Clean Run - April 2012 - 65

video games! Further research sent me to two effective ways to do this which actually focus on memory and response. First, for your computer, there is a website called www.Lumosity.com. For a small fee, they provide games which target strengthening mental function and memory. The games are fun and challenging, they have different levels, and they constantly add new ones. The second, and my favorite, is to get a Nintendo DS Lite. This is a small handheld gaming device. You can often find them on eBay. My favorite two game cartridges are Flash Focus, which concentrates on visual improvement as well as eye/hand coordination, and Brain Age 1. (There is also a Brain Age 2 which I don’t like as much.) These are available at stores or on Amazon. Each game is very short. In 5 minutes you can play several or practice one. They are lots of fun and the DS Lite is easy to keep with you for moments of downtime. I can attest to the fact that playing some of these games for 5 minutes several times a week really makes a difference. You can see you scores improve and after several weeks, remembering courses is easy. One other great exercise for peripheral vision is what I call stop, look, see. Peripheral vision is the ability to see things which are not directly in front of you. Dogs have terrific peripheral vision; many humans don’t. But, im-

proving isn’t difficult. Periodically during the day, stop what you are doing, look straight ahead, and list the things you can see to the sides of you. Don’t move your head or your eyes. This is also a good game to play with yourself at stoplights. Just do it for a few seconds at a time. You’ll find that you can see more and more of what is around you, very helpful in the ring.

Improving Emotional Skills
By emotional I mean the feelings that go into running a course, which is a kind of performance. My job as a Suzuki teacher is to create confident and competent performers. Performing anything in front of an audience takes a special set of skills. Happily, it is a set of skills which can be developed and improved. The biggest component of performing successfully is feeling confident. And confidence comes from knowing your material and from effective practice. No one was born knowing how to be an agility handler (or a concert pianist)!

Know Your Material To perform anything successfully you have to understand, practice, and be competent in that subject. Adults come to me saying they can’t perform a piece for an audience. Usually, the first thing I discover is that they can’t really play the piece at all, even just for me. Know what is involved in cueing each obstacle. What do you have to do? What does your dog need to know?

The Hungarian Pumi Club of America

Congratulates

Stacy Lehman and Chuy
(Yippy-Yi-Yea Giddy-Up-Go)

on achieving the first MACH for a Pumi.
This is just the beginning… (Vidam Kertesz Sugar) is the second Pumi to achieve a MACH at the tender age of 28 months. More are on the way!

Tammy Hall and Zu-Zu

Photo by Kerry bowden

The Hungarian Pumi Club of America • www.pumiclub.org
April 12 | Clean Run 65

http://www.Lumosity.com http://www.pumiclub.org

Clean Run - April 2012

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