Megan Foster Training Seminar

With all my travel lately it has been difficult for Mary Jane and I to attend trials with Ruby. I really want to move Ruby (and myself) along in our agility training, so we recently attended a seminar on advanced handling taught by Megan Foster and sponsored by K9Xpress Agility of Austin.

Megan is a national and international agility competitor, trainer, handler, and judge. She recently launched her own site http://synergydogsports.com/ and is preparing for a busy 2013.

The focus for many of us was motivation, clear handling communications, course reading and footwork. Ruby is doing much better than I am in many cases. (Though I really need to work on motivation and focus…)

Here is a short video of one of the courses and a handling drill for a “reverse post turn” (though I prefer “Ass Pass” as it pretty much sums up how I demonstrate the maneuver.)

Ruby and Matt and the Ass Pass

So, needless to say I am losing weight and running a bit more so I can keep up. Ruby is really enjoying the extra training. We even set up a series of weave poles in the backyard to work on Ruby’s weave speed. I have also added a toy to motivate Ruby through her obstacles. We’re signed up for an event on the April 7th and again in May. I plan to stay on my feet.