Clean Run Magazine - November 2009 - 3

® Cover The magazine for dog agiliTy enThusiasTs Photos © rachel sanders, victor steel november 09 volume 15 Trainer’s Forum Are you as toned and physically fit as your dog? A group of trainers discusses human physical fitness and gives some suggestions for how to keep yourself fit while you keep your dog fit as well. By Brenna Fender number 11 24 The Secrets to Speed With so many handlers seeking to speed up their dogs on course, perhaps it’s time to look at the problem from the dog’s point of view. By Toughynutter, World’s Slowest Agility Dog 27 Teaching Weaves Using Channels and Wires, Part 1 Trainers have successfully used the channel-and-guide-wire method of weave pole training since the early 90s. In Part 1, Nancy discusses prerequisite groundwork as well as the pros and cons of the system. By Nancy Gyes © doghouse arts Terrific Teeters, Part 2 By teaching your dog that he’s in full control of the board, you can have a terrific teeter performance. This month you’ll learn the Bang Game, a great tool for teaching the dog to quickly and confidently move into his end contact position. By Jen Pinder Directional Cues, Part 2 In Part 2 of this series, we’ll examine the directional cues—Straight, Here, and a side-switch cue—and how the dog can be trained with these cues to help the physically limited handler achieve success on course. By Kristin Kaldahl Features 5 Editorializing: Dancing with the Dogs The best dancers in the world have a beautiful connection to each other that you can feel when you watch them. While it may take time to reach this level of synchronicity, it is accomplished through practice and by focusing on improving your connection to your partner. It is the same with dog agility. By Marla Friedler-Cooper 54 Comparing the Derrett and Mecklenburg Handling Systems, Part 9: Pushes and Flickaways In this article we’ll compare the differences and similarities in the use of pushes and flickaways in both systems. This is another area where the handling systems are quite different. By the Clean Run Staff 70 Foundation Fundamentals: The Fabulous Four With the goal of improving all of our training, this month we look at four aspects of behavior to shape and the approximate order in which they should occur when shaping any behavior: topography, amount, intensity, and latency or TAIL. By Moe Strenfel 80 Power Paws Drills: Shorties This month we have a simple setup that lends itself well to short drills using various handling maneuvers. By Nancy Gyes 66 Interpreting Dog Food Labels: What You Need to Know There are so many different dog foods available now, where do you begin? Good nutrition is critical for performance dogs; however, it is far from a straightforward subject and there is no one perfect diet for all dogs. By Julie A. Roos DVM 76 When Pigs Fly: Don’t Be Fooled By the Rules, Shaping Performance Instead of Obstacles It’s relatively easy to teach dogs how to do agility. The hard part is getting them to do it on cue, in a trial setting. The dog with perfect weave poles at home blows past them at a trial and the old refrain rings out, “But he never misses the poles at home!” How can so many of us be so consistently caught in this trap? By Jane Killion 32 Shelter Champs: Suzy While many competitors dream of earning titles, animal shelters continue to house dogs that were relinquished because they are too energetic, too smart, or too busy for most pet homes. Many of these dogs are great agility prospects. This month, meet Suzy. By Lisa Barrett 42 Training a Two-on/Two-off Contact, Part 2 In this three-part series, the author explains the progression for training a two-on/two-off contact performance, both with and without a nose touch. This month’s article covers stair work, more plank work, and backchaining the dogwalk. By Rachel Sanders 50 Can You Handle It? Test your skills on a sequence from a Large dog Jumpers course at the 2009 AKC/USA World Team Tryouts. By Ann Croft Columns 6 7 8 Tip of the Month By Sherri Fries Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility… By Brenna Fender Backyard Dogs By Sharon Freilich Cover Dog Casino’s All That Jasper MX, MXJ, JM, AJD, AAD, AS, AG, EAC, EJC, NGC, a.k.a. Jasper, an Australian Shepherd owned by Marshall and Melanie Clark of Vermont. July 3, 1998–July 29, 2009. Photo: Karen Hocker Photography. 20 Distance Challenge By Jane Simmons-Moake 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 1995-2009 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. November 09 | Clean Run

Clean Run Magazine - November 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - November 2009