FUN, NEW AGILITY CLASSES

Starting Soon!!

Recall to Heel, for agility use.

Four Sundays: 11/22 to 12/13 (snow date: 12/20). 12:30 to 2:00 pm.

Recall to Heel and sequences that use this technique.

Handlers and dogs will be introduced to exercises for collection and turning over a jump using Linda Mecklenberg’s “recall to heel” technique. We’ll start on the flat, then add a jump with the dog approaching from different positions. We’ll then incorporate this very useful skill in sequences, adding speed and complexity as the individual teams progress in their skills.  Sequences will include leadouts,  serpentines and turns out of tunnels. To get the most out of this class, dogs will need to have a fairly reliable stay in front of a jump.

Sending Ahead for Turning and for Going Straight

Four Sundays: 11/22 to 12/13 (snow date: 12/20), 2:30 to 4:00 pm.

Dogs will learn to run ahead of the handler to jumps, a straight tunnel, and a chute. Handlers will learn to use natural and trained cues to let the dog know whether to turn back to the handler or to run ahead. The natural cues that dogs instinctively understand are motion, location, shoulders and eyes. The trained cues are arms and verbals.   Dogs and handlers will learn the different cues for running ahead (as at the end of a course) and for turning back to the handler. To get the most out of this class, dogs should be comfortable jumping (your choice of jump height) and running through tunnels. This class is appropriate for dogs of any age, including puppies.

Each of these classes will run 1 ½  hours for four Sundays and will be limited to six dogs. Cost $126.  Please contact Lisa Barrett, 434-2744 or mytmutts@yahoo.com if you want to take either or both classes.

The distractions for my dogs are at an all-time high in the spring too–peepers, woodcocks, robins, turkeys, hares, deer, turtles, voles, moles, porcupines and even bear are vying unintentionally for my pups’ attention! This is a great time of year to work through those distractions.

At the moment, I’m planning to include lots of my newly-learned handling cues into my classes and private lessons this summer. It is amazing the complex sequences you can handle with a green dog by using motion cues the dogs are born understanding.

I learned a huge amount. I love Linda’s approach: Use the cues a dog understands naturally, from the day the dog was born! Then you don’t need to train all kinds of esoteric cues. You can concentrate on doing your part to be consistent so the dog will understand you. Once you have trained the foundation behaviors, you can practice rather than train. This is much more fun for most of us, and definitely for our dogs.

Linda is offering a half-day seminar at Clean Run in March. If you can get to that, I advise you to go. Linda is an interesting and accurate presenter, and this is her system.

If you can’t get to Linda’s seminar,  I’m offering you a second choice. I’ll be offering a seminar on March 22 at The Dog School in Williston VT entitled “What I Learned at Linda Mecklenburg’s Seminar in Texas.”  Registration form will be posted here.

I’m Lisa Barrett. I teach, judge, and write about dog agility. Truth be told, I am addicted to dog agility.  I love the way the sport celebrates our bond with our dogs. It’s an emotionally stimulating sport. And USDAA is always mentally  challenging –I always need to analyze the course and figure out the best way for me to show my dog the path to follow. Agility is an exquisite dance with our dogs, and it is always fun because it’s a game we play with our dogs.

Dog Agility is the MOST FUN you can have with your dog!!! I teach for fun and competition. Any dog can have fun with agility. All but one of the many organizations that sponsor agility in the U.S. welcome all dogs–short or tall, mixed breed or purebred. The only exception is AKC, which permits only purebred dogs. 

Teaching: I teach private agility lessons in Huntington, VT and Williston, VT. You can reach me at mytmutts@yahoo.com, or 802 434-2744.  I teach dogs and handlers of any age, any ability, and any goals.

I also teach the following group classes at The Dog School in Williston and Huntington:

Competition Agility

Preparing for Competition

Weave Poles

A-Frame Contacts

Jumping Skills

You can reach The Dog School at www.thedogschool.biz

And this winter I’m teaching a class for NOMAD on Distance Skills.

Judging: I’ve been judging Advanced and Starters classes at USDAA (US Dog Agility Association) trials since 2001.  I enjoy judging because I like to set a relaxed, fun tone for the nervous handlers.  And it’s always fun to watch the dogs, particularly in Starters and Advanced.  The dogs are so honest and try so hard to do what their handlers ask. 

Writing: I currently write a bimonthly column  about Shelter Dogs who have become Champions for Clean Run Magazine. For several years I wrote a column analyzing Gamblers courses and about training dogs to work at a distance.

Competing: I’m currently running my little mixed breed, Fly. I refer to him as a “Teacup Mastiff” because that’s his personality. Fly runs in USDAA Masters, and he has earned his Bronze Snooker Championship and his Jumpers Championship. He has won two local Grand Prix classes. We are training through his extreme aversion to performing the table. Here’s Fly doing his favorite thing:

Fly Flies!

For many years, I ran Jenny, my Shelter Hound. Jenny earned her USDAA MAD and her Jumpers and Snooker Championship. Jenny was also a Semi-Finalist in 1998 and 1999 at the USDAA Grand Prix National Championships. She is now 14 or 15 years old, and  was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in March 2008. Thanks to advice from the on line advise from the K9 Kidney diets yahoo group, Jenny has  a new lease on life. She is once again running and playing. She even throws her ball down the hill and runs after it. She gets 500 ml of subcutaneous fluids every other day, and is getting a nutritious high-protein, low phosphorus homemade diet. She also gets Chinese herbs every day and occasional acupuncture from Nate Heilman at Qi Vet Clinic. Here’s sweet Jenny:

Sweet Jenny