Clean Run Magazine - May 2009 - 75

time to brush up on certain skills you or your dog might need. How is your mental game? Can you run a course without walking it? Have you ever tried? This is an opportunity to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If you think you are affected by the pressure of qualifying, getting a certain title, or winning a big competition, this is a chance for you to challenge yourself in several ways even if you train alone. Create a home “show environment.” Crate your dog, if you don’t already, while you set up equipment and walk your course (or sequence if restricted by available space), and try limiting the time you allow yourself to walk. When you’re ready, be brave and don’t walk the course at all. Set up a single jump to simulate the warm-up jump. Then force yourself to only have one chance to run the course—no matter what! Yes, if you have more than one dog, then this rule applies to one run per dog. If you can, videotape your run. Go inside to review it on the TV and come back out (without your dog) to re-walk and air-handle the course to practice the changes you would make if you were to run it again. Now, deal with the fact you can’t run the course again. That’s the hardest part! If you believe you only get one shot at this, you will learn to do what you want the first time. Isn’t that what we train our dogs to do? Why shouldn’t we hold ourselves to the same criterion? Once you’ve trained yourself to handle the mental pressure of only having one chance to run the course, train your physical response to coordinate with the mental game. There are a lot of handler exercises you can do to prepare yourself and to synchronize you and your dog before entering the ring. Visualization, verbalization, air handling—these are some of the fun drills I put my top handlers through as I help prepare them for events like nationals, tryouts, and so on. It’s all a state of mind. Practice like you compete and compete like you practice. Finally, keep in mind that you don’t want to do too much physical training before the show. Your goal should be to arrive fresh and polished, excited to rise to the challenge the judge presents in each course you run. And have fun! Dogs don’t get much cooler than this! Cool Puppy Panels Karen Gloor Your training plan should never change too dramatically for any particular trial. I am a firm believer in “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” That said, I also firmly believe in fine-tuning skills your ring-wise pooch may need as a refresher. First, sit down and determine what your goals are for the upcoming trial. If you want to qualify in a specific class for a title, focus on the skill you need to be successful in that class. For example, if you are working on getting a couple more Gamblers Qs for a USDAA ADCH, then focus on distance work the week before. Tailor your training plan to focus on both lateral May 09 | Clean Run Karen, a technical writer by trade, has decided to change gears and do what she loves best, training other teams for dog agility. When teaching others, her primary focus is on foundation agility skills. Karen runs her competition-seasoned Toller, Jam, MAD, who is going like gangbusters. She has been a USDAA judge since 1994, and has earned an ADCH on her Beagle, NEA. Contact Karen at rysaroni@cox.net distance work and send-aways. I like to set up several different gambles so we have many different strategies to use in the heat of the gamble moment. If your goal is to ensure your dog hits his contacts at an 85% success rate, incorporate an extra 5 to 10 minutes of contact training during that week. Realize the way we train contacts and the way we have our dogs perform them at a show often may differ. It’s up to you to reinforce the methods you want so you have a better chance of meeting your criteria during the show. If your criterion is © Karen HocKer PHotograPHy • 70% shade/reﬂection of unwanted heat, radiation, & light from the sun’s rays • Allows fresh air ﬂow • Reduces heat up to 14° under tents, in vehicles, & in crates or x-pens • Lightweight & easy to store Silver shade mesh at prices that won’t make you sweat. ® ® www.cleanrun.com 75

http://www.cleanrun.com

Clean Run Magazine - May 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - May 2009