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2009 Agility Camp

July 11-12

Sugar Bush Farm, Stephentown NY

Dates: Saturday-Sunday, July 11-12, 2009

Location: Sugar Bush Farm, 760 East Road, Stephentown NY

Open to: all dogs currently competing or getting ready to compete (must be comfortable on all equipment)

 There a no working openings left, but you can still get an auditing spot!

Local hotel information:

Instructors (bios now available):
Julie Daniels
Mary Jo Lavin
Ray Wheeler
Sue Sternberg

Here's a preliminary list of topics to be covered in camp

• Julie Daniels:

  • Body Language Speed Drills

  • Find the Line

  • One Jump Exercises (set up with each student in command of a single jump; a series of exercises geared to helping dogs use their quads and helping handlers teach their dogs to jump in rotation and land moving in parallel)

  • Positional Cues in Motion (clicker training session; the aim is learning to steer while in motion, like the "get in and get parallel" serpentine move using the open-shoulder cue (Julie's take on this is that most people talk to the nose when they need to be taking control of the butt)

• Mary Jo Lavin:

  • Agility Geometry (finding lines, arcs, 270s, 180s, pinwheels, serpentines - basically everything handling!)

  • Handling Options for Motivation and Focus

  • Agility Skills Inventory (list of agility skills and obedience-for-agility skills that are useful for agility.  It gets into record keeping as a training tool)

  • Start Line Issues

• Sue Sternberg:

  • Body Language Explained (body language and what behaviors to look for that spell trouble, both dog-human problems as well as dog-dog problems)

  • Dog-Dog Issues in Agility

  • Frustration in Dogs (dog who stress, dogs who run off, dogs who bite their owners, dogs who are destined to bite their owners, etc.)

  • How Anyone Can Spot and Diffuse Potential Problems at Trials (how the leash runner, ring crew, gate steward, timer etc can help spot problem dogs and what little extras they can do to prevent an incident)

• Ray Wheeler:

  • Acceleration and Deceleration

  • Running NADAC Style

  • Foundation Work

  • Jump and Tunnel Sends

  • Snooker Strategies, and Gambler/Jackpot Openings

Here's the Preliminary Camp Schedule:

Camping available on site!

Download registration form - Adobe - Word

What’s this agility camp thing all about?  It’s a perfect opportunity to give you and your dog exposure to new and wonderful instructors, and over the course of 2 days to learn many new things and become a better team in the process.

Who can attend? Any dog currently competing at any level, in any venue, or ready to compete can attend.

Can I just attend one day? Unfortunately, no; because of the rotating instructor format and material to be covered, you must attend both days for the full camp experience.

What’s the cost?  The cost is $350 for two days of camp.  A deposit of $100 (non-refundable) is required to guarantee a spot, and should be sent in with your registration.  The balance of $250 is due by June 1^st, 2009.

Can I audit?  Yes!  Audit fees are $80 a day or $150 for both days.  All levels of experience are welcome to audit.

What’s the schedule? Working groups will be set up based on experience level and problem/focus areas.  Max number of 12 handlers/dogs per group.  Each group will stay together for the course of the weekend, rotating from instructor to instructor for working sessions each day.  There will be breaks between working sessions, as well as a lunch break.

Can I work a second dog? You may only work one dog at a time.  However, if you want to substitute a second dog working at a similar or higher level to your first dog, please contact me so I can approve the substitution.  You may bring as many additional dogs to camp as you wish to that you are not working in camp.

Are cancellations allowed? For cancellations more than one month prior to the start date of the camp, all but the $100 deposit will be refunded if the spot can be filled.  For cancellations less than one month prior to the start of camp, no fees will be refunded.  Bitches in season and aggressive dogs are not allowed on the grounds.  If you plan to attend with an intact bitch, you should plan ahead and arrange to have an alternate dog of similar skill level available to work.  No refunds for bitches in season.