Do I Need to Learn International Handling? By Sandy Rogers, photos by Lynne Brubaker International-style course work is getting a lot of press these days and, just like brussel sprouts, opinions about it are at one end of the spectrum or the other. A few years back I developed some strong opinions as soon as I got a taste of it. My buddy Channan Fosty was preparing to compete with the AKC/ USA world team and needed a field to set practice courses. I did not use my field on Tuesday mornings and was excited to get some free course building I could then use for my classes. The first week I came to the field I was happy to see that she had left the course numbered. I walked it and decided I must 44 have missed the windstorm that blew through and wondered what idiot put the numbers back that way. So I moved a few obstacles and numbered something that made sense and carried on with my classes. The next week she set something new and she left a course map. I was shocked to see that the illogical cones were correctly placed! I instantly formed the opinion that the course was nothing short of stupid and I could not imagine anyone finding it fun to run. The next week when I saw the new setup, my curiosity collided with my opinions and I tried to run the course with my dog. I quickly formed yet another opinion. I thought the difficulty of the course would be deflating for the dogs at best and dangerous for the dogs at worst. So, the following week I got there early and saw Channan running Icon. I was blown away... she made it look easy. It did not look stupid or deflating or dangerous. It looked challenging and inspiring; it even almost looked fun. My interest was piqued. The rest for me, as they say, is history. I have been honored to be on Team USA competing three years in a row at the World Agility Open (WAO) and have won gold, silver, and bronze medals. I can now say I love international style agility. Clean Run | January 14