Evaluating a Dog's Structure for Agility
by Dr. Debbie Gross Saunders 

What really makes a good agility dog? A precise answer to the question isn’t always easy because there are many components involved. Temperament, training, owner ability, accessibility to training, nutrition, and financial resources, all contribute to the success of an agility dog. But structure also plays a significant role in that success. Most dogs are bred to run and be active, but as we are aware, some are more active than others. The demands of agility are not appropriately met by every dog breed or mixed-breed dog. While all dogs can participate in agility, some dogs may be at a disadvantage because of their structure. In fact, there are some dogs that should not be pushed beyond recreational agility due to their structure, breed, and possibly size.

Even if you have the best trained team with the most heart and time invested in training, if the dog has poor structure, the odds are that dog will be unable to compete or work at his full potential, and that he might break down trying to do what is asked of him...... See the July issue 

Train to Maintain: Weave Exits
by Mary Ellen Barry

This series is about maintenance training on agility behaviors. While some of this work is very similar to how the behavior is trained, these articles will not go into detail about how to train. These sessions are intended to be short and easy to set up while accomplishing quite a bit in a short period of time.

My expectations of my dog’s weave poles are once he enters, he will complete all the poles without regard to my physical cues. I should be able to move ahead, move laterally, stay behind, and do a front cross or a blind cross at the exit. I expect my dog to stay in the poles and not follow my handling, which naturally may tell him to come with me.... See the July issue

AKC Course Design: Understanding the Options
by Gail Storm

Course design is a mix of art, knowledge, and architectural skill. It is part regulations, part guidelines, and part experience of American Kennel Club (AKC) reps and judges. Course design and its many elements make it challenging to review courses and remain consistent across all required elements. One of the challenges of course review for the AKC is trying to ensure that all judges (about 250) and the eight AKC field reps are counting challenges the same way. From Maine to California, when you earn a qualifying score, it should be as close in the level of challenges as possible to all other AKC courses at that same level across the U.S.

Many variables come into play when determining if an element on a course is to be considered a challenge or not. Two types of challenges, options and handler restrictions, are counted when
determining if a course meets the requirements of each level...... See the July issue

Training Solutions for Weave Pole Problems
by Rachel Sanders

Weave pole problems can be as varied as the types of weave poles our dogs see throughout the nine agility organizations in the U.S. Dogs can have problems with entries, skipping poles, exiting early, and with their style of weaving. Dogs seem to either learn to weave quickly or struggle with the concept. My BC Stuie has struggled with weaving in competition. She could weave at home in familiar surroundings but not in public. In competition she would fault the weave poles in a variety of ways. She was one of four in a litter I bred that were trained to weave by different methods, but all struggled with weaving. I joke about the “weave” gene being damaged during the A.I. process. But when one from that litter misses another Q from a weave pole error the humor quickly fades. The upside to her weave pole problems is that I have developed a significant library of solutions to help myself and my clients solve their weave pole problems....... See the July issue

 

 

Formulating a Strategy for Jackpot and Gamblers USDAA Gamblers and CPE Jackpot are strategic games intended to a team’s distance skills as well as the handler’s ability to access and plan a course strategy. Gamblers and Jackpot are two-part courses. In the first portion the dog and handler accumulate points by completing obstacles of varying point values. Then, at a time designated by the judge, a whistle blows, and the dog and handler attempt the second portion of the course, a “gamble” sequence designed to test distance skills. Here we’ll look at ways to formulate a successful course strategy for both games......... By Ann Croft

When Pigs Fly: The Start Line Is the First Obstacle, Part 2 Here we continue to look at the components of a well-executed start line. Last time, we discussed getting up to the start line and the importance of the dog’s offering a relaxed, happy setup automatically. Let’s examine the other six important elements to a functional start line....... By Jane Killion

Power Paws Drills: Threadle the Needle RFP, threadle handling, and false turn are all interchangeable terms, and you will do lots of them if you run through all these drills. Before you start the drills, I suggest you break your threadle training down to be sure you are totally comfortable with the footwork you use to draw the dog through the gaps. While I do not speak for Greg, the footwork I use is from methods I have learned while training with him. They are simple and effective, especially when paired with a high level of reinforcement....... By Nancy Gyes