Clean Run Magazine - November 2009 - 32

LB: How did you choose Suzy? LP: I bought a house and wanted a puppy. I knew Mansfield Animal Control did a good job socializing their puppies. I picked out Suzy at eight weeks but because I was moving, I couldn’t take her home till she was 12 weeks old. LB: What characteristics were you looking for in a dog? flying off. My instructor, Nancy Obara, ran to the down side of the A-frame and physically blocked her so she couldn’t fly off. The look on Suzy’s face was priceless, since she certainly didn’t expect Nancy there. We spent the entire winter when Suzy was seven retraining contacts to a reliable two-on/two-off. We spent another winter training distance work. Suzy likes to feel that she is in charge, so I need to direct her subtly and not be in her face. As a result, I have learned to do rear crosses to keep her working happily. LB: Describe your favorite agility moments with Suzy. LP: I wanted a dog that was not aggressive. Mansfield Animal Control had a litter of eight puppies born at the shelter. The mother looked like a black Lab with blue eyes, and some of the pups were black and tan with straight up ears. I guessed they were a mix of Lab, Shepherd, and Husky. Suzy was in the corner by herself playing with a stuffed toy. When one of her littermates would come over to her, she would give up the toy and move on to something else. LB: Were you correct in assessing that she was not aggressive? Suzy By Lisa Barrett Photos by Donna Kelliher Call Name: LP: Watching Suzy go from a self-rewarding, two-year-old dog to a dog that’s consistent, high-drive, and still happy to compete at 10. Suzy completed her 1000 lifetime points for NADAC in the sleet in April 2007 at Maplewood. I don’t do many trials a year so it was a huge accomplishment for us. I also refused to move her up to a higher level until she was actually ready for it. Suzy completed a NADAC challenge that was about 30' away, checked in, and I sent her back out to the dogwalk to complete the distance challenge. Everyone wants to take Suzy home; two years ago we went to North Carolina for vacation and attended a three-day NADAC fundraiser. A man came over to her and said she could go home with him. I told him there were a lot of people in the Northeast that he’d have to stand in line behind. LB: When did you realize Suzy could be a champion? LP: Absolutely. She has lovely social skills with people and other dogs. She gets along well with my three other dogs. I have fostered various dogs over the years, and many puppies have chewed on her ears and tail. She will discipline them but not hurt them. LB: How did you get started in agility? Suzy Titles Earned: NATCH, CATCH Mansfield Animal Control, Mansfield, Connecticut Linda Patenaude Handler: Adopted From: LP: I wasn’t into agility when I adopted Suzy. But I decided her Husky side needed an outlet, so I took her to ACE agility in the fall of 2000 to “play” agility. She was a natural. LB: What was easy about her agility training? LP: She had drive, was eager to learn, and wanted to please me. LB: What were the challenges and puzzles in training Suzy for agility? LP: She had very low tolerance for my inability to give her direction as fast as she thought she needed it. When I was late with commands, she would bite at me; she’s even had points taken off for biting at one trial. She also loved to run around taking obstacles on her own. And she loved to leap off contacts. LB: What did you do about these problems? LP: My instructors saw her abilities long before I did. She was my first agility dog. When she started completing her titles effortlessly and consistently at age three, I realized we could be a good team if I could become a better handler. As we got close to our championships, I got nervous and my handling became sloppier. Suzy takes everything in stride. I got lots of help with my handling from various people. But the most important factor was Suzy. She understood my emotions and helped me calm down. Her presence is very soothing to me. LP: I’ll never forget the class when Suzy was doing her A-frame and constantly Clean Run | November 09

Clean Run Magazine - November 2009

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