Agility Training for You and Your Dog: From Backyard Fun to High-Performance Training by Ali Canova, Diane Goodspeed, Joe Canova, Bruce Curtis (Photographer)
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(Paperback - First)
- Pub. Date: September 2008
- 248pp
- Sales Rank: 30,005
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: September 2008
- Publisher: Lyons Press, The
- Format: Paperback, 248pp
- Sales Rank: 30,005
- ISBN-13: 9781599212487
- ISBN: 159921248X
- Edition Description: First
Synopsis
Based on the innovative, positive training methods this practical training book explains how to get your dog started in the exciting sport of dog agility.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Joe Canova is owner and co-director of Mountain Freaks Agility and is a national-level competitor who has had multiple dogs in the national finals of both the AKC and USDAA championships. Canova is also a chiropractic physician and has done animal chiropractic work. He lives in New Jersey.
Ali Canova is co-director of Mountain Freaks Agility and trains a wide variety of breeds including English Springer Spaniels, Papillons, Golden Retrievers, and Border Collies. Ali and her dogs have dominated their height division at both AKC and USDAA events, with multiple wins at the qualifying events for the USDAA National Championships and the AKC World Team Try-Outs. She lives in New Jersey.
Diane Goodspeed is an author, competitive agility handler, and instructor and has competed since 1992 in obedience, herding, and agility. She lives in New Jersey.
Bruce Curtis is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in Time, Life, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic. He lives in New York.
Customer Reviews
useful from start to finishby Team_Stamp
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November 04, 2008:
Agility Training for You and Your Dog ? From Backyard Fun to High-Performance Training
By Ali Canova and Joe Canova with Diane Goodspeed
Agility Training for You and Your Dog is a great way to get a glimpse at what goes on at Mountain Freaks. The convenient size, clear diagrams and excellent photos make this a handy book to take with you to the practice field. The fundamentals of agility training, as well as details of the specific methods used by Ali and Joe, are covered in an easy to read format.
The book begins with the assumption that at least some readers will know little or nothing about dog training and the sport of agility, neatly laying out everything the neophyte needs to know. While making it clear that any dog and any person can enjoy the sport, they give detailed explanations of what both the human and canine members of the team need to succeed, touching upon the obvious things, like the importance of having a physically sound dog in good weight, and the less obvious, at least to the newbie, including the mental challenges to the human member of the team learning new skills and memorizing courses. The basics of training through operant conditioning are covered in a simplified way that does away with all the technical jargon and sticks to the actual skills needed to train.
Of course the bulk of the book deals with teaching the actual skills required for agility competition, which makes it useful and interesting for anyone involved in agility, not just the beginner. Starting with a chapter on ground work, guiding the student step by step through all the skills needed for a good foundation in Mountain Freaks style agility handling and training, the book goes on to cover the training and handling of each individual obstacle, with frequent trouble shooting and training tip sidebars to help with virtually anything that might go awry. Instructors who are just beginning to teach will find this to be a very helpful guide for teaching agility the wide variety of types of dogs that come to class successfully. The careful attention to the earliest experiences on each obstacle, leading to a very solid foundation for later training, are a hallmark of Mountain Freak training, and are given the attention they deserve. Even trainers and handlers who are happily and successfully handling differently from Ali and Joe will find this book useful for the tips and ideas that can be implemented within any handling system.
Mountain Freaks instructors and students have done extremely well in competition with a wide variety of breeds of dogs in a variety of venues, and this book offers people who live far from The Mountain an opportunity to follow the same path, or simply to get a glimpse at what goes on up there.
An excellent step by step guideby dogluver
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October 16, 2008: After reading just about every book under sun on dog agility and dog training I was pleasantly surprised to find this new gem that has some new and up to date methods.The authors are high level competitors that I have seen compete at nationals and who have had articles published in Clean Run Magazine. Some of the other agility books I've read are written buy writers who only dabble in agility themselves. I have been competing with my dogs for over 5 years and teach some classes as well so I'm not a beginner. Surprisingly, for its size this book covers the gamut from beginner to very advanced. It has info for newbies about dog treats and different organizations, etc., and it has some very advanced handling and training concepts for high level competitors. There is a whole section on one of the author's weave pole system which is really a must read for all competitors. I have purchased the World Class Weaves with Joe Canova DVD and this is a very good written companion to that, especially due to the fact that the DVD did not include any written diagrams. I've made this required reading for all of our students.
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