Celebrate the Good Stuff

It's easy when you're learning something, to focus on the things you don't know -- to notice your mistakes and track the areas that need improvement. The strength to overcome obstacles, though, comes from the energy you gain from your successes. That which you know will help you learn that which you do not. So, don't forget to honor the stuff you're good at. Feel free to spend entire practice sessions simply repeating those skills at which you and your dog ROCK! And be excited by even your small accomplishments -- that's the stuff you get to celebrate. : )

Front Cross: Andrea & Kitsey

Meet Andrea and Kitsey. Kitsey deals with a few physical limitations -- she's deaf, has mildly obstructed vision, and is on a fairly high dose of prednisone that affects her muscle development. But Andrea is such a natural and Kitsey is so eager that they come together nicely and complete some really nice runs. Watch how Andrea moves right through her front crosses. You barely even notice she's switching sides.

Is it a bird? Is it a deer? No...it's Tina, Ike's housemate. Ike's nursing a sore leg at home, so Susan brought Tina by herself today to kick up her heels! She's new at this game, and already has quite a stride. Pretty soon she'll be leaping tall a-frames in a single bound. OK, maybe three bounds. We wouldn't want her to hurt herself. ; )

Arms

Remember to use your arms mainly to motor yourself around the course and to keep your balance while running. Extend your arm only when you need to "push" your dog out or away. If you run with your arm(s) constantly extended it will be less clear when you need your dog to respond to a hand signal. You wouldn't run a course muttering, "jump... jump... jump... JUMP!... jump... jump, etc." -- shouting "jump" louder only when you encountered an actual jump. Be just as clear with your arm and hand signals as you would be with your verbal signals.

Rules of the Game

Test your knowledge of agility organization rules and reg's AND save some money at the same time. We're starting a contest called "Rules of the Game." Here's how it works (in brief):
We'll post 2 new questions each week about agility organization rules and regulations. The first person to respond correctly to each question wins a $5 credit to be used toward lessons, run-thrus, or field fees. Here’s a tip…remember the March 23 post that listed the sites for the popular agility organizations? You’ll probably want to keep that handy. ; )
Read all the details in the “Rules of the Game” section at the bottom of this page.
The contest begins April 2, 2009!

6 Obstacle Approaches

There are only 6 ways to approach an obstacle on an agility course. Make sure to practice all 6 with each new obstacle.

1. Run by left:
   You run past (by) the obstacle with your dog on your right (left side of your dog).
2. Run by right:
   You run past (by) the obstacle with your dog on your left (right side of your dog).
3. Send:
   Send your dog ahead of you over an obstacle.
4. Recall:
   Call your dog to you over an obstacle.
5. Rear cross left:
   Start on the right side of your dog and rear cross to the left side as you approach.
6. Rear cross right:
   Start on the left side of your dog and rear cross to the right side as you approach.

Agility Organizations

Below are links to popular agility organizations holding events in the U.S. The rules, regulations, jump heights, titles, etc. are slightly different for each one. Let me know if you have any questions you'd like answered or researched.

• http://www.usdaa.com/: USDAA (United States Dog Agility Association)
  (USDAA rulebook: http://www.usdaa.com/rulesreg_ebook.cfm)
• http://www.akc.org/events/agility/index.cfm: AKC (American Kennel Club)
  (AKC agility rulebook: http://www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/REAGIL.pdf)
• http://www.nadac.com/: NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council)
• http://www.docna.com/: DOCNA (Dogs on Course in North America)
• http://www.k9cpe.com/: CPE (Canine Performance Events, Inc.)
• http://www.k9tdaa.com/: TDAA (Teacup Dogs Agility Association)

Contacts - 2 on / 2 off

Directionals

Use your right hand to signal a right turn and your left hand to signal a left turn, rather than using one hand to signal both. This not only makes the cue clearer to your dog, it can also help you remember which direction you're turning. "I'm turning towards my right hand, or I'm turning towards my left hand." ; )

Release

A consistent, clear, concise verbal release cue helps establish a solid stay at the start line. Your dog will hold a stay more confidently if he knows he's listening for one particular verbal cue to move. Otherwise he may think he can abort his stay as soon as you get past the jump, or as soon as you fix your hair, or as soon as you bend your knees.

Summer Fun!

OK, one more. Here's a fun video for you to watch.

Today, I created a blog site. Gotta start somewhere. ; )