Editors Spring Message

AGILITY NEWS Jul – Sept 2017

Editors Spring Message.

Hi Everyone, Spring is finally here and the weather is warming up so make sure you have plenty of water available for your dog whilst training. ADC wants to keep your dogs safe so please don’t take them off lead unless you are asked by the instructor and it is your turn. Never let your dog/s walk up to another dog on lead or in a crate as you don’t know how that dog will react unless you know it. If your dog is nervous whilst on lead, don’t be afraid to ask people to keep their distance. Our Winter trial was a great success as usual and there were lots of quallies and prizes won by our ADC members. All of our volunteers did a great job on the day and I am sure they are now ready to do it again at our Spring trial which is already being prepared by the committee and some of our members. Remember with Spring in the air, there are certain plants that will be dangerous and cause your dog to itch. Make sure to keep these plants out of your garden.

ADC Committee as of Oct 2016 President – Robyn Jones Vice President – Chloe Crass Secretary - Michelle Oldfield Assistant Secretary – Sheridan Buck Treasurer - Vanessa Dowson Trial Secretaries – Mary-Anne Corry and Dot Drescik

Committee - Lisa Adams - Liz Yuill - Erica Hockley - Eva-Lotte Baad

Instructors Coordinator – Chloe Crass Instructors Sub Committee – Robyn Jones, Chloe Crass, Nathan Crass, Liz Yuill, Stacy Richards

Newsletter Editor - Joanne Campbell Office Manager – Tania King Office Assistants - Michelle Oldfield, Jo Campbell, Erica Hockley, Sheridan Buck and Lisa Hopkinson, Mary-Anne Corry, Bronwyn Dobeson Club Shop - Vanessa Dowson Trophy Steward – Trial - Bronwyn Dobeson and Catherine Egan Trophy Steward – Club – Tania King Media Co-coordinator – Chloe Crass

Meetings are held in the Secretary’s room at Castle Hill Showground on the second Wednesday of the month. Meetings start at 7.30pm General meetings are held in December, February, April, June, August and October . AGM held in October prior to General meeting.

All members welcome New members approved as of Sacha Packer & Little Man (labx) Richard McKenzie & Dexter (Aust Anthony/Courtney Calabriscello & Candy (BC) & Gavin (Great Dane) Shepherd) Dionne Bock& Nala (NSDTR) Amanda Mischkonigg & Texas Charmaine/Gabriel Cheong & (BC) Bruno (Chi) Raymond Chiu & Trooper Elinor Kettle/Gerald McShane Colleen Scorce & Jessie ( Staffy) (Hungarian Pulli) & Casper (parsons Russell Terrier) Melanie Collins & Theo Helen/Sue Murdoch & Echo Linda Holford & Cali (Koolie) (Shipperke) (Aust. Shepherd) Kirsty Grayson & Zoe (Staffy x Samantha Ramsay/Charlie Marianne Nalletamby & Billie Jean (JR) Fox Terrier) Starkey & Pikachu (Pom x) Berry Hill & Hannah (Min Poodle) Jack/Daniel Brodie & Carter (BC) Sarah Roberts & Henny (labradoodle)

PROMOTIONS: CONGRATULATIONS!!! Intro - Beginners Beginners - Green Green - Yellow Comet Mitch Dielwart & Zeke Susi Rusli & Magi Samson Nicole Van Barnveld & Stevie Nicole Van Barnveld & Stevie Sam Ramsay & Pikachu Kathy Cochran & Pepper Dionne Bock & Nala Samantha Ibbott & Jagger Allira Fontana & Archie Ellie Gordon & BlackJack Amanda Mischkonigg & Texas Owner unknown Charlie Helen Murdoch & Echo Yellow – Purple Purple – Blue Blue - Red Jess Flynn & Bandit Mary Anne Corry & Jack Turner Margaret Ramsay & Zoey

This newsletters story is written by Frankie Moore. Frankie is one of our instructors and is also a canine fitness trainer.

4 things Agility has taught me.

My name is Frankie Moore & I’m a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, Animal trainer, and Agility Coach. I came to agility in a round-about way, and much later in my life than most. I have always loved animals and being the guardian of a dog who I play sport with has completely changed my life journey. Papillons are down and out my favourite breed. Closely followed by Border Collies. A number of years ago, I was devastated to see a poor papillon puppy in the window of a pet store for weeks on end. In the end, I couldn’t pass this puppy anymore and decided to “rescue” him. Little did I know that small act would turn out to change my life completely, including putting me on a course to change my career. Jaxon, now 8, has always been a ball of energy, and a thinking dog. He and I started puppy training with a couple of awesome trainers who I still admire and base my inspiration in. While they don’t run classes anymore, they gave Jaxon and I the gift of a sport that has brought our relationship to a completely different level. Along our journey, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons that have helped me to keep at this sport, and essentially love living an active life with my dogs. Now I have 3 dogs, and hope that you can learn some of what I’ve learned in the past 4 years from training my dogs.

1. Do it for the fun of it! In the advanced dog training classes Jaxon and I took, we were introduced to agility equipment like tunnels, ramps and small jumps. Jaxon took to it like a duck to water. Going to class each week he was desperate to get onto the equipment, and always wanted another go. It was his joy of learning the equipment that really made me think this could be something fun for both of us. I’ve always played team sports, so creating a team between myself and my dog was almost a natural step. Starting Agility was fun, and hard – I had to learn the rules, learn the equipment, train my dog in obedience and play, as well as train agility. I also needed to be co-ordinated enough to throw that all together, while keeping connected with my dog! I quickly realised I couldn’t learn everything about agility from just a club environment. I was fortunate to be surrounded by very experienced agiliteers who pointed me in the direction of great trainers like World Champions Sylvia Trkman and Susan Garrett, who could teach the very foundations of Agility and game-play with my dog. Later on, we found local coaches and international coaches who would help us grow, and the thing that has always drawn me to a trainer is that philosophy of fun.

Silvia, in particular, taught me the pure joy of just playing with my dog. At the end of the day, it’s the joy on Jaxon’s face that kept me interested and wanting to learn more about agility as a sport. After 3 years of competing together, even when things don’t quite go to plan, my biggest reward is that huge grin on his face at the end of each run.

2. Be the best team-mate you can for your dog. Champion your dog. Get to know your dog. Love the dog you have. I’m sure you may have heard these before, and will no doubt hear them over, and over again in the future. Playing and training sports with my dogs has taught me what that really means to me. Every single dog is unique in their own way, like we are. Therefore, every team out there is unique in their own way too. For me, this has meant a few things.

Firstly, knowing my dog means understanding what drives them, what they love and don’t love, what their breed signifies in their behaviour, and most importantly, how they learn. I’ve had the amazing challenges of building up a low drive dog to get faster, and manage a high arousal dog to be able to think when working. Every challenge has been ultimately rewarding at the end of the day, and made me question just one thing. “How good a trainer am I really?”. In answering that, I realise that I’m still trying to be the best trainer I can. To learn more, understand more, and to ultimately achieve what I know about the other things I mentioned.

For me, being a better trainer means championing my dog, or looking at myself when things go wrong. This means a bit of self-criticism, and taking on board ideas from others you admire as trainers. Being a better trainer means loving the dog I have. Now, many people use this as a statement when people are looking to get another dog. Yes, for sure. However, whether you have one dog or ten dogs, this tenet stays true. To me, it means accepting my dogs for who they are. Accepting they are characters and beings within themselves, and they have so much to teach me if I listen.

This led me to learn European Handling styles, including the One Mind Dogs agility handling method, and work with the amazing Sarah Stremming of The Cognitive Canine. Ironically, when learning about herding recently, I found out that this methodology of respecting the dog for who she is, is where a Shepperd starts.

Lastly, the sport of agility is a fast-changing sport, which sees faster and more complicated skills being asked of the handler, and especially the dog. Both physical and mental challenges are taxing on myself and my team-mate. Setting myself up to be the best team-mate means keeping my dogs healthy and fit, happy and understood. Unfortunately I learned this the hard way, through the injury of my dog Jaxon a couple of years ago. It was a hard lesson to learn, and one I could have prevented. The upside of that experience is that I turned out to be a super-geek when it comes to dog fitness and movement for sport. So, I decided to get certified and become a canine fitness specialist. Now I run my own business, AgilityFit, and spend my time training and helping others and their dogs be the best teams they can be! This path has given me amazing opportunities and experiences already. This year I was asked to join Bobbie Lyons’ K9Fit Pawsitive Performance team, as her first International team member. A true honour and an amazing opportunity to work in a group of 10 brilliant canine fitness and health experts.

3. Enjoy your successes and more importantly, what you learn from your failures. I’m fortunate enough to come into the sport of agility when a great change is taking place. Both in the style of agility as a faster and more competitive sport, and in a generational shift where more young people are coming into the sport. That change also throws up challenges as a trainer and handler, from what style of handling you decide is best for you and your dog, to being an active and vital part of the agility community. Some people have been a part of agility for a long time, and some (like me), have only been around a little while. So, what an amazing opportunity to learn from so many different people who’ve trained in so many different ways, and at the same time, be able to help upcoming teams and younger people be just as amazing in our sport. A couple of things have rung true for me in this environment. Firstly, never compare yourself to someone else. Everyone in this sport has a completely different journey. A completely different dog, and they’re a completely different trainer. Someone could be training their 8th dog compared to you and your first. Noting your own successes and failures and asking for help and advice from the handlers you admire will pay off. This is important to me from both sides of the statement. That means I don’t judge others based on my own experience. I try to be helpful to them and try to understand their journey before I offer any advice. Secondly, my favourite saying is “The road to success is full of the potholes of failure”. Without failure, we don’t learn, we don’t get better. Embrace the bad with the good and let it shape you. Not every run is clean, but every run teaches something new. I hope my road is long and full of potholes. That way, I can be an even better trainer than I am today, and I only compare to my own journey.

4. Always remember number 1! Learning to train my dogs has always been more about how we can learn as a team together. Ultimately, having fun with my dog is my goal and my reward.

I leave you with the words of Silvia Trkman.

“There is no best way of training dogs. Each dog is different and requires [a] different way of training, so it’s very important to really know the dog. When you have a connection, just go out and play. Just have fun! I do agility for my dogs. I don’t do dogs for agility.”

Recipe of the Month

Who doesn’t love ice cream on a sunny day? Dogs generally find frozen treats irresistible. Because human ice creams can contain harmful ingredients and doggie ice creams are often pricy, why don’t you try to prepare homemade versions of these frozen delights to help Fido keep cool and happy! Just don’t add sugar as it’s not good for your pooch, and use yogurt with active cultures instead of dairy products. With these healthy, mouth-watering treats, your dog is sure to plant a big, wet, cold-tongued kiss on your cheek!

Flavoursome Ice Cream Recipes for Fido

Strawberry Ice Cream

· 1 small tub of fresh strawberries · 3 or 4 cups of low/non-fat, plain yogurt

Instructions: 1. Mash the strawberries using a potato masher. 2. Mix strawberry mash with yogurt and then freeze overnight.

Carob Chip Ice Cream

· 2 six-ounce containers of low/non-fat, plain yogurt · 1/3 cup of carob chips · 1 tbsp. of honey

Instructions: 1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well-combined. 2. Pour them into cupcake liners or ice cube trays. 3. Freeze until solid.

The Dangers Spring Can Bring

Spring has sprung and while there are many reasons to celebrate the arrival of warm sunshine and bright blooming flowers, it’s important to be mindful of the hidden dangers they may have in store for our pets. It is a misconception that animals avoid substances that may cause them problems. It is also wrong to assume that just because they have had a problem with something in the past they will avoid it in the future. Flowering and non-flowering plants can lead to a variety of allergies. Many common grasses, weeds and flowers all have the potential to disrupt your pet's outdoor adventures. Sometimes these allergies can be due to contact, while other times their irritating substance can be inhaled. Other plants and fruits are more dangerous when they are eaten. Just like children, pets love to explore and try new things. Dogs and cats often explore by tasting, chewing and rolling on things that they shouldn’t. Plants, flowers and fruits are a common temptation to pets. Unfortunately many of the common plants, spring time flowers and fruit trees can be found in our backyards, homes and parks have toxins that can be very harmful to our pets in more ways than one. Ingestion of certain flowers, fruits and plants can cause toxicity in our pets with symptoms ranging from vomiting, diarrhoea, acute renal or cardiac failure and even intestinal obstructions. Simply coming into contact with various allergy-causing plants and weeds can cause our pets to suffer an uncontrollable urge to scratch, lick, chew and rub at their skin until fur loss and dermatitis develops. Identification of these worrisome plants, allows avoidance and early recognition of the signs and symptoms that may become present in a pet that has had a reaction. Below is an image containing allergy causing plants and the table identifies toxic flowers and potentially harmful fruits and nuts that could create a dangerous situation if your pet was to investigate to closely...

Please remember to pick up after your dog/s and help keep the training grounds and other members shoes clean. YUK!!!

Please remember to wear your badges.

It is important to wear them so the instructors know you have paid, this is also important for insurance purposes.

*****To make it easier for the office ladies please try to bring the correct money ******

Training may be cancelled if the weather is bad. You can call 0449 736 271 if in doubt, but please do NOT leave a message. In bad weather we still may have modified training either on the ground or under cover or we will watch a training DVD. You can also check the website www.agility.org.au or check Facebook.

With our safety blitz happening at the moment this is a timely reminder for all instructors to wear your orange vests and for the club members to ensure they don’t approach tethered or crated dogs. Also, it is important to remember to leave your dogs on lead unless you have been instructed by your instructor to take the lead off, or it is your turn to run your dog.

Please remember our club is run by volunteers. In order to keep our training nights running smoothly and on time we require your assistance to help set up and pack up. We understand it may be hard for you to get to the grounds on time but if this is the case you can help pack up.

Club Competition ADC holds the club comp on the 4th Thursday of the month for Blue and Red class members. It is always fun and our judges set great courses. If there is a 5th Thursday of the month there will be a games night held. This is a great way for the new members of Red class to learn the rules of the games. Games are a lot of fun and a lot of people are too scared to get out there and give it a try. Once you get out there and do it once you won’t want to stop.

Scoring for ADC Blue & Red Club Comp Scores are allocated as follows: • All clear rounds are 5 points • First place, 5 points – possible 1 • Second place, 4 points – possible 9 • Third place, 3 points – possible 8 •Fourth place, 2 points – possible 7 • Fifth place, 1 point- possible 6 • Clear round, 5 points • 1-5 faults, 4 points • 6-10 faults, 3 points • 11-25 faults, 2 points • 26 plus, 1 point • Disqualification, 0 points Festival of Agility The Festival of Agility is held in September every year in September. The competition is run over the weekend and people come from all over NSW to attend this event. There are two major events held at the Festival. The Agility and Jumping Dog of the year which involves the top dogs that have ran in the Regional Qualifying Heats throughout the year. This Year the winner of ADOY and JDOY was our very own Sarah Kirkwood and her border Collie Spice. Congratulations Sarah and Spice on a great result. Congratulations also go to Ripley, Liz and Vanessa who came second in ADOY and JDOY.

The second major event is the Festival Club Challenge which comprises of a dog and handler from each height and all Clubs fighting for the Trophy. This year’s team came first for the second year in a row. This year’s team included:

600 Ripley and Liz and Vanessa 500 Paris and Luciana 400 Jindy and Warren 300 Jaxon and Frankie 200 Biscuit and Tania. Congratulations to all the teams on a great result. ADC Summer Trial

Our Spring trial is coming up in October. It will be a huge trial as usual and being a two day trial will make it even bigger. We would love for some of the newer members to come and help out with stewarding. You will be rewarded on the day for helping out with a free lunch which is always delicious. You will also get to meet most of our members and also learn a lot about agility at the same time. If you would like to help out please see the ladies behind the counter and put your name down. Most of all you will have fun helping out and observing some of the great dogs and their humans out there enjoying agility.

ADC would like to thank the Sponsors of our upcoming Trial

Robyn’s Tips What Sort of Toys are best for my Dog to Play With?

Dogs need something to play with otherwise they will choose items for themselves from your house or yard. Good toys provide mental and physical stimulation. Many commercial available toys are not made with endurance in mind. Make sure that you pick a tough toy for your dog to play with on his own. A less sturdy toy might work, but only under supervision. The best toys mimic reality. Balls and Kongs are all chase toys. All dogs enjoy a chase- in the wild their survival depends on it. The most realistic toys to chase are kongs- as they bounce in an unpredictable manner, thus mimicking an escaping animal. Squeaky toys are great fun too- most dogs like to pounce on these and kill” them- just as they would a mouse. These toys are best used under supervision and can be great reward toys when training. Hard toys are good for chewing- just as a large sturdy raw bone is. Choose from the many home alone toys that are on the market. As well as keeping dogs busy, chew toys help to keep teeth clean and also teach physical dexterity-as they learn to hold things with their paws. The last type of toy is a tug toy. These can be great but need to be used carefully. Most dogs love this interactive game with you. Play it carefully, especially with young pups, so you do not injure their teeth or their necks. When you have finished, claim the toy as your trophy and put it away. When playing, allow your dog some small victories to help keep the game fun. This game can be useful in training sessions too, as it requires two participants- you and your dog, unlike some toys eg. Squeaky toys, that are fun to play with alone without a human. Watching two dogs play tug-of-war is a great experience. I often used to watch my male play with my bitch and I try to follow the rules he sets up when I play with them (with me as the top player of course). He tugs just hard enough to keep control, sometimes he allows her to pull him and at times he lets go and lets her win. If he feels that she is getting too carried away he will pull harder or growl softly and she lets go---after a second or two he offers her the toy again and they play in a calmer manner. She is not allowed to snatch the toy from him during these moments. There are some great tug toys on the market, which combine fetch and tug. Be sensible when buying toys- buy long-lasting safe toys- don’t just buy the cutest ones. Robyn Jones 2016

Remember to enjoy your dog – he/she is your best friend!

Jo Campbell News Letter Editor