Clean Run - June 2020 - 3

THE MAGAZINE FOR DOG AGILITY ENTHUSIASTS
JUNE 2020
VOLUME 26
NUMBER 06

PhOtOS © Matt alliSON, Mark FletCher, aliSSa behN

On the Cover
14 My Dog Can't Hold His Contacts in the Ring
This month, we're looking at those frustrating creatures, the dogs
who are perfect in training but treat the contact areas like they're
hot coals in the ring! By Jo Sermon
28 The "Stress" of Training & Competition in Performance Dogs
We commonly focus on the stresses that agility places on our dogs'
muscles, tendons, and joints, but we take for granted the stress being
placed on their immune, psychological, and GI systems.
By Drs. Sherman Canapp and Debra Canapp
42 Do It When I Cue It, Part 1: Stimulus Control for Agility Dogs
Many "out of control" dogs look like the epitome of control when
posed with traditional impulse/self-control games. So, what are
these dogs missing? The answer is stimulus control. By Rachel Downs
55 Three Jump, Four Jump: Handling in Configurations, Part 1
Courses are made up of a finite number of configurations. My goal
is to develop consistent handling for each configuration so that my
handling is very familiar, and therefore easier, for my dog. We'll start
with a discussion of straight-line configurations. By Sandy Rogers

Features
4

Tip of the Month - Fit small training sessions into your daily life.
By Kathy Mocharnuk

Editorializing: What Do We Do Now? - No matter how agility looks
when we return to it, the devoted competitors will overcome. They
will adjust their expectations and do what needs to be done for those
seconds in the ring. By Brenna Fender

Cover Dog
CUWin Give Me Your Answer MX MXJ XF T2B, a.k.a. Daisy, a 10-year-old
Shetland Sheepdog owned by Ann Przybysz of Wisconsin. Photo by
Alissa Behn/pet-personalities.com

The 25% Solution: Sequences for Small Spaces - This month's
exercises allow you to work on sequences that include the table as
well as some practice Pairs courses. By John Reid

Why Are Weave Poles So Physically Demanding for Our Dogs? -
Fast, accurate weave pole performance is what we all strive for, but
we need to be aware of how our dog's strengths and limitations affect
their weave pole performance. By Carolyn McIntyre

19 The Future of Agility - If we want to continue to see the sport grow
and thrive, we have to find a way to help support the next generation.
By Stefanie Rainer
23 Power Paws Drills: International Style - Many international
courses have the dog entering on one side of the weaves and needing to exit on the opposite side, so the handler also has to negotiate
from one side of the weaves to the other using various pushes or side
changes to show the path to the dog. By Nancy Gyes
35 Course Design & Judging: Skill Setting - Skill setting is a critical
part of course design. No one wants to run courses that are too complex for the level of competition, or way too easy. Judges need to be
aware of what they are testing and able to justify their choices, if only
to themselves. By Lee Gibson
39 Train with Elaine: Trouble with 10-foot Tunnels? - Train your
short tunnel performance with these nested courses!
By Elaine Rinicker
47 Backyard Dogs - How do you indicate serpentines, threadles, and
pushes to the backside? Getting these basics as perfect as possible
allows you to concentrate more on all the other parts of the course.
By Dudley Shumate
49 Compulsory Skills for Agility Success, Part 2: Groundwork
Skills for the Team - Groundwork develops excellent communication in the agility team and teaches the dog skills without the distraction and complication of performing agility obstacles. What are the
compulsory groundwork skills? By Debbie Harrison
62 Backyard Mastery: Putting It All Together - There are five
techniques you can use to make simple modifications to an existing
sequence to dramatically change the handling challenges and help
you improve your team's skills. By Steve Schwarz

Clean Run (ISSN 1089-8506) is published monthly by Clean Run Productions, LLC. Principal oﬃce: 17 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. © Copyright 1995-2020 Bud Houston and
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