this question and others! By Sally Silverman 28 Agility Mind Gym: Dealing with Fear and Pressure You’ve done your homework, practiced hard, and you are good at what you do... but in a big event something keeps holding you back from your best performances. What is it, exactly, that you are afraid of? By Kathy Keats

Columns
6 7 8 Tip of the Month By Chris Mosley Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility… By Brenna Fender Backyard Dogs By Sharon Freilich

11 From Hoof to Woof: What Riders Can Teach Handlers By Holly Newman 65 Letters to the Editor

Cover Dog
German Shorthaired Pointer. Photo by M. Nicole Fischer Photography.

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.

September 12 | Clean Run

Clean Run - September 2012

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