(Photo Credit: A. Wooten Photography)

In this episode (38:09)

In this episode, the BDA crew identifies top priorities for people’s winter agility training outside of the ring.

You Will Learn

• What skills you can teach and/or improve outside of the ring.
• Why winter might be a great time to get a new dog or puppy.
• Why Esteban started the Wednesday Wrap Up
• How the decline of USDAA and growth of UKI might be related.
• How Jennifer qualified a sheltie for the AKC Invitational.

Mentioned/Related

• Does Your Dog Check Out When You Lead Out? (Facebook Live)
• Episode 189: How to Structure Your Dog Agility Season
• Episode 202: AKC Invitational with Carrie DeYoung
• Soccer vs Football Linguistic History
• December 7, 2022 Wednesday Wrap Up (EOTT, Cynosport, Holiday Movies)
• Episode 154: Kids and Dogs and Jennifer Crank

In this episode (23:52)

In this episode, we talk with Paul Campanella and Tom Bradley about the non-profit Take the Lead. “Take the Lead was established in 1993 to provide direct services, support and care for those in the purebred dog community who were facing the devastating challenges of life-threatening or terminal illness. In addition, we are now able to provide assistance in cases of civil disasters.”

You Will Learn

• The story behind Take the Lead.
• How to apply for assistance from Take the Lead.
• How you can contribute to Take the Lead.
• A sneak peek into the 10th Anniversary of the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster!

Mentioned/Related

• Take the Lead
• Support the Take the Lead Mission by becoming a member: https://takethelead.org/membership/

In this episode (29:01)

In this episode, we talk with junior handler Jada Sawhney who just came back from the Border Collie Specialty and the Incredible Dog Challenge with podium finishes!

You Will Learn

• How Jada got started in agility.
• Why we chose Jada as a Bad Dog Agility Sponsored Athlete.
• How the opportunities for juniors have changed over the last 15 years.
• How the Border Collie Specialty and the Incredible Dog Challenge are structured.
• Why Sarah and Esteban are agility boomers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_LUiuByyPA

Mentioned/Related

• Announcing Jada as a Bad Dog Agility Sponsored Athlete!
• Watch Jada’s runs from the Incredible Dog Challenge.

In this episode (47:44)

In this episode, we talk with Angie Benacquisto, the first American to win the European Open!

You Will Learn

• How Angie prepared herself to be able to run the long lines typical of international agility at the highest levels.
• The effect that the competition rules have on the competitiveness of the event.
• How Angie’s path to gold included 15th non-clean runs.

Mentioned/Related

• Episode 275: Handler Fitness and Agility
• Watch Angie and Sundae’s winning run!

In this episode (32:15)

In this episode, we discuss how travel before big events affects performance and what you can do about it!

You Will Learn

• The travel strategy that has led Jennifer to national championships and world medals!
• Why thinking about what causes you stress can help direct your travel plans.
• How the body responds to chronic versus acute physical stress.
• The importance of warming up after travel.

In this episode (26:37)

In this episode, Jennifer explains how to deal with ring conflicts and shares her advice for running multiple dogs at a trial.

You Will Learn

• Strategies for dealing with ring conflicts.
• How to deal with the stress of running multiple dogs at a trial.
• When you should try to avoid ring conflicts.
• How to train yourself to deal with ring conflicts.
• The importance of visualization to success.

Mentioned/Related

• How to Use the Practice Jump
• Episode 182: Choose Your Own Agility Adventure

In this episode (58:44)

In this podcast, Sarah and Esteban talk with Jennifer Crank and Jean Lavalley about Bee’s record setting Westminster win.

You Will Learn

• Why it is harder for the 16″ dog to be named the overall winner than it is for the 20″ dog.
• What Westminster records Jennifer has set and which record she has her eye on.
• The story behind “Team Bee” throwing out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game!

Mentioned/Related

• Watch Bee’s Winning Run: here (view from stands) and here (Westminster Facebook) and here (Fox broadcast plus lots of great behind the scenes including the announcement of the overall winner)
• Cool Westminster Winner Announcement

In this episode (46:25)

In this podcast, Jane Dewey joins the podcast to talk about putting on a trial from the club perspective.

You Will Learn

• The responsibilities of the club and club members.
• Why small clubs may rent out their name.
• The difference between a club and a business.

Mentioned/Related

• Podcast #1 in our Behind the Scenes series: Episode 305: Interview with Judge Sheyla Gutierrez
• Podcast #2 in our Behind the Scenes series: Episode 306: Interview with Trial Secretary Noreen Bennett
• The Growth of AKC Games

In this episode (1:08:31)

In this episode, newly crowned AKC National Agility Champions Jennifer Crank, Betsey Lynch, and Amber McCune talk about the NAC experience in this big wrap up podcast!

You Will Learn

• How competitors felt about the dirt surface.
• How the color of the dirt may have impacted dogs.
• What the champions thought about the Finals course.
• What the venue was like.

Mentioned/Related

• The 20 Foot Trap
• Episode 305: Interview with Judge Sheyla Gutierrez
• Train with Amber at American K9 Country

In this episode (41:23)

In this podcast, Noreen Bennett of PawPrint Trials joins the podcast to educate competitors about the role a trial secretary plays at AKC trials.

You Will Learn

• The responsibilities of the trial secretary.
• How management of trial entries and results have evolved over the years.
• Why most trial entries are not handled electronically.
• The future of agility trial management.
• How Jennifer feels about her brief stint as a trial secretary.

Mentioned/Related

• Podcast #1 in our Behind the Scenes series: Episode 305: Interview with Judge Sheyla Gutierrez
• PawPrint Trials

In this episode (54:19)

In this podcast, AKC judge Sheyla Gutierrez shares how she came to be a judge at the National Agility Championship as well as her thoughts on course design and responsibilities of a judge.

You Will Learn

• Why AKC courses can be difficult to design.
• What course design trends are happening in AKC agility.
• How Sheyla came to judge at the upcoming NAC.
• What judges can and can not control.

Mentioned/Related

• Sheyla’s Website

In this episode (49:53)

UKI co-founder Greg Derrett joins the podcast talk about UKI in North America, including the US Open, cup events, and the new West Coast Open.

You Will Learn

• How UKI started as an organization created by competitors, for competitors.
• Why UKI created the West Coast Open.
• How many members UKI has in North America.
• The difference between a “Cup” event and a “Classic” event.
• How the bye system works in UKI.

Mentioned/Related

• Episode 12: Interview with Greg and Laura Derrett
• Episode 150: The Global Judging Program with Lee Gibson
• The UKI Website: https://ukagilityinternational.com/
• Bye Tracker
• Episode 42: The Internet, Dog Agility, and You

In this episode (44:02)

Swedish champion Enya Habel and German champion Anna Hinze join the podcast to talk about European agility, course design trends, jump heights, breed diversity, and how Covid-19 impacted the sport in their countries.

You Will Learn

• What course design trends that FCI competitors are seeing.
• How many jump heights are in FCI agility trials.
• How many people compete at the Swedish and German national championships.
• How Covid-19 affected training and competition in Sweden and Germany.

Mentioned/Related

• Episode 137: Swedish Jump Heights and Its Effect on FCI
• Follow Enya on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enya.habel
• Follow Anna on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clickerjunkies
• Enya’s Training Diary
• Anna’s Online Courses

In this episode (32:04)

In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk about Whac-A-Mole and dog agility.

You Will Learn

• Why training your dog can feel like playing Whac-A-Mole.
• The difference between training sequentially vs in parallel.
• How you can use problem-based training to fix your issues.

Mentioned/Related

• Never heard of Whac-A-Mole? Here’s the wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whac-A-Mole
• Episode 226: Sequential vs Parallel Training
• On the Job Training using Placement of Reward
• Episode 139: The Test/Train/Adjust Cycle

In this episode (15:25)

In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk the difference between OVERUSE and MISUSE and dive deeper into what your instructor may mean when using these terms.

You Will Learn

• Why instructors (including us!) should be careful with terminology.
• Why “overuse” may be misuse in disguise.
• Why it’s problematic to have one cue for a wide range of responses.

Mentioned/Related

• Episode 63: A Newcomer’s Guide to Handling Systems
• Episode 30: Analyzing Mistakes and a Look at Systems

In this episode (29:45)

In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk how having goals for trialing, beyond ribbons and titles, can help you improve your dog agility performance.

You Will Learn

• How being clear on your trialing goals can save you time and money.
• What Jennifer and Esteban do with their ribbons.
• How your goals can shift through a dog’s career.
• How you can structure your goals leading to big events.

Mentioned/Related

• Episode 182: Choose Your Own Agility Adventure

In this episode (33:17)

In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk about “playing it safe” when you’re running an agility course. When should you play it safe? What are the pros and cons of playing it safe?

You Will Learn

• What it means to “play it safe”.
• When handlers should or should not play it safe.
• Why Esteban changed his approach in recent years.
• How Jennifer changed her approach over the years.
• How to determine what is best for you and your dog.

Mentioned

• 2014 AKC NAC Round 1 Wrap Choice – Pace vs Gitchi
• Episode 182: Choose Your Own Agility Adventure

n this episode (25:29)

In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban discuss the evolution of how people manage their dogs during classes—when it’s NOT their turn.

You Will Learn

• Different strategies for managing your dog, including a leash, cot/bed, or crate.
• Pros and cons of each strategy.
• What the BDA team prefers to use when training alone vs in a class or seminar.

Mentioned

• Episode 1: Using a Crate During Training