Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 16

Helene Juice By Mary Jo Johnson MJ: How were you ﬁrst introduced to agility? On Course with © GEOFF TESCH HJ: Molly, my JRT, started as an obedience dog, and the instructor had a picnic for all his students. He had an agility course in his yard and that was where I ﬁrst saw dogs running a course. I remember the moment because time stopped for me as I watched the communication between the handlers and dogs. It astonished me that the handlers and dogs could maintain constant communication with amazing speed. At that moment I knew Molly and I had to ﬁnd someone to teach us the sport. MJ: How long have you been doing agility? exercise. After experiencing some injuries and researching dog conditioning, it’s become very clear that many injuries can be avoided through a good exercise/conditioning program. It is also another way to bond and spend time with your dog. MJ: What exercises do you do to keep in shape and what do you do for your dogs? HJ: Nine years. Molly is 11 years old and we began to learn agility together when she was about 2 years old. MJ: What other dog-related activities have you done? HJ: I do yoga and stretching, along with the elliptical machine and walking. My dogs and I see a massage therapist monthly and I personally massage and stretch them several times a week. My dogs are conditioned through treadmill, cavaletti work, sprinting, wearing a backpack, physioroll, and other varied exercises. MJ: What do you think is the hardest obstacle or challenge in training a dog for agility? HJ: Before we knew of agility, Molly and I started out in terrier sports (which earned her a Go-to-Ground Championship) and we had a lot of fun terrier racing, doing tricks galore, and obedience. That brought us to performing on The Late Show with David Letterman when Molly was 14 months old, doing the trick that made her famous: getting a tissue when you sneeze! From that day forward, Molly became a little star, doing TV commercials, print advertising, fundraisers for schools and organizations, and an appearance on The View with Barbara Walters. Molly is a very versatile dog and when I look back on our lives together I’m touched and grateful for how much she has taught and inspired me. MJ: What is the most important thing to teach agility dogs? HJ: I think that depends on the individual dog. For some it may be weave poles or learning to be a proﬁcient jumper, but for another dog it may be developing toy drive, which is so imperative to making agility fun and relieving stress for both the handler and dog. For yet another dog and handler it could be getting in tune with one another and becoming a connected team. MJ: How often do you train or practice? HJ: I probably train or review skills a couple times a week. I try to run one or two courses a week in training as well. MJ: What was your greatest moment in agility and why? HJ: To trust you completely and to know that you will always have their best interest at heart. To know that you will genuinely appreciate their efforts and they can always count on you. I believe that if you have a strong relationship, everything else will come. Without that, no amount of skill will matter. MJ: Will you train anything differently with your new dog? HJ: I will condition my pup, Sparks, age appropriately, to physically prepare her for the rigors of agility. With Molly and Chance, I didn’t understand the importance of conditioning and was satisﬁed with walking, tugging, and retrieving as their 16 HJ: There have been so many great moments that I’ve shared with my dogs over the years. If I had to choose the most special agility moment for each of my dogs, I’d have to say that for Molly it was when she earned her last Super-Q for her ADCH in the fall of 2006 after she ﬁnished her MACH in the spring of the same year. I was especially proud of my nine-year-old for maintaining both the physical soundness and emotional spirit for the game necessary to complete these two championships. For Chance, it was a toss-up between taking 3rd place at his ﬁrst AKC national event in Tampa and when he won his spot on the 2005 AKC/USA Midi World Team. Clean Run | May 08

Clean Run Magazine - May 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - May 2008