issue 10
www.dogsportmag.eu
February 2013
Discdog in Finland Eva Grönblad-Saksela
Teemu Linna
TOTAL AGILITY METHOD
Claus Angerer
a Leen
Special CRUFTS 2013
Inkilä
Sini E
riksso
n
The Nordic HTM & Freestyle Championship 2012
Discdog in Finland : interview with Eva Grรถnblad-Saksela
The Nordic Heelwork to M Championship 2012
interview with Sini Eriksso
interview with Leena Inki
MONDIORING interview with Claus Amgerer
TOTAL AGILITY METHODS interview with Teemu Linna
Summary February 2013
Music & Freestyle
on
il채
Special : CRUFTS 2013
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Crufts 2013 : Obedience
CRUFTS 7-10 march
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There are only 2 weeks at the beginning of one of the most anticipated event for enthusiasts of all canine sports. From the 7th of march to the 10th of march we would be witnesses to the world’s largest dog show the CRUFTS 2013 edition. As well as the Dog Show we will also have the possibility to watch dogs compete in different sports like Obedience, Agility ,Flyball ,Heelwork to music. As always all the competitions will be held at the NEC Arena in Birmingham.
Obedience
Obedience competitions take place over the four days of Crufts show, and are held in the dedicated Obedience ring located in Hall 5 of the NEC, holding over 1,000 spectators and often filled to capacity. There are three different competitions in all: The Inter-Regional Team event - Thursday The Crufts Obedience Championships - Friday and Saturday The Obedience World Cup (for international teams) – Sunday
013 The best of UK Obedience dogs and their handlers compete for the title of Crufts Obedience Champion. Last year at this event we find the most skilled dog trainers including Mary Ray, Lorraine Bennett, Kim Innes, Betty Hankinson, Jenny Lunn, and many others. In the 2011 Geraldine Steadmanhas led herself and her Border Collie Nobite Defence of The Realm to the highest place of the podium and finished 2nd last year. After the 5th placement of the 2010 , in the 2011 has proved to everyone that has worked hard during the year. In the 2012 became the Crufts Obedience Champion with Bheinn Its Cuddly Hes Dudley. Philomena Barnes finished 3rd last year. The 2011 second place was for Stephine Woollam and Jaysara Mischief . Diane Martin and Colliewood Candy Girl were the best team in the 2011 Bitches class . In the 2012 the Crufts Obedience Championships - Bitches class was Kathy Ingham with Ruskath Potent Image . Another amazing handler at the Crufts is Linda Rutherford. She collects some very good results , with Sinedes Special Secret was 3rd in the 2010 and with Colliewood Confidential was the winner in the 2010 Bitches class (3rd 2009). I must point out that all the top results were made by Border Collies. Let’s see what awaits us this March!
Crufts 2013 : Obedience
2013 Obedience World Cup Musings by Susan Henshaw
Once again the Obedience ring at Crufts in 2013 will host the World Cup competition. Unfortunately just eight teams will compete for the title this year on Sunday March 10th at the NEC, Birmingham, they will be judged by Maurice Yates who will be looking not only for the top team but also the top individual competitor. As usual there will be teams representing the home countries of Wales, England, N.Ireland and Scotland, the other countries being represented this year are Belgium, Germany, Holland and Canada. Notable absences for 2013 are teams from the USA, Channel Islands, Eire and last year’s first-timers Australia. Only pedigree In our own country it doesn’t matter what breed of dog you compete with, if you and the dog are good enough to win out through the classes then you have earned the right to compete at the highest level - the Championship classes. Week after week we see pedigree and non-pedigree dogs trying their best in competitions, with some of the top competing dogs in this country being Working Sheepdogs, and there are plenty of handlers who have great success with pure mongrels. However in other European Countries and further afield handlers are only allowed to compete in the higher classes with Pedigree breeds and if teams from these countries wish to travel to Crufts to compete in the World Cup they often have to raise their own funding as they receive little or no support from their own Kennel Clubs as they will be competing against non pedigree dogs in the competition. This unfortunately has greatly reduced the number of teams that would probably like to compete but cannot raise the amount of money that would be needed.
Difference in work Another possible factor as to why we have very few foreign teams coming over to compete in the Obedience World Cup is that the work that they do in their own countries under the heading of Obedience can be very different from that which we see in this county. Looking through some of the exercises that the USA have in their competitions is quite an eye opener, it is up to the discretion of the judge on the day, who can choose to have the teams compete in as few as five exercises or many more, not only do they do basic heelwork and figure of eights, but also recall, drop on recall and recall over a broad jump. Then there is retrieve on the flat, retrieve over a jump and a directed retrieve, in total a judge can choose from 14 different exercises. Reading through the obedience regulations on some of the Kennel Club sites for other countries, none of them, apart from Holland possibly, place as much emphasis on the closeness and perfection in heelwork that this country does, perhaps it might be time for our own Kennel Club to look at incorporating more ideas into our obedience classes. Furthest travelled The competitor taking the honours for travelling the furthest to compete in the Obedience World Cup this year will be Bruce Gibbons, who is coming over to represent Canada with his Golden Retriever Bright (Rideauview’s Bright Horizons). Bruce has been involved in the world of dog sports for well over 25 years, along with his wife Lillian they have a beautiful home on the Rideau River in Eastern Ontario, Canada and they are breeders of the Rideauview Goldens. They share a passion for breeding Golden Retrievers that excel in the sports of Obedience, Field and Agility, dogs that are physically built to thrive at these sports with a passion for retrieve, drive to track and a desire to please. Bruce is also a Canadian & American KC Obedience Rally and Trial judge and finds this very rewarding and a way that he can give back to his chosen sport. Bruce and his Goldens have quite a record in the sport, in 1995 he had the Top Obedience Dog (Rebel) and took that title again in 2001 with ‘Austin’, over the years he has had 22 perfect 200 scores and has been the winner of 370 ‘High in Trials’ scores. Bruce has also held 6 Obedience Trial Championship Titles, 3 Master OT Ch Titles and 2 Grand Master OT Ch titles and has been placed in the Canadian Top Ten Dog obedience lists a total of 11 times. Bright The Golden that Bruce is bringing to Crufts this year is Bright, a 7 year old male who was the winner of the Royal Canin Challenge in the Utility Class in 2011 and although Bruce admits that in the past he has worked with dogs that have won more ‘High in trials’ and achieved more perfect scores than Bright, he doesn’t think that any of them have had such a great work ethic and desire to please. Bright is a dog that lives to work and thrives on every new challenge; he is also the first homebred Rideauview Golden to earn a Grand Master OT Ch Title. Bruce says that they are training practically everyday in preparation for Crufts and although the learning curve is huge they both love the challenge and is looking forward to getting to Birmingham and meeting up with the other World Cup teams. Hopefully Bruce and his dog will thoroughly enjoy their time at Crufts and we wish them and all the other competitors all the best for their big day.
Crufts 2013 : Obedience
Looking to Crufts Championship
Obedience 2013
By Gemma Henshaw
Its that time of year again when the thoughts of most people involved in some way or another in obedience start to turn to Crufts and this years Dog and Bitch Championships and which teams might do well at this years event. It certainly was a very strange season last year with shows being re-scheduled or cancelled due to the rather inclement British weather, and we also had more multiple ticket wins for the same partnerships than for a long time. This has resulted in only 23 dogs and 16 bitches qualifying through for this years Championships. However, because so many of those partnerships were obviously on top form during last season this years Crufts Obedience Championships could well turn out to be the toughest and most closest fought ones for quite a few years. Not sure if many people would envy judge Jen Jessop’s coveted judging role this year. One partnership that were certainly on fire last season was the one of Mary Ray and ‘Ob Ch. Colliewood Blue Jeans’, Mary and Levi won a total of 10 tickets during the 2012 season, making them a strong contender for the Dog title. Amongst some of the judges comments for the ticket wins were ‘ A lovely tight round with so little given away in heelwork and even less in the excellent set exercises, a consummate display of obedience at its best.’ and ‘They are very much a team in every respect with Levi trying his heart out in every exercise’. Equally with a very strong chance of taking the Bitch title must be Linda Rutherford and Levi’s sister Denim – ‘Ob Ch Colliewood Confidential’ who won a total of 9 tickets and were described by judge Kamal Fernandez as ‘striking the balance between style, drive and accuracy’. If Levi and Denim continue their run of exceptional form, it could be a very successful Crufts for the Colliewoods.
Dog Championship In the Dog Championships there are five partnerships that will be working on the green carpet as new Obedience Champions this year. One such team is Jenny Gould and her stunning GSD ‘Ob Ch Zakanja Bitter N Twisted’, Jenny and Chase had a truly fantastic season winning 3 tickets in two months and one bystander at Lichfield when Jenny won under judge Wendy Hagger probably summed up their year by saying ‘It’s not often these days that you are stopped in your tracks when you see a dog working in the ring and you are compelled to stay and watch’ Jenny’s upright handling combined with the power and accuracy that Chase has could certainly make this an exciting Championship debut for them. Also making their debut as new Obedience Champions are Jackie Duck and ‘Ob Ch Tyefold Xander’, At not yet 5 years of age Tizer must certainly have a bright future ahead of him in the ‘ticket’ class as his neat, stylish work is complemented by Jackie’s smart, no fuss handling. Lorna Hilton and ‘Jupavia Magic Dreams’ certainly had their dreams come true and their Crufts debut awaits after they were awarded the CC Certificate at East Grinstead by judge Linda Rutherford who described the round as ‘ This was a display of teamwork at its best and with all the essential ingredients, drive, style, passion and commitment and he was so happy to be in the thick of it’. A team who are making their debut at Crufts this year after many places and reserve tickets is Bill Ferguson with his gorgeous XB ‘Alameda Red Kite’. Bill and Kite have a lovely relationship that certainly comes across in their work and after knocking on the door for a while I am sure that they will enjoy their time on the green carpet, although we have yet to see if Bill will be wearing a kilt!
Crufts 2013 : Obedience Another team to watch out for this year is Diane Martin and her homebred dog ‘Lupitoonz Locomotion’. This partnership won their first ticket at Elm Park under judge Anita Neal, who described their performance as ‘Accuracy, drive and power, what more could you ask for’. Diane won the Bitch Championships in 2011 with Loco’s mum ‘Ob Ch Colliewood Candy Girl’ and could well add the dog title this year. A team that always seem to do well at Crufts are Geraldine Steadman and ‘Ob Ch Nobite Defence of the Realm’, Geraldine and Jazz won their passport to Crufts under judge Kamal Fernandez at Petersfield show in June 2012 and always perform well on the green carpet, wining the Championship title in 2011 and gaining the Reserve title in 2012, could it be 3 years in a row for them? Returning to Crufts for a second time this year is Kath Westell and ‘Corriecollies Jetsetter for Kajo’. Kath and Becker certainly had to work hard for their win at Winchester Championship show as they completed their heelwork during a torrential rain shower, had to retire to the tent when the ferocity of the rain bought the whole show to a halt and then went on to complete their set exercises once safe to do so! At least there can be no repeat of that weather at Crufts
Bitch Championship In amongst the 16 teams that are competing in the Bitch Championship this year, there are three new Obedience Champions. One such team who had a very successful year in 2012 is Pat Watson with ‘Ob Ch Forever Magic It’s Flicker’, they won three tickets in three shows to gain Flick’s well-deserved Ob Champion title. This team then went on to win a further two tickets and Pat’s smooth, consistent handling combined with Flick’s accurate, neat style should make this a pair to watch at this years Crufts. One team who will be making a very popular debut on the green carpet this year are Michelle Newman and her Poodle ‘Myall Kanya Tri Again’ after many near misses Wiggy put it all together at the re-scheduled Rugby DTC show and earned her passport to Crufts. Judge Rob Bint said that he was ‘looking for a dog that knew its job with attitude, commitment and accuracy and a handler that did as they were told, and this was it’. Nothing is more certain than that there will be an extra loud cheer from all Wiggy’s fans when this team enter the ring on the parade. Another crowd favourite and winners of three tickets last season are Dot Watts with ‘Ob Ch Zygdann Rockin Frenzy’. Dot and Frenzi seem to thrive on the green carpet atmosphere gaining the Reserve Ticket at Crufts 2012 and Frenzi has been described as working ‘in a happy natural manner’ which is complimented by Dot’s precise footwork and unhurried handling, this making them a combination to watch out for at this years Championship. A team that finished in third place last year and who earned their Ob Ch Title in 2012 are Mary Vessey and ‘Ob Ch Rodinglea Silver Mist Over Fenellark’, Lizzie must be one of the prettiest bitches on the circuit and always looks like she is totally enjoying her work, she has a very flowing heelwork style which is complemented by Mary’s calm handling, could this be their year? Hoping to repeat last year’s success will be Kathy Ingham who has once again qualified two bitches through to this year’s Championships. Kathy won two tickets, including last years Bitch Obedience Championship title with ‘Ob Ch Ruskath Potent Image’ whilst ‘Ob Ch Ruskath Othentic Image’ added another four tickets to her ever-growing number of ‘green edged’ cards. Oddi and Nyla certainly seem to like ‘showing ‘ off in the big ring and Oddi’s super speedy send away is sure to be a crowd favourite after judge Pay Wakelin described it as” the best send away I have seen for a long time, Kathy pulled the trigger and Oddi disappeared in a straight line at warp speed” So who knows, with the amount of class and talent that the competitors will be bringing onto the green carpet this year it is anybody’s guess as to who will come out on top. One thing is for certain the spectators will be in for two days of sheer top class obedience.
Crufts 2013 : HTM & Flyball
Heelwork to Music and Freestyle All 'Advanced' level dogs and handlers can qualify for Crufts by entering one or more of a series of qualifying events held throughout the year . The competition is open to one competitor from each country involved, with England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales represented by the highest placed competitors from each 'home country' in the Crufts Freestyle Final , where possible. This year Richard Curtis will be back on the ring and ready to impress the judges and audience . Last year he was a part of the jury, along with Michelle Dodson & Kath Hardman. In the 2011 he has dominated the event by collecting the 1st and 2nd place in the Freestyle finals. He dominates also in the 2010 with the 1st place in the Freestyle Competition , second in the International Freestyle Competition and 3rd in Heelwork to Music . The judges of the 2013 editions are Annette Lowe, Carol Mortimer and Brigitte van Gestel . In the British Freestyle finals we have the 2012 winner Sue Betteridge , the 2011 and 2010 winner Richard Curtis ,the fantastic Heather Smith ( 2nd last year) , Lucy Creek (5th in the 2012). In the British Heelwork To Music finals there will be the 2012 winner Heather Smith , Kirsty Vaughan 2nd last year , Karen Sykes , Kath Hardman . As regards the participants of the International freestyle , we will see Thierry Thomas the winner of the 2012 edition , 2nd placed last year Heather Smith Scotland , Vanda Gregorova from the Czech Rep. 3rd last year ,Carmen Schmid from Germany at her 2nd Crufts (12th last year), Xandre Dearden from South Africa . Emmy Simonsen will represent Denmark , Grietje Wagenaar Netherlands, Heather Smith Scotland , the fantastic Jules O’Dwyer with Flynn for the Belgium country.For the 1st time the Hungary with Nora Karlyik I'm just anxious to see with what will delights us the participants :)
Flyball In the Flyball competition there are sixteen teams strive to become Crufts Flyball champions . Eight qualifiers held at a range of shows during the year give teams from all over the country the opportunity to make it to the ‘grand prix’ of GB flyball. Teams that have qualified this year are very strong. The 2009 and 2012 champions BROXBURN BANDITS have not qualified for the Crufts finals . The 2011 champions , the Dream Team South East will be ready to give their best, and do better than the last year...They have qualified also with the second team. The Teesdale Tornadoes will be at Crufts for the 3rd time , last year they haven’t reached the finals. The Gleniffer Flyball Club will be at the Crufts with 2 team the Gleniffer Demons (also present in the 2012) and the Gleniffer Angels . The other teams are Warwickshire Whizz , Knebworth Twisters and the 2 teams from the Prestwick & District Dog Training Club FBI and Hot Pawsuit. Promises to be a fantastic event!
Crufts 2013 : Agility
Agility
There are finals at Crufts for Large, Medium and Small dogs, for Teams and Pairs, for Novice handlers and for ABC dogs as well as for flyball teams. The Kennel Club Agility Championships – for large, medium and small dogs which have won an Agility Certificate at a Championship Show in the previous year. The winner of this event at each height immediately gains the title of Agility Champion Kennel Club ‘British Open’ – International event - for the top large, medium and small dogs from different countries which have qualified by competing at the KC International Agility Festival (Grade 6 or 7, or the equivalent) KC Festival Novice Agility – for the top large, medium and small dogs from the Novice Cup competition held at the KC International Agility Festival (Grade 4 or 5) Kennel Club Team Agility – for large, medium and small teams from KC registered clubs which qualified at a series of heats in the previous year Kennel Club Singles Agility – for small, medium and large dogs which qualified at heats in the previous year Kennel Club International Agility – invitational events for large dogs from GB and overseas Crufts Mini/Mixi Pairs - for pairs comprising one small dog plus one large or medium dog which gained sufficient points in a series of qualifying heats in the previous year
The agility Crufts event is one of the most prestigious agility finals in the UK. Top handlers from all over Britain and from overseas compete in qualifying heats held at Agility shows across the country and throughout the year . Below I will write just a few names of the competitors of the Agility finals: In the Large Dogs class we will see Anthony Clarke , Dawn Weaver ,Leslie Osborne , Greg Derrett , Linda Hutchinson . In the Medium Dogs will be ready Natasha Wise , Sian Illingworth , Amanda Hampson , Bernadette Bay . In the Small Dogs class Dawn Weaver , Rosie Cavill , David Wright , Helen Nelson , Amy Lawson . In the ABC class Angie Edwards , Amanda Hampson , Samantha Lane . As everyone can see on this list you can find the names of the greatest representatives of the sport. So definitely an event not to be missed!
interview with Eva Grönblad-Saksela
Discdog Interview with
Eva Grönblad-Saksela www.frisbeekoirat.com
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You are one of the founders and the first president of the Finnish Disc Dog Association - Suomen frisbeekoirat ry. A quite new association, tell us when this adventure was born. Dog frisbee in Finland started in May 2010, when my friend Pia Moro invited Jakub Štýbr from the Czech republic to give a two day course. As I was already interested in dog frisbee at that time I of course attended, as did several of the ones who eventually founded the association. Pia Moro set up the facebook page at that time, but for the sport to get started in our country more was needed. Päivi Mäkelä arranged the second disc dogging course in our country in Turku in May 2011, this time with Polish teachers (Ewa Lukasik, Ivona Golab and Monika Palacz). That same summer Sauli Soini, who is a Finnish Disc Dogger, with several years of Frisbee Golf under his belt, called together some disc throwing sessions. In October 2011 I received a facebook message from Kamila Buriánková, also from the Czech republic, who was working as an au pair in Finland at that time and was looking for Finnish Disc Doggers. Several Finnish disc doggers got together and got valuable advice from Kamila. We met a couple of times and started to plan regular indoor training sessions for the winter. We called several dog sport halls and finally found a nice warm training facility with a nice safe soft floor and booked it for weekly training sessions in January 2012. I was the chairman in 2012, until our annual meeting in February 2013. This year the chairman is Satu Soini, who was one of the board members in 2012. I am still a board member. Béla, Noki and Eva Grönblad. Winter 2012 Photo: Olli Saksela
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interview with Eva Grönblad-Saksela
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Tell us a little of your debut in this sport ...What inspired you to play this sport? My sole reason for doing this sport is to keep my dogs happy - My dogs absolutely love frisbee. We got our black Border Collie x German Shepherd mix dog Noki in 2008. As both breeds are active breeds that need both physical and mental stimulation, I tried to look for ways to keep her happy from the very start. My dog has lots of energy and loves balls of all kinds. Noki was an excellent catcher already as a puppy. I bought my first frisbees from the local animal supply store out of curiosity. As Noki seemed to love chasing frisbees I started looking for more information about the sport on the internet. I found some great disc dogging videos on Youtube, which inspired me even more. I later fell in love with a second dog of the same mix, Béla, who was born in Hungary and is white. Béla is also an excellent jumper and good catcher so it's only natural to play frisbee games with both.
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eat courses arranged, the nice people involved and the enthusiastic dogs an ever increasing people joined our facebook group. We got in contact with inspiring disc doggers from all d thanks to facebook and learnt much from their videos. As all the dogs and handlers in our eally loved the sport it was only natural to want to share this fantastic sport with as many s as possible. We decided to set up a dog frisbee association, as there seemed to be enough oy-filled sport in February 2012. The board members are all enthusiastic and everything has am work. This first year we set up our www.frisbeekoirat.com website, we have arranged nd outdoor trainings, we have given several beginners courses, arranged the first dog frisbee nd we have performed at a huge international dog show in Helsinki. All these events have by different board members.
Seen that most of the year your country is covered with snow ...How much time you devote to training during the week and where are organized your trainings? The snow and ice is not as much of a problem as our short winter days. During winter weekends it is fun to throw frisbee on a snow covered field or on the ice (if it isn't slippery and the ice is covered with a nice soft layer of snow to soften up the jumps). Regular weekly trainings are possible thanks to our association Suomen Frisbeekoirat ry, which has booked weekly training sessions in a very nice dog sport hall. Sharing the training sessions with friends is double the fun and very useful, as people are good at different things.
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Noki and BĂŠla. Winter 2011 Photo: Olli Saksela
interview with Eva GrĂśnblad-Saksela
Noki - Winter 2010 Photo: Olli Saksela
What do you think: Filming tricks and see them on the phone or computer has speeded up the growth of many discdoggers or not? How the Internet has changed the world of dog sports ? Certainly internet has done a lot for dog sports. Internet brings people together, without our Suomen Frisbeekoirat – Finnish Disc Dog Association facebook pages we would hardly have a disc dog association in Finland. Thanks to the internet you can find people interested in the same sport both in your own country and abroad. You can find and contact people on the internet, who are excellent at the sport. If you want to learn a trick you just have to google to find advice. For example Mark Muir has lots of great disc dog teaching videos on YouTube dealing with almost any trick you can think of. We bought our very first good frisbee from an Belgian disc store. Now we can buy our discs online from Finnish Disc stores. If you want to find a course, you can find it easily, just as I found Pia's and Jakub's course on the internet. I have seen dogs of all sizes and breeds, mixed breeds, rescue dogs doing dog frisbee, there is no limits to what you can do in this sport and for what you can use it, as long as you use common sense in what you are doing. Young people, old people, people in wheel chairs. I love it, it is so inspiring!
This year in Vantaa you have Organized for the first time an official Skyhoundz Xtreme Distance Qualifier valid for the World Championship. For the future you will also include other official competitions? We planned to organize a Skyhoundz competition in January 2013, but this was postponed until the summer for financial reasons. The new dates are August 10-11. Sven Van Driessche from Belgium has kindly promised to act as Chief Judge.
Finland is very famous/powerful in all other canine sports (Agility, IPO, dog dance, Obedience) . Do you think that the basics/methods of working with dogs and the approach with dogs as a puppy in Finland are the key to these results? One reason is definitively that there's lots of dogs in Finland, approximately every fourth Finnish family has a dog. As Finns usually want to take good care of their dogs (we have virtually no stray dogs in our country) we have lots of dog clubs. There are lots of people skilled in dog sports in the clubs and they give advice and teach younger dog owners. In order to do dog sports in the winter indoor facilities are needed and this again brings people together.
What other characteristics make that the Finland is among the best in all sports? Perhaps high ambitions, but this alone isn't enough as in dog sports you are working as a team. Your dog has to enjoy working with and for you.
Päivi HytÜnen and her pumi Perro at our weekly frisbee trainings, summer 2012 Photo: Tania Torvinen
interview with Eva Grönblad-Saksela
Do you think we could see some Finnish disc doggers in the U.S.A. for the world finals? Sometime in the future certainly.
Who or what had the greatest influence on your life? Family, nature, animals - people who understand to enjoy life in a modest way and fix things instead of complaining. My herding teacher is such a person.
Are you interested in other sports or hobbies as well as the Frisbee? Both my dogs are a mix of two herding breeds, that is Border Collie and German Shepherd. Both my dogs passed the AHBA Junior Herding Dog test last summer and we now have 13 sheep of our own. They are also herding our two ragdoll cats whenever needed. The cats are indoor cats, but sometimes try to go on an adventure on their own and at those times the help of my dogs are of great value.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future? If we are talking of our dogs - it’s to keep them happy. If we are talking about me, it’s the same and if we are talking about disc doggers in Finland, it’s still the same – disc dogging is about having fun with the dog. Everything else is just an extra bonus.
Béla, Noki and Eva Grönblad. Winter 2012 Photo: Olli Saksela
Favorite trick? The trick I am maybe most proud of is the butterfly catch.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Do you have anything else you would like to add? The Finnish Disc Dog Association will arrange a camp again this summer. Anyone who is interested is warmly welcome to join us! Remember to keep your dogs happy and remember the dogs are living creatures and loving family members, not sports equipments who help you to achieve your own dreams and ambitions.
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interview with Teemu Linna
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interview with Teemu Linna
You have started agility in the 1997 .What made you decide to take this career path? My wife Niina-Liina Linna attended agility course and I as a spectator got thrilled with the speed, enthuatism and challenges that Agility provided. How did you get involved in agility? That was easy! We initially had two dogs, one for each. Agility requires a lot of time and dedication. If either one is dedicated and keen on the sport, its easy to become allured in. In Oulu, where I began our career, there were very close agility community and we had splendid spirit amongst our group of agility people. It just drew us in. Who was behind you at the beginning? The person who mostly affected my agility was my wife with her enthusiasm and her competitiveness. More seasoned coaches who made huge affect on my thinking were Jani Katisko and Jari Tienhaara. Both of them were in the Finnish National Team in the late 90s’. You are the founder of the Total Agility Method . Tell us about this method to improve the collaboration with the dog. Total Agility is simple, smart and effective. It concentrates on easy to understand principles and removes majority of the complexity of agility that seems to have lured in to the sport in the form of dozens and dozens different handling maneuvers or “handling techniques� as some call them.
“Agility requires a lot of time and dedication. If either one is dedicated and keen on the sport, its easy to become allured in�
www.totalagility.fi
interview with Teemu Linna
Total Agility returns agility handling to the basics. To the true factors that are important in the collaboration of the dog and the handler. Look at Niina-Liina Linna, Lisa Frick, Kristzina Kabai, Silvia Trkman, Philipp Müller-Schnick, Tobias Wüst etc. They all do agility in a coherent, simple but still very systematic approach. And boy how effective their agility is when you look at the scoreboard! That said I think that of all systematic approaches we’ve studied we’ve developed the ultimate method that provides enough flexibility but yet robust and systematic approach to do agility. Total Agility is the only Agility method framework that provides flexibility and is designed to enable continuous development process built inside of it. As Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, once said: It’s easy to be complex and very much in detail. However it’s much more difficult to make complex things simple and easy to understand and perceive. That is what Total Agility is about. The Total Agility Method is the result of his long-term research work in combination with cognitive and pedagogical enhancements. How everything started? I’d been doing agility and having »the feelings« for being able to perform all the complex sequences and maneuvers with ease. However, many of the ones that made it to the podium with me had much more basic handling. One should always model the successful people. I was positive that I knew enough to succeed. However something was in between. So I had to model the champions and integrate my knowledge to their performance. Then I just made tons of it to ultimate simplicity. As the wise man tells: »The most work is required to make complex things simple.« Such as iPad, iPhone and Total Agility.
“Total Agility is simple, smart and effective”
Nowadays are very “ of view on the techn learning. In the beg DVDs and virtual cl
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“popular“ the online classroom.What is your point nology that has changed the way of training and ginning there were books and seminars now there are lassroom. Where do you think all this will lead to?
very convenient if one can compress their ideology into nd easy to internalize. Online classrooms are much more e means and ways that books and DVD’s never could.
interview with Teemu Linna
Online classroom allows more people to participate state-of-the-art coaching. Therefore customers urge for state-of-the-art coaching will go up. That is good thing for the best coaches but it will make more difficult to become top-notch instructor and decrease customers from local coaches. However I’m confident that one-to-one training, seminars and personal coaching will never be replaced by online coaching. In spite the personal coaching will become more segregated and specialised that concentrates on transferring the theoretical knowledge into individual practical performance. What was your first World Championship, what are your memories of this event? I’ve never participated the FCI WC as a competitor. Most memorable event was Austria 2009 when my wife Niinu finished 5 with 2 splendid clean runs. I think that the Standards was one of the highest level of agility competitions ever. All the dogs in top 20 had splendid results. My first WC event as a spectator was in Helsinki 2000 when Christine Charpentier and Patrick Servais commanded in the Standards. Mac’s (Christine’s dog Macleod) run in the individual’s final was something that stands the time.
This year the WAO will be held in Spain, what do you think of the agility in Spain. Have you ever competed in any a spanish competition? I’m looking forward to get to Spain for agility competition. I’ve not competed there before. Many Finnish people have though. They’ve praised the atmosphere in the competitions and the Spanish agility people. I’ve observed the Spanish agility for years: Antonio Molina Aragones with Angie with other Spanish have been noted in Finland.
Which competition remained more in your heart (the top 3) Having had this successful wife that I’ve had, it’s very difficult to differentiate my own competions with the feelings being a »Kennel boy« and the coach for her have produced. I’d classify the competitions 1.European Open Championships 2011 2.FCI World Championships 2009 3.WAO 2011 & WAO 2012 as an event as total What advice would you give to someone participating in his first competition? Agility measures the teamwork between the Dog and the Handler. One should always think of agility from the perspective of personal growth. One will always get honest response of their level of teamwork. Did everything go as planned, should consider oneself be blessed. If not, wow! Lucky that agility we not that easy and you’ve still got some talents that you can release! Too easy would’ve been boring :). What is your approach at the beginning of working with dogs? Agility is cooperation between the dog and the handler. It is honest. What you see, is what is the dogs perception of the pair’s teamwork.
interview with Teemu Linna
How do you prepare yourself and your dog before entering the ring? I’ve learned to enjoy every minute when getting the opportunity to compete with my companion. I appreciate our private time when warming her up and preparing her for the performance. In short, 30 minutes of walking as a warm-up, some stretching, few jumps and turns in the training area and finally.. just embrace our opportunity enjoy our teamwork at the ring. Then off we go :). What is the worst part of agility? Luckily there are not that many bad things. However few can I think of. Maybe the worst one is jealousy. Some people would like to belittle others and try to embrace through others’ accomplishments. Of course matter of dog’s well-being is the another that comes to mind. Luckily the awareness of that is constantly arising :).
“The feeling that is derived from your teamwork and success in the sequences”
What is the best thing about agility? For me, the best thing in agility, is the glimpse in the dog’s eyes when she is about to get to do agility. Other important factors are the feelings in total that agility generates. The feeling that is derived from your teamwork and success in the sequences. Of course good companionship is also very important providing senses of accomplishment. Plans for the future? I will continue enjoying this champion of all dog sports :). Hopefully I’ll make bunches of new friends all around the world and can make my share in helping Agility people enjoy their agility. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Do you have anything else you would like to add? Please treat your dogs well. Always enjoy your practising and competitions as if it were your last chance to exercise with your beloved one. May the force be with you :)
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 20112
The Nordic
Heelwork T eurohtm.wordpress.com
The Nordic Championship is a friendly competition - here is the Danish and the Finnish mascots keeping each other company
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The first Nordic Championship was held in GÜteborg, Sweden in 2008. Back then, it was only a freestyle competition and 3 countries participated: Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Denmark was the hosting country in 2009 when HTM was introduced as a Championship sport too. The Nordic Championship is ruled by the Nordic Kennel Union, which is a partnership between the 5 Nordic Kennel Clubs: Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Iceland does not have HTM, so they do not take part in the HTM championship. The rules and other important decisions regarding the Nordic Championship (and Nordic HTM/Freestyle in general) are made at an annual meeting between the 4 Nordic countries, which have HTM. In 2012 the meeting was held in Helsinki (Finland) and in 2013 it will be held in Oslo (Norway). The 4 Nordic HTM countries take turn in organizing the Championships and in December 2012, it was held in Stockholm – the capital of Sweden. The competition was broadcast to the entire world via Live Streaming and the videos can still be seen on http://new.livestream.com/dog-sports/StockholmHundmassa At least three of the five Nordic countries have to participate for the Nordic Championship to be official. In 2012 four countries participated: Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
M
To Music and Freestyle
Championship 2012
ext and photos : Emmy M. Simonsen
Mari Muhonen with Indy
There was a big audince enjoying the competition
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 20112
Day 1 – Saturday the 15th December was Team Day. Four dogs and handlers from each of the participating countries performed a routine, which was judged by three judges. According to the rules, one judge has to be from the hosting country, one judge has to be from another Nordic country and one judge has to come from a non-Nordic country. Each country's three best scores are totalled and the country with the combined highest score is the winner of the Nordic Team Championship.
Winner of the Nordic HTM Championship 2012: Finland Silver: Denmark Bronze: Sweden
Winner of the Nordic Freestyle Championship 2012: Sweden Silver: Finland Bronze: Norway The top 50% individual scores from the first round (the team round) qualify for the Individual Final and compete for the Individual Title the next day.
eurohtm.wordpress.com
The r I rea orde rand
Katja Tamminen with Nevada
Russian Terriers
Winner of the Individual Title in HTM was the dog and handler team with the combined best score when the marks from the first and the second round are added up. Individual Nordic HTM Champion 2012: Leena Inkilä with Border Collie Prima from Finland. She performed a very accurate routine with lots of content and with interesting Musical Interpretation. She was a popular winner. Silver: Katja Tamminen with Border Collie Nevada from Finland. Katja also won Individual Silver at the World Championship in Austria in May 2012, so it has been a great year for this team! They performed to a mix between beautiful classical music and loud rock'n'roll. Katja changed costume and style in the middle of the routine. Great use of the music and a lovely accurate performance. Bronze: Mari Muhonen with Australian Shepherd Indy – also from Finland. Mari performed a very dramatic routine. I am not sure what the music was, but she used it well and Mari's own acting and dancing really added to the performance. Individual Freestyle Champion 2012: Sini Eriksson with Sheltie Sonic from Finland. Sini and Sonic performed a circus themed routine with lots of content. Silver: Linnéa Vejde with Australian Shepherd Zolo from Sweden. Linnea and Zolo performed a moving routine with fabulous musical interpretation. A well deserved placing. Bronze: Michaela Neiglick with Border Terrier Rut from Sweden. A fast pace routine with lots of jumps from a keen little dog!
running order was drawn on Friday night at the opening. ally like that the competitors are there when the running er is drawn. That way we can all see that it is a very fair dom draw.
The opening ceremoni on Friday night
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 20112
Leena Inkil채 with Prima
Mic
chaela Neiglick with Rut
LinnĂŠa Vejde with Zolo
Susanna Ekblom with Brego was reserve o and she performed a beautiful demonstra morning.
Sini Eriksson with S
Portuguese Waterdog
on the Finnish HTM team ation round on Sunday
Sonic
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 20112
The Swedish Kennel Club did a great job organizing this event. The competition was held in th Main Arena at a huge International FCI Dog Show with 10.000 show dogs entered. We had a hu audience and the spectators loved the dancing dogs. Rolf Gustavsson from the Swedish Freest Committee was Show Manager and he worked hard all weekend to make sure the participants everything they needed. We had a special fenced area where we had all our personal items and from where, we could sit and watch the competition. There was coffee for us and each particip was given a nicely wrapped gifts from the Swedish Kennel Club. We felt very welcome and were well looked after.
The Championship Dinner is something that makes the Nordic Championship very special. Th Nordic Kennel Union countries have decided that the hosting country also has to host a dinne for all participants and team managers on Saturday night. It is usually great fun and a super opportunity to celebrate the team winners and the individual dog and handler teams, which p well in the first round. Lots of friendships across borders, have started at a Nordic Champions Dinner!
To see all the results of the NM 2012 CLICK HERE
The Swedish Kennel Club had decorated the handler area beautifully. Each team had 2 tables and the tablecloth was in the colours of their flag. This is one of the Norwegian tables.
The Swedish Kenne and chocolate milk
he uge tyle had d pant e very
he er
placed ship
el Club served hotdogs, candy floss k at the opening on Friday night.
In the break between the HTM and the Freestyle final, there was a demonstration showing lots of different dog breeds and their origin. Here are the British Bloodhounds with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
eurohtm.wordpress.com Good Luck presents and cards are a lovely tradition at the Nordic Championship and other HTM Championships
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 2012 : Sini Eriksson
with Sonic when we are both having fun
”
E
Sini
“I love being in the ring
interview w
In December you won for the fourth time the title of Nordic Champion in Freestyle , Between you and Sonic there is a special bond , tell us what you think are the key features to be always on top. Well Sonic knows many difficult moves and executes them with precision and enthusiasm. He also is very good with timing, doing what I ask at the exact moment I ask him to do it. That helps me to plan the routine so that there are many precise moves done to the music. There also has to be something special in the routine. In Sonic’s case it can be a special move that I only use in that particular routine. I also use themes a lot and try to make the routine look like a real show. The Nordic Championship is one of the most attended event and also with a big audience. What atmosphere is breathed at the Nordic Championship? The Nordics have always had a very nice atmosphere. People cheer each other on and the audience loves the show and shows it. It’s also delighting to meet up with friends from the other Nordic countries that I don’t get to see very often in real life. I have always enjoyed competing at the Nordics.
with the Nordic Freestyle Champion 2012:
Eriksson interview with Sini Eriksson
The whole Finnish team collected some fantastic results in Freestyle and in HTM. Representing Finland gives you a little worry on how things will go in the ring or you do your routine without pressures? Well since I’ve won so many times I’m somewhat under pressure to do it again and at the Nordics I’m usually the favorite to win. However I try not to put that pressure on myself and the Finnish fans will always understand if something goes wrong which can happen very easily. This year I was very I’ll before the Nordics for a long time so I couldn’t practice with Sonic. We only practiced the routine four times before leaving for the Nordics and I wasn’t really counting on winning this time even though I knew we had e great routine, but it could really easily go terribly wrong at that point. But Sonic proved that even with very little practice if the starting point is to the mark you can execute a new routine with very little practice. But I do think we would have been better still with more practice.
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 2012 : Sini Eriksson
What is your biggest motivation to continue to competing? Well I love being in the ring with Sonic when we are both having fun. I don't notice anything outside the ring at that time and am totally focused on my dog and executing the routine. It's the best feeling when you both understand each other perfectly. Also I'm a competitive spirit so I love that side of it too. Getting rewarded for all your work by placing high is what drives me to work even harder. How do you prepare yourself and your dogs before a routine (the pre-ring)? Well I have varied this from time to time. I listen to the music a few times so that I don't forget anything in the ring. If there is a separate ring for this as big as the competition ring I sometimes even do the entire routine once before I go in the ring, because Sonic is usually better the second time round. But usually there isn't a chance to do this so I just do some of the more difficult moves if possible and reward for those. Also I try to keep cool and get Sonic to ease up and relax. I also do some stretches with him and warm up his muscles.
“ The Nordics have
always had a very nice atmosphere
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How much time you devote for training during the week This can vary very much during the year. Usually I train the hardest if a competition or demo is coming up and otherwise mainly train individual tricks. I can train the routine up to four times a week at the most, but usually just once or twice a week before a show. What are your goals and aspirations for the next years? I plan to continue to compete with Sonic in freestyle, HTM and agility for a few years to come if he stays well. I hope to do well at the next OEC and Nordics if we are selected to be on the team. I’m also looking for another sheltie puppy of my own. What advice would give to someone participating in his first competition? You can ask on an internet forum what to expect in each country. Warm up your dog but don’t practice too much before going in the ring if your dog gets tired easily. Go over the routine in your head and listen to the music a few times via mp3 or something. Try to relax and just focus on having fun with your dog in the ring.
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 2012 : Leena Inkilä
interview with the Nordic Heelwork to Music Champi
Leena Inki
“
I got interested in HTM in 2010 when Karen Sykes and Kath Hardman had a seminar in Finland ”
In december you won the title of Nordic Champion in Heelwork to Music 2012 , you and Prima were the best both days. What's the thing that comes to your mind when you thinking about this event? It was great weekend! I can remember how much I enjoyed the time in the ring perfoming with Prima. We had so much fun! Of course winning was awesome too, but I think that enjoying the moments in the ring and performing to our best was more imporant. I can also remember how proud I was of my little Prima who did so awesome job! The whole Finnish team colleced amazing results . The first four places in HTM and also Sini won the Freestyle competition and we must not forget that the Finnish team was also the best HTM at the FCI World Championship . Representing Finland gives you a little worry on how things will go in the ring or you do your routine without pressures? No, absolety not. Our team is great and always very supportive. Tell us about Prima...She comes from the Mawlch Kennel , Why did you choose this Croatian kennel? I was looking for a puppy, found Alen's website and bit later got interested in Prima's litter. I imported Prima together with a finnish breeder, who is also Prima's owner. I am very happy that Alen decided to give her to me :) . She is such sweet dog and loves training. She gets never bored in training heelwork, which is very good because the positions will never be quite perfect :) . In HTM she is very consistent. I know she will do her best which gives me the freedom to concentrate more on my performance.
ion 2012:
ilä About your start in this discipline...What has fascinated you in dog dancing at the biginning? I heard about freestyle in 2005 and started it with my schnauzer Rita. I think both HTM and freestyle are fun, because every routine is different. You have to come up with new ideas (which is sometimes very hard as well) and also have freedom to do what you like the best. There isn’t one right way and you can always choose your own path. I got interested in HTM in 2010 when Karen Sykes and Kath Hardman had a seminar in Finland. I have trained obedience before and I also like teaching heelwork. I am bit of a perfectionist and I like working on precision so HTM suits me well. For me it is also bit easier than freestyle because there are some obligatory elements (HTM positions) that you can build you perfomance on.
Nordic HTM and Freestyle Championship 2012 : Leena Inkilä
How do you prepare yourself and your dogs before a routine (the pre-ring)? Before the competition starts we have some training time in the ring. I usually do some short sequences from our routine and work on Prima’s focus. I reward the dog quite much and try to train only for quite short time. I also go the routine through without the dog. I decide the starting point and the placement of my prop. Then I just have to wait for our turn :) . I go the routine through in my head couple times and image how it will be when everything goes well. When the dog before my turn is performing I take Prima from her box, play little with her and do very little heelwork so that she is happy and focused. Then I ask her to lay down next to the ring and go couple steps away from her. When it is our turn I call her to my side and enter the ring. I do this also in training so she knows the routine and is very excited to work with me when I call her. Where do you get inspiration for a new routine? I usually don’t get any ideas for new routine. It is definitely the most difficult part of HTM for me. I try to think about the dogs personality and movement when I choose the music and theme. I also try to find musics that don’t require much dancing skills, because I not skilled at all when it comes to dancing. I have to find other kinds of themes. How much time you devote for training during the week It depends if there are competitions coming up. I usually start training 1-2 months before the competition and train 2-6 times per week. Working on new routine might take bit more time of course. I should find some more time to train new freestyle moves and to get some HTM positions better... What are your goals and aspirations for the next years? I don’t have goals set. We concentrate mostly on agility, but will of course compete in HTM as well. I would like to do freestyle routine for Prima as well, but finding time and inspiration for it isn’t very easy. I just want to enjoy the time together with my dogs and try to teach some new things or improve in something they already can.
“ I am very happy that Alen Marekovič decided to give her to me :) ”
interview with Claus Angerer
interview with
Claus
Angere Angerer
www.logica-can
s
err
Claus comes from Austria and he’s a young and powerful mondioring competitor. Claus took home the title of FMBB Mondioring World Champion in 2011 and the last year he became the Austrian Mondioring Champion...
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Tell us a little of your debut in this sport ...What inspired you to play this sport? It was luck...I heard about mondioring dogsport and was interested, but I hadn’t seen it in reality. Some years later, I came accidently to a club to do a “internship“ especially on difficult dogs, but 1 day a week they had a sport dog group there, which also did Mondioring training. So everything began... Making a step into the past , do you remember your first steps in dog training? My first steps in dog training were, when I was about 6 years old with the German Shepherd of our neighbours - Not knowing anything about learning theories...but it “worked“ ;-) How and how much do you train during the week? The time I spend in the club depends very much on upcoming contest and on my free time. But normal obedience and some little exercises I do (nearly) every day.
Do you think that the world of working dogs has changed over the years ? How? Yes, for sure the world of working dogs has changed – the training methods changed, so there’s also a different selection in the breeds. But if you really want to know about that, you have to ask some who is much older ;-)
interview with Claus Angerer Do you think this sport will grow more , in which way? Mondioring is growing every year in many different countries and this doesn't seem to stop – so I'm quite sure it will grow, if there's 1 premiss fixed: People have to understand that biting sport doesn't have to do anything with an “aggressive“ dog. But that's not a specific mondioring problem...it's about all protection dog sport. Everybody is asked to clean up with such misinformation. In your career, which are the competitions that have marked the way?...The most memorable Most memorable is for sure the first competition you do, only because it's the first :-) What marked my way most, is definitely the FMBB World Championship 2011, where i was able to win the World Champion title. Referring to this I have to send again some special thanks especially to Michael for his help ;-) Alone it would never ever have been possible. What is the secret of being able to stay focused during a high level competition? Good training before competition and as much experience with and feeling for your dog as possible. What kind of physical preparation goes into preparing for a high level event? To build up endurance I go biking with the dogs and in summer swimming...but nothing really special. The most important is the training itself.
Claus at the FMBB 2011
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What advice would give to someone participating in their first competition? Try to train your dog as exact as possible and be quite sure to be as perfect prepared as possible. Don't go there for trying – go there for new experience and a good result If you could change one or two rules in mondioring... what would you change? There should be some better executable rules because of esquiving of the decoys on the attacks. There are very often discussion if this movement is in the rules or not. I would change that and would also have an idea for that ;-) Are you interested in other sports or hobbies as well as the Mondioring? There's no time for other sports...so my free time is mostly about mondioring.
“My first steps in dog training were, when I was about 6 years old”
Claus & Michael Praig
interview with Claus Angerer What are your goals and aspirations for the future? This year i hope to start on FMBB World Championship again and doing a top competition there. The further plan is to follow up with my young dog Baryk Retrobelge to the results of Gerson – and maybe reach some more titles. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Do you have anything else you would like to add? There will be a big competition in Austria this year. I hope to see as many interested people and starters there as possible. Further information will be placed on www.mondioring-austria.at
From left to right: Schwendinger Jürgen, Nicoletta Pleskot, Claus Angerer, Glöckl Thomas
www.logica-canis.at
“...be quite sure to be as
�
perfect prepared as possible...
Claus & Christian Erb
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