The Scribe Dog Agility Sport Handlers www.dashagility.com Volume 2011 Issue 2 Summer Dog Agility for Dummies Are you interested in beginning dog agility? Not sure where to begin? Well, you re in luck. Thanks to John Kinney, there is a wonderful article titled, Dog Agility for Dummies on the DASH website. It can be found under About Agility. Or you can click here: http://bit.ly/njr8yl In this issue ASCA, USDAA, and CPE trial recaps Vet Alert: Chronic Kidney Disease Agile Advisor: Fast and Independent Weaves Tasty Treats The Scribe s New Look The Scribe has a new look thanks to Cheryl Umeda who graciously decided to take it over for John Zappe. If you have something you d like to add or would like to see in The Scribe, email Cheryl at DASHScribe@gmail.com. We re looking forward to this fresh new start and see what she can bring to our club s newsletter. Cheryl says, I will strive to bring you the latest DASH and canine news. I hope you enjoy it. Upcoming Events Oct 2, Practice at TeWinkle Park Oct 15-16: AKC Trial, TeWinkle Park, Costa Mesa Nov 5, practice at TeWinkle park Nov 19-20: ASCA Trial, Lynmark Dog Sports, Riverside Dec 9, holiday party and practice Trials, trials, trials: The Recap The year started out with a bang, or should I say brrr, with our annual ASCA trial. Next up was DASH s first USDAA Test at a new location that many people loved. Of course, our debut trial rocked. Then summer began and we hosted the largest CPE trial west of the Mississippi. Keep reading for recaps by the trial chairs. Snow, Snow, Snow, Will the ASCA Trial Go On? By John Kinney ASCA Chair 2011 Snow was the panic word being used in a flash of emails just days before DASH s ASCA agility trial on February 26-27 in Riverside. (continued on page )
Page 2 The Scribe Summer 2011 The meeting was called to order at 6:50 p.m at Estelle s office. Board members present were Marti Simons, Lauralyn Johnson, Scott Klar, Estelle Robinson, Marianne Lovejoy, Julie Forward and John Kinney. 2.0 Agenda and Minutes 2.1 Minutes Approve minutes from 09/2010 & 07.15.2011 Motion to approve made by John, Second by Scott, all approved. 2.2 Agenda adds/deletions None 2.3 Future Calendar Move Practice Calendar to February (after new board & officer/ chair selection.) Add annual meeting discussion. 3.0 Reports 3.1 Treasurer John: $17,053.92 net in account. $700 TS fees for USDAA still outstanding, deduction for seminar expenses. 3.2 Membership Scott: 59 Members to date. 3.3 Practice Lauralyn: Next practice on 8/27. 3.4 Scribe Cheryl is working on. 3.5 Website Marti: Vicki wants official website rules when it is ready for members to add pages. John will work with Vicki. 3.6 Trial Chairs 3.6.1 ASCA John: John will send the premium to Julie when it is ready. Sue Graham will be the judge for trial on Nov 19 & 20. 3.6.2 CPE John: 2012 is approved with judges Candy & Todd. 2012 and future CPE trials will fall one week later. 3.6.3 AKC Estelle: A. Duplicate Scribe Sheets Discussed Board Minutes August 6, 2011 and will look into getting monitors to display scores as entered instead. Marti will play with it. B. Discussed Refunds for dropped entries. C. Discussed AKC schedule for August 2012. No word back from Lynda regarding switching weekends. D. QQ Pins for October? Marti will check it out. E. Security hours for October, will play it by ear. F. T2B offered on Saturday (not Sunday) due to judges early flights. 3.6.4 USDAA Lauralyn: Lauralyn will reserve weekend when Scott confirms we have the site. 3.6.5 Seminar Lauralyn: Everything on schedule. 4.0 Old Business 4.1 Equipment Loan Program Discuss next month. 4.2 Picture Raffle Virginia taking over picture raffle in October. 5.0 New Business 5.1 Equipment Repairs: Teeter, Tire, Triple Jump Scott: Scott will take care of weight requirements on teeter, adding plastic height tags to tire chain, and adding 4 jump cups to triple jump. 5.2 Timers Scott made a motion to purchase Farm Tek timers, horn & carrying case. Second by Lauralyn and all in favor. 5.3 Power Packs for Timers Scott mad a motion to purchase Power Packs, second by Estelle, all in favor. (continued on page ) Dog Agility Sport Handlers is a competition canine agility club whose mission is to provide handlers and dogs the opportunities to improve training techniques, foster good sportsmanship, and have fun. We promote dog/handler confidence and cooperation, encourage mutual support among members, provide agility information and education. DASH was previously known as South Coast Agility Team. The name was changed in December 2009. The Scribe is the club newsletter. The editor for 2011 is Cheryl Umeda. Submissions are welcome. Email them to DASHScribe@gmail.com. See us online at www.dashagility.com 2011 Board of Directors Marti Simons - President Julie Forward - Secretary Estelle Robinson - Vice President John Kinney - Treasurer Lauralyn Johnson - Practice Chair Scott Klar - Membership Chair Marianne Lovejoy - Volunteer Coordinator
Page 3 The Scribe Summer 2011 (continued from page ) There were just as many weather forecasts that said rain or overcast, but SNOW seemed to raise everyone s concerns. Well, not only did the trial go off as planned, but by the time the first dog was on the line at 7:30am, the sun was shining and people couldn t shed parkas and their snow caps and gloves fast enough. For those not familiar with ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America), there are three courses: Regular (like AKC s Standard), Jumpers (same) and also Gamblers. Gamblers is similar to Jackpot (CPE) and Gamblers (USDAA and NADAC). Regular and Jumpers courses are run once, then cones and teeters are reversed and run again. It is quite interesting sometimes when a course seems easy one way, but extremely difficult in reverse. You do not need to join ASCA if you do not care to title. If you do want to title, a one-time fee is required, but no annual fees or dues. Limited training is also allowed in the ring to reinforce contacts missed. The ASCA rulebook is located at http://www.asca.org/ Portals/0/AgilityRules.pdf The trial, co-hosted by DASH with Tri-County ASCA, was held at Lynmark Dog Sports in Riverside. Over 75 dogs competed all weekend in Regular, Jumpers and Gamblers. The overnight rains made some of the footing questionable but nothing too severe the dogs had no problems. The two-day trial was the natural result of a very successful one-day ASCA trial held in September 2010. Both hosting clubs and all of the lead players believed there was adequate exhibitor and volunteer support for a two-day trial. John Kinney (Trial Chair) worked with Carol McLaughlin and Judi Myers of Tri-County ASCA to put the necessary details and paperwork together. Lynn Morgan of Lynmark was also supportive, even visiting with us during the day for lunch. As with all trials, it couldn t be done successfully without volunteers. Estelle Robinson, as Ring Steward and Volunteer Coordinator, made sure we had all the spots filled in the rings, and things ran smoothly. Course builders Jack Rodriguez and Kelly About the only thing that could have made DASH s first USDAA test in April better would have been for everyone to have gone home with a Q. McMahon kept the transition between classes short and sweet, while Nicole Wakida kept everyone happy in the hospitality tent. John Kinney filled in whenever a gap occurred, and kept throwing sawdust on the muddy areas to prevent too much slippage. Oh, almost forgot to talk about the competition. The dogs had a great time, even if it meant a bath was waiting for them at home. Lots of Q s and, attention everyone DASH s own Kelly McMahon won High in Trial for the Elite class running with Bingo. Way to go Kelly and Bingo. In total over 150 Q s were earned and I believe there was at least one ATCH obtained. Sue Graham of West Coast ASCA was an intern judge, and she passed the exam. As a full-fledged judge, Sue provides a local judge for future ASCA trials. Sue was very grateful for the support of the DASH members who held the key positions of the trial, making the event a great final test trial for her. DASH and Tri-County couldn t wait to exchange calendars for the rest of 2011 to find a weekend in the Fall to do it again. With regional and national ASCA events in September, DASH s AKC trial in October, a natural opening seemed to be November 19-20, 2011. So, save the date and look for the premium to be posted in late September. All no snow or rain dances are always appreciated. See you in November. DASH s First USDAA Test By John Zappe 2011 USDAA Test Chair About the only thing that could have made DASH s first USDAA test in April better would have been for everyone to have gone home with a Q in every run. The weather was perfect, clear and cool. The location at Northcutt School in Fountain Valley was roomy and convenient. And our judge, Scott Lovelis, president of the DART agility club out in the Ontario area, could not have been more helpful. Considering this was the first time most of the competitors had ever entered a USDAA test, that helpfulness made the event a success. Just over 50 dogs competed; many of them were entered in every one of the eight runs we offered over the two days. Some of the runs were comfortably (continued on page )
Page 4 The Scribe Summer 2011 (continued from page ) 5.4 Equipment Purchase Chutes: John made a motion to purchase new chutes in time for October s trial in case of rain, second by Estelle, all in favor. 5.5 Shirts Marti will set up on Café Press so members can purchase as they want. 6.0 Meeting Schedule Next meeting will be Tuesday, September 20, 2011. 6:30 PM at Estelle s office. 7.0 Adjourn Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM. Chronic Kidney Disease: Signs and Symptoms On August 29, 2011 my 13-year-old Sheltie, Miko, was diagnosed with chronic renal/kidney failure (CRF). Three months prior, his blood work showed him to be a very healthy senior dog. One month ago, Miko had started drinking an excessive amount of water, one of the many signs of kidney failure. The only good thing about this diagnosis is that overall, he s still very healthy. Needless to say, the diagnosis was shocking considering his last checkup and it s amazing how life changing this is going to be for the both of us. There are many theories on what causes kidney disease; everything from eating dry dog food to too much protein in the diet. Instead of discussing those theories, I ve decided to list the many signs of kidney disease. When a dog shows signs, however, he is usually well past the beginning stages of kidney disease. So I recommend you read up on the theories and choose a path for you and your dog. Signs of kidney disease/ failure: Increased water consumption Increased, decreased or lack of urination Blood in the urine Decreased appetite Vomiting Weight loss Lethargy Diarrhea The most common symptom is increased water consumption and urination. Unfortunately, by this point, the dog is usually in Stage 3 of CRF. CRF isn t necessarily a death sentence though. Every diagnosis and dog is different. Once I find a diet that brings his numbers back to normal, Miko could potentially live for many years to come. As always, keep an eye on the health of your dog. A simple thing as being thirsty constantly can be a life changing symptom. I m not one to run to the vet for every change, but since Miko has been getting older, I definitely am more aware of his daily health. For more information on CRF: http://bit.ly/okqfug Latest Recalls: http://www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/recalls/2011 -Merrick Recalls Dog Treats - Doggie Wishbone (8/9/2011) -Bravo Recalls Pig Ears Dog Chews for Salmonella (6/1/2011) -PrimeTime and KC Beefhide Pig Ears Recalled (5/18/2011) -Diggers Natural Treats Recalled for Salmonella (5/18/2011) -Pig Ears Recalled Due to Possible Salmonella (5/4/2011) -Jones Natural Chews Pig Ears Recall (3/9/2011) -Merrick Pet Treats Recalled for Salmonella (1/30/2011)
Page 5 The Scribe Summer 2011 Secrets to Success For Extremely Fast and Independent Weave Pole Performance By Marla Friedler-Cooper, MA, CPDT-KA Part 1- Initial Weave Pole Training I never really understood the common perception that weaving is the hardest obstacle to teach a dog to perform. I think weaves is the easiest and most fun obstacle to teach! Equipment - Channels To teach a great weave performance, you do not need any special technique, any fancy video or any special equipment. All you need is a set of channel weaves or stick in the ground poles. There is no doubt in my mind that a channel creates the fastest, most powerful and most confident weave pole performances in the world. It teaches the dog to run straight down the middle line and to run the entire length right from the start. When you teach two or three poles at a time, you are teaching the dog to arc around the poles, rather than following the straight line closest to the poles, down the middle path. Number of Poles - Twelve I do not teach to shape one pole at a time. I do not teach two poles at a time. I do not teach six poles and then later twelve poles. I teach everything the dog needs to know with twelve poles wide open. In fact, later on when my dog does learn to weave with the channel closed, I go back to opening them up a few inches for the rest of that dog s career. My dogs never see a closed set of weave poles except in competition. Why do I need to practice this when my dog already knows how to weave? What I need to practice are just entries and exits and I can do that with an open channel to minimize stress on the dog. However, there must be twelve poles right from the start to create maximum speed and for the dog to always expect twelve poles. Train in Drive Restrained Send Some people teach understanding first and think they will get speed later. I disagree with this. I believe in teaching the speed first and then we will work on fine tuning the performance details later. I want a dog obsessed with speed. I must teach the dog to pull into the weaves with speed and I do that with restraint. Work the dog up, hold them back by the collar, tease them with, Do you want it? Ready. Ready. Then say weave and let them rip. Toss your toy straight ahead at the exit of the poles. What I want to see is a dog running as fast as he can straight down the middle of the poles. The placement of the reward should be straight ahead to train a dog to drive straight out of the poles. Next issue: Part 2 - Training Independence and Maintenance for Weave Pole Performance Marla is a club member and Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) who teaches agility and acting for canines at her school, South Coast Dog Training in San Clemente.
Page 6 The Scribe Summer 2011 (continued from page ) familiar, since AKC s Standard and Jumpers and FAST are all modeled on USDAA s Standard and Jumpers and Gamblers. Snooker was easily learned, especially since it is similar to the CPE game. The real kick was Pairs Relay, a unique USDAA game in which a course is divided in two sections with each run by a different team. Most of us came off the course laughing, either because we d run an extra obstacle or forgot which part of the course we were to do, or just because. Because only Starters and Advanced level courses are permitted the first time a club does a USDAA test, the edge you sometimes sense when people are trying to pick up points or qualify for a tournament was absent. Plus Scott was a generous judge and his courses were designed for beginners. All of that contributed to the fun and the sense of comaraderie. We were all learning as we went. I feel privileged to have served as DASH s first USDAA show chair. It was an event almost two years in the making, and it took a lot of work from many people to make it happen. Long before the test (USDAA calls its shows tests, not trials), the club had to acquire new equipment and refurbish some of what we already owned because USDAA standards are different from AKC. In 2010, we held a match to demonstrate our ability to successfully put on an event. Now that our first sanctioned test is behind us, we re able to offer all competition levels - - Masters, as well as Starters and Advanced. And we can offer additional events like DAM team, and the tournament games of Steeplechase and Grand Prix. No doubt next year s test chair, Lauralyn Johnson, is already putting together that schedule. DASH Hosts its 7 th CPE Trial by John Kinney CPE Trial Chair 2011 DASH Club members hosted their CPE trial June 18-19 under terrific weather and with a great group of competitors. Nearly 200 dogs competed over the weekend in 1308 runs, of which 330 were Q s way to go everyone! The trial nearly filled on Saturday with 746 runs, while Father s Day on Sunday kept some from competing. (Note: Beginning in 2012, the trial is one week later to decrease the frequency it falls on Father s Day.) Ernie Rodriguez of We Be Doggin provided the C-ATCH bars for the winners and unbeknownst to John, even had one prepared with Jewel s name and the DATE.. The trial was Chaired again by John Kinney with a support team of Marti Simons (Trial Secretary), Marge Brown (Hospitality), Marianne Lovejoy (Volunteers and one of the Ring Stewards), Barb Demko (Ring Steward) and Jack Rodriguez led the course building team that set up 6 games and approximately 14 course resets each day. Many DASH members contributed to the trial s success by pitching in wherever they could, learning new tasks and roles to assist the leads, doing scoring assistance, getting coffee and most importantly helping to setup on Friday and tear down on Sunday. Some members called in the husband Cavalry on Sunday to help in the tear down a huge thanks from the very tired Chair and his helpers who appreciated the fresh bodies and souls. Besides the 330 Q s, there were four C-ATCH s earned (CPE Agility Title Champion). Deborah Davidson-Harpur earned C-ATCH #2 with Rat Terrier Gigi and C-ATCH #3 with All-American Magi, her 14 th Champion Title as a handler awesome Deb. Sue Brent got her C-ATCH with her Australian ShepherdCassie and John Kinney earned his withhis Aussie Jewel Go Aussies, Go. Kudos to all Champs and Q s! Ernie Rodriguez of We Be Doggin provided the C-ATCH bars for the winners and unbeknownst to John, even had one prepared with Jewel s name and the DATE. Ernie was confident in the team s ability to get their Snooker and Jackpot Q s on Saturday, but John is glad he didn t know. The winners kept Nicole Wakida busy keeping the C-ATCH ribbons and bars handed out and the 1 st -4 th Place ribbon trays filled. Oh, she also ran her dogs on their 20 runs during the weekend, and when she wasn t running a dog or doing ribbons, she was helping Marti score scribe sheets. She s our Energizer Bunny for sure. A shout out THANKS to DASH s Equipment Manager Scott Klar and the club members who have worked the past few months with the trailer s internal bracket system and also resurfacing the (continued on page )
Page 7 The Scribe Summer 2011 (continued from page ) last of the dog walk equipment. The trailer improvements really show in how much quicker the equipment can be packed back up on Sunday. There s actually too much floor space now available, so keeping the rolling trash cans upright is a challenge. Minor tweaking will likely continue but it is working very well. Scott (AKA that tall loud man) was also one of the Gate Stewards all day. The judges, Dorris Wiglesworth and Joanna Ambroz, once again commended DASH for an outstanding trial and are already committed for their return in 2013. (Something about not taking them to the airport unless they commit, usually works well.) They enjoy the early summer weather in Costa Mesa and the exhibitors enjoyed their challenging courses. Mark your calendars for June 23-24, 2012 for DASH s next CPE trial. Returning Judges will be Candy Rapp and Todd Benson. Todd appreciates he won t miss another Father s Day with his young daughter Kate. The game line-up will again have 6 offerings per day allowing participants to select up to five games to compete in. The weekend will also have three Standard runs since titles require twice as many Q s in that game. The Four C-ATCHs Photo by Photography by M
Page 8 The Scribe Summer 2011 Tasty Treats Homemade Frozen Beef (or Chicken) Pops Submitted by Julie Forward Items needed: 1. 5.5 ounce soufflé cups with lids (Smart & Final) 2. Trader Joe s European Style Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt (You could go with low fat if that is a concern for your particular dog.) 3. Broth (I use home cooked beef broth when I slow cook my girls a roast or TJ s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth with a little water added.) 4. Optional: Blueberries or Natural Peanut Butter I often cook a roast for my girls and since it s just for them I don t add any seasoning. I slow cook it on low for a long time so the broth is flavorful. In a pinch I ve also used Trader Joe s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth. If using the TJ Chicken Broth I ll usually add a little water. The broth is ready after it has cooled (or you can wait until the next day, just put in fridge). I put about ¼ cup yogurt in the soufflé cups and then top off with broth. I don t fill it quite all the way to the top because it expands a little when it freezes. Then just put on the lid and stack them in the freezer. They are usually ready to go in about 24 hours and your dog has a tasty cool treat without any dangerous preservatives often found in commercial frozen treats. You can cut out the yogurt if your dog can t handle dairy or get creative and add organic blueberries (which are full of healthy antioxidants) or try a little natural peanut butter. I like making my own frozen treats for my dogs because I know exactly what s in it and what isn t. Commercial frozen dog treats often contain: BHA and/or BHT a preservative not approved for use in human food and believed to be a carcinogen. Some type of animal fat that s the point you have no idea what it is when labeled as animal fat (as opposed to chicken fat ) which means it could even be from a diseased or dying animal. Soy a lot of people don t think dogs digest soy well and it s not like the treats have to be loaded with protein since they are just that, a treat. The great unknowns how often do we hear of recalls with different pet foods and treats contaminated with bacteria or tainted with dangerous ingredients? Just treat the broth as you would any meat and you ll be fine. You can serve the pop directly in the cup or if you have an over anxious chewer who might eat the plastic cup, just pop it out in a bowl and watch it spin around as your dog licks and enjoys it! I ve never had a problem but as with all treats, I do supervise my dogs when they get their pops just so nobody tries to swallow too big of a piece. I hope your dogs enjoy this tasty treat as much as my girls. Simple Cheese Crisps Submitted by Cheryl Umeda Every dog loves string cheese. But carrying it around in your pocket isn t always the best thing. Well, this is the second best thing. Slice a piece of string cheese into ¼ thick rounds. Spread the rounds on a microwaveable plate lined with parchment paper. Microwave on high in 30- second intervals until they are brown to burnt. Microwave temperatures vary, so be sure to watch the first batch. Remove from parchment paper to cool. Note: you want to burn them so they become crispy when they cool. Each 6-inch (1oz.) piece makes 20-25 Cheese Crips.
Page Summer 2011 The Scribe Since our first CPE Q in June 2007, we will have accomplished 110 Q s to obtain this title - and let s not forget the countless oops runs, all my fault of course. Considering Jewel has less than 30 hours of Photo by Photography by M professional training and the only practice has been the DASH club practices, her accomplishments are truly amazing. She s proven that agility may not require significant investment of time and effort to have fun and earn those Q s. Her health challenges remain and we will continue to play as long as she is able. -John Kinney In May, R Baby Lil Prince Jasper (Lil Jasper) earned his Novice Agility Jumper Preferred title at the American Chinese Crested Club trial in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tail Tales Red-Dawn Blue Sage, border collie, earned her MACH last month in Chula Vista under judge Mark Upshaw (one of our very own DASH members)! Sage and Spritz (Floss Granting Pleasure) are both qualified for and competing in the USDAA Cynosport World Games this year and Sage is qualified for and will be competing in the AKC Nationals. -Deborah Ward Photo by Photography by M Cinder was the High Scoring Standard Schnauzer T2B at the SSCA Agility trial July 6, 2011 -Julie Henry Ziggy (left) got his MACH at the trial Sunday. And, he is #1 Chinese Crested in the country invited to the December AKC Eukanuba Invitational. Razr (right) got his first QQQ this weekend at DASH! Photo by Photography by M -Estelle Robinson -Marla Friedler-Cooper