Clean Run - September 2013 - 3

Cover
THE MAGAZINE FOR DOG AGILITY ENTHUSIASTS

PHOTOS © CLEAN RUN,
JEANINE MCANANEY, LESLEY MATTUCHIO

10
Preparing Shy Dogs for Agility Class
While some teams just seem to glide
through agility training with an ability
to focus in the presence of any distraction, other teams discover that their
dog is sensitive to training environments and activities. Some preliminary
preparation work and class strategies
may help these teams succeed in group
agility classes. By Stephen McKay

SEPTEMBER 13

20
Foundation Jumping, Part 3
The low, plyometric, ladder grid works
on speed, fluidity, balance, and ease
of motion, and is essential to the dog’s
understanding of the mechanics of
jumping. While the set point exercise
we did previously teaches the dog the
vertical element of jumping, the ladder
grid teaches him the horizontal element. By Susan Salo

VOLUME 19

NUMBER 09

37
Overcoming Disappointment
in Competition
Disappointment is a horrible feeling.
In agility we not only risk being disappointed in ourselves, but in our dogs
as well. If disappointment is getting
the better of you, you don’t have to
quit agility to turn the train around.
Disappointment can be managed
and eradicated. By Sandra Rogers

14 Reinforcement Really Matters!
Before you teach agility skills,
you need to cultivate a strong
reinforcement structure so your
dog understands that reinforcement (his money) must be
earned. You also need to understand placement of reward and
when it’s best to use a toy or
food. By Laura Derrett
40 Knowledge Equals Speed!
Cues That Affect
Acceleration on Course
There are various ways of
handling to ensure that you are
always cueing maximum acceleration around a course. We are
going to look at some of these
cues as well as other factors
that affect acceleration.
By Dawn Weaver

Features
5

Editorializing: Improving Attitude
When you’re too caught up in the hunt for
double Qs, it’s easy to become discouraged and
lose sight of the positive things that happen
during the journey toward your goal.
By Kathryn Hawkins, DVM

17 The 10-Minute Trainer
This month we’re going to work on pushing
our dog to the backside of a jump. Sending your
dog past the plane of a jump to take it coming
back toward you is something that is most often
associated with international-style courses, but
it is required once in a while on US courses.
By Daisy Peel
26 Training with the Stars: Lisa Kucharski
Lisa Kucharski still considers herself an agility
newbie, even though she has stood on the podium at the USDAA Cynosport Games holding a
blue ribbon. What made her first-place Grand
Prix run even more special was that her partner, Finesse, an Aussie, is the only non-Border
Collie to ever win at 22". By Sally Silverman
32 Power Paws Drills: More Threadles!
This setup has threadles that are pull-throughs
without a second turn, forward threadles to the
back of a jump, a rear cross to a pull-through,
and some traditional threadles, of course.
By Nancy Gyes

45 Busting the Myths: Dealing with Fears
Rather than trying to convince your dog that
something really isn’t scary, observe what your
dog does when he’s happy, make a trick out of
it, put it on cue, and then tell the unhappy dog
to do the behavior that normally expresses happiness and you’ll immediately get a happier dog!
By Silvia Trkman
48 Biceps Tendonitis Injuries and Prevention
Biceps tendon injuries are very common in
highly active canines. Whether a house pet
running around in the yard or jumping off the
furniture, or a performance dog competing in
sport activities, the dog’s front limbs take
a beating. By Dr. Julie Mayer
60 Trick or Train? Skill-building
Halloween Games for your Club
Agility is a way of life for most of us, so it’s
fun to seek ways to incorporate the holidays
into our training program. Here are three
Halloween-themed games for your club’s
October get-together. By Jan Manning

54 Out Spot Out!
Teaching Distance
These exercises will help you
teach your dog to confidently
move away from you going forward or laterally. This allows you
to send the dog to execute obstacles while you move into position
to handle the next section of the
course. By Lorrie Reynolds
64 Getting the Balance Right!
Is the team “coach,” it is your
responsibility to decide when to
train, when to compete, when
to exercise, and when to rest.
Coming up with a training and
competition schedule that will
work for both you and your dog
can have a big impact on how
you progress. By Ashley Deacon

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

62 The Judge’s Debriefing By Carla Simon

Cover Dog
MACH2 Solomons’ Maggie’s Daddy’s
Girl, MXB2, MJG2, AXP, AJP, RS-N, RSJ, NAC, NJC, TT-21-CHA, CGC, a.k.a.
Maggie (or My First Girl, My Best
Girl, My Maggie Moo), a 12-year-old
Chihuahua owned by Teresa and
Steve Solomon of Georgia. Photo
by Diane Lewis Photography.

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.

September 13 | Clean Run

Clean Run - September 2013

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