Clean Run Magazine - February 2008 - 69

LB: How did you choose Dunk? BK: In 2001, I was looking for my next agility dog, and I heard about Dunk from a Border Collie rescuer who had taken him from the shelter. He was about a year old and had gone to the shelter as a stray. Although Dunk looked fairly timid in the rescuer’s video, I agreed to have him meet the other dogs in my household. Dunk was respectful of my older BC, Eve, and she accepted him LB: What traits were you looking for in a dog? confess that I still dread the sight of these “vehicles” at a trial site. When wheeled objects are nearby, I always run with him rather than lead out. LB: What was easy about training Dunk in agility? BK: Once Dunk got over his original uncertainty, he was always willing to work, and to try whatever I asked of him. I don’t know when I’ve had such an easy time teaching a dog to read handling cues. He wants to read his handler. Probably the single easiest thing to train was the stay at the start. From the very beginning he was comfortable sitting in front of a jump, waiting for me to call him from a distance. Dunk is an incredibly fun dog to run because he is very attuned to what I want, but he’s also willing to read me at a distance when I need to get into position for a subsequent sequence. Almost all mistakes on course are my fault. At big shows, Dunk gets amped up and more efficient. He responds to pressure by becoming intensely focused on his job. BK: The most important quality was compatibility with Eve, who has, to say the least, a challenging temperament. She and I had come a long way together, not only in agility, and I didn’t want a new dog to undo what we had struggled to develop. I also wanted a dog who seemed to be sound, not dysplastic. I wanted a dog with some drive, but also a biddable dog, and he has both these qualities. In some respects it was a very rational choice. I had my checklist, and I arranged to meet Dunk on neutral turf. But once I saw him and played with him, there was no going back. He’s very appealing. LB: Did Dunk seem a good choice for agility at the time? Dunk By Lisa Barrett Dog’s Registered Name: Duncan Titles Earned: Bronze ADCH, LAA-Bronze, MACH3 Adopted From: BK: Yes and no. He seemed to be reasonably athletic and biddable, but he was also timid about many things. He was reluctant to “play” with agility equipment, and he was terrified of hard-surface floors, for instance. I put little scatter rugs all over the house at first just so he could walk around. Little by little, he realized the other dogs weren’t afraid of the floor, and I removed the rugs. He was then completely unfazed by the floor. LB: How soon did you begin agility training? Champaign County Humane Society in Urbana, Illinois Handler: Barbara Klucik BK: Dunk and I did nothing in agility for five months after he came home with me. He acclimated to the household, did a little bit of obedience, and learned how the clicker worked. LB: What challenges did you encounter in Dunk’s agility training? the clicker game “101 things to do with a box,” and I taught him to look away from a reward to get the reward (sometimes called the Zen game). We completely backed off any agility training during this period of a few weeks, and when we started again he was a different dog. Because he had been rewarded for almost any behavior he offered, he had become outgoing and willing to try anything. Now he is selfconfident, and he’s not easily intimidated. He has become very resilient. One problem we haven’t ever resolved is that he is obsessed with wheeled objects smaller than a car, including golf carts and motorized scooters or wheelchairs. His brain tends to check out, and he can think of nothing but herding that thing. I’m sure that if I invested enough time I could probably reduce his reactions, but I have never managed to find that time. He does seem a bit better these days, but I will © WENDI PENCILLE/HORSEFEATHERS PHOTOGRAPHY LB: Describe your favorite agility moment with this dog. BK: Initially he was very timid; “inhibited” was the word Brenda Buja used for him. Brenda showed me games to play with him to encourage him to become bolder and more willing to try things. He learned to offer behaviors on the Buja board (a tippy board) for clicks and treats. We played February 08 | Clean Run BK: The AKC Nationals in 2005 in Tampa, Round 2, Jumpers with Weaves. Round 1 had been a big disappointment, since Dunk saw a golf cart and went off course at the third obstacle. A wonderful friend convinced me to give it our best in the JWW round. After studying the course and watching other runs, I was confident that Dunk and I could turn in a round that would be more efficient than many dogs, and I told him so before we started. He ran 69

Clean Run Magazine - February 2008

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