Clean Run Magazine - February 2007 - 36

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HAGEMAN-ANIGRAPHS There’s a better way to get your contacts THE MAG AZ
INE FOR DOG AGILIT Y ENTH USIAS T S VOL. 10, NO. 11 NOVEMBER 2004 $18 Here
is Bright using “let’s say hi!” This is a great way for her to
control the amount of touching; rather than the visitor reaching for
Bright, the visitor just holds out her hand. crew. We worked on that the
same way I described earlier. I took her to new places and worked on
situations I knew we would encounter at a trial. I had people walk up
while she was on contacts, sit in chairs on course and behind us at the
start, walk next to the weaves, stand near the tunnel opening, pick up a
leash behind her after I led out, and stand up suddenly out of a chair. We
would do our “let’s say hi” and I would greet the person and hand
that person a cookie for Bright. Now she takes no notice of the judge or
ring crew. In just five months of showing, her agility performances are
fast and getting faster, and she just got her first AKC Double-Q. I see
Bright’s personality developing from a fearful, shy pup to a sassy,
tail-wagging, confident agility partner—a beautiful sight and well worth
the effort! Quick has lived up to her name and is a joy to run; last year
we finished her ADCH, MACH, and CDX. © CHERYL SACERICH she also got a
treat and her enthusiasm helped Bright gain confidence with people
approaching and talking directly to her. Even though Bright is fearful,
she still needs to obey. Fear is not an excuse. I started with situations
that evoked only a mild level of fear, like a sit-stay when someone walks
by. Reward for stay; replace in position for moving. As she gained
confidence, I had someone look at her but walk by, then look at her and
stop, and finally walk right up to her. I always greet the person with a
friendly voice and give her a cookie for Bright. It seemed to help Bright
to hear me happily talk and hand the person a cookie. If I didn’t greet
the person then Bright would shy away and refuse the treat. At first,
every time we went somewhere new, Bright needed time to investigate the
surroundings while I did not ask her to do anything. She needed to walk
around and take it all in; she needed to sniff everything. Then, she could
focus. When we walk into a crowded place, she sniffs each person we pass
and is overjoyed when she finds a friend. In the beginning, at the
practice jump, she had to investigate her surroundings and sniff. I
decided to allow her do that. Now she barely needs to sniff and can
actually jump! Be patient, confidence will come. I showed Bright in her
first agility trial after having her nine months. In early trials she was
very aware of the judge and ring ® Clean Run’s Special Focus Issue:
Contacts This special collector’s edition of Clean Run is all about
training those elusive contacts. Learn how to train solid bottoms from the
tops in dog training. Karen Pryor, Linda Mecklenburg, Susan Garrett, Mandy
Book and Cheryl Smith, Kathy Keats, Mary Ellen Barry, Sandy Rogers,
Deborah Jones, and other authors address various training methods, fading
targets, proofing performance, teaching a verbal release, being ring-wise,
and more. 92 pages. $18 plus shipping So develop your “let’s say hi”
routine and use it every time you take your fearful dog out. Use
self-control exercises at home and every time you attend classes or trials
with your wild dog. Make a list of your steps and the new places you will
use them. You’ll be rewarded for the effort the rest of your life. D
www.cleanrun.com Debbie Sacerich is a social worker in real life but dog
training and agility are her true love. Since 1994, she has been the
Agility Training Director and instructor at Cleveland All Breed Training
Club and also teaches at Canine University. Debbie presents agility
seminars on many topics. Her current dogs include MACH ADCH Quick CDX and
Bright AX, AXJ; her past dogs include ADCH Buddy MX, MXJ; Jewel AmUDT,
CanUD; and Ch. Dare CDX, TD a PWC and the only one not a rescue . Clean
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Clean Run Magazine - February 2007

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