Clean Run - October 2010 - 3

Cover
The magazine for dog agiliTy enThusiasTs
PHOTOs © Laura Tsuk, Dr. PeTer J. LOTsikas, karen HOcker PHOTOgraPHy

37
It’s Your Turn! Cue #7: Verbal Left and Right Cues, Part 1 All the cues we have done so far in the series have been physical cues. Physical cues are successful when you’re in the correct position to execute them. But if you are often far enough behind your dog that you can no longer influence him with physical commands, then you should train your dog to turn when he hears a verbal command such as Left, Right, or Turn. By Sandy Rogers

ocTober 10

Volume 16

number 10

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Pup Psych 101: Hey Mom, Where’s My Cookie? The studies on timing of rewards have striking results. Just offering reinforcement a few seconds earlier can make dramatic improvements in your training. Giving an animal an immediate reward produces faster learning, better retention, and faster performance. On the other hand, delaying a reward several seconds can cause no learning to occur. By Dara Tarolli

12 Winning Warm-ups Every athlete, from pro golfer to amateur 5k runner, does a warm-up. A warm-up is essential for peak performance and injury prevention. But what exactly is an effective warm-up for a performance dog and does it need to change based on the environmental conditions? By Diane Goodspeed & Petra Ford, PT, CCRT 27 Train to Maintain: The Teeter Need some training ideas for maintaining your dog’s agility skills? This series presents a maintenance program that is easy to implement and that is designed to accomplish a great deal in short sessions. This month focuses on teeter behaviors. By Mary Ellen Barry

A Review of Canine Cruciate Disease, Part 1 Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) deficiency is the most common cause of hind limb lameness in the canine and is estimated to affect one million dogs annually. This two-part article explores both the disease and its treatment to help clarify understanding of this condition. By Peter J. Lotsikas, DVM, Diplomate ACVS, Lisa M. Fair, CMT, CCRT (Candidate), Faith M. Lotsikas, DVM, CCRT

Features
5 Editorializing: Has Agility Gone the Way of Obedience? In agility’s early years, it wasn’t uncommon to hear disparaging remarks about obedience— remarks about the cliques among competitors, the military-like precision training, the pressure to win, and the lack of camaraderie among competitors. But is the atmosphere of agility changing and taking us down the same path? By Kristine Gunter 65 Can You Handle It? This month we’ll look at an AKC International Sweepstakes Class that was based on a 2009 French National course designed by Christophe Mahoudeaux. By Marquand Cheek 80 Work That Line! The Recall The recall gamble requires that you be able to direct your dog to the right or left while he’s moving toward you. Teaching your dog an Out command can enable you to do this. By Kristy Netzer
48 Building the Agility Dream What makes two fiscally conservative professionals who never dreamed of owning a business toss a substantial portion of their savings to the dogs? Learn how two agility enthusiasts turned a dream into reality. By Micky Jerome & David Bailey 59 Coaching International Teams: Helping Teams Achieve Their Objectives As agility matures and moves closer to a professional sporting environment, countries that provide a high level of support to their international teams are likely to dominate. Here we’ll look at the reasons why international team coaching is not only helpful, but also necessary. By Steve Croxford

18 What’s My Plan? Three handlers with different styles of handling analyze the same course and share their handling strategies. This month they look at a USDAA Triathlon Finals course designed by judge Martin Gadsby. By Greg Derrett, Rachel Sanders, and Jane Simmons-Moake 43 Challenges at CR Central For many handlers, rear crosses often represent ineffectual attempts to steer their dog from behind. Use these drills to practice your rear crosses so that you can be as confident steering your dog from behind as you are steering him from in front. By Annie Pyle

Columns
6 7 8 Tip of the Month By Elizabeth Evans Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility… By Brenna Fender Backyard Dogs By Stuart Mah

55 Skill of the Month By Karen Holik 73 Nested Courses for a Small Universe By Debbie Sacerich

Cover Dog
Blackwater’s Absolut Seeker CD, HT, RE, AX, AXJ, AAD, JCH, GM, AR, AS, ASA, a.k.a. Vrai, a 4.5-yearold Belgian Tervuren owned by Nancy Lane (Texas) and Linda K. Fung (Michigan). Photo by www. FastClicksPhoto.com.

Clean Run (ISSN 1089-8506) is published monthly by Clean Run Productions, LLC. Principal office: 17 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. Periodicals postage paid at South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075-9902 and additional offices. © Copyright 1995-2010 Bud Houston and Clean Run Productions, LLC. All world rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Clean Run, 17 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075.

October 10 | Clean Run

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Clean Run - October 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - October 2010