Sarah Hodgson - Dog Tricks and Agility For Dummies

Dog Tricks & Agility For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Sarah Hodgson

Dog Tricks & Agility For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Copyright 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010924561

ISBN: 978-0-470-53959-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Sarah Hodgson is the author of nine books on dog training, including Puppies For Dummies, Dog Tricks For Dummies, DogPerfect, and Miss Sarahs Guide to Etiquette for Dogs and Their People. In addition, she has coauthored Understanding Your Dog For Dummies with world renowned dog behaviorist Stanley Coren. Her books have been translated into nine languages.

At an age when most kids were baby-sitting or mowing lawns, Sarah Hodgson was starting her career. At 10, she taught her own dog to jump through a tire swing and pull her on skis. At 12, she was showing her neighbors how to do it, and a dog trainer was born. In 1988, one year before graduating with a degree in biology, Sarah opened her professional practice in Bedford, New York, where she continues to help families demystify dog behavior. Through positive reinforcement, family conditioning, and her signature loving touch, Sarah achieves profound results for people and their dogs.

With theories that link good behavior to having a solid foundation of fun in any relationship, Sarah believes that training must be simple and enjoyable for dogs and people. Blending traditional, time-tested techniques with bond-enhancing tricks and interactive activities, such as agility, flyball, and joring, Sarah shows people how to take charge of their dog in a humane, upbeat, and positive way. Sarah says: Life is short have fun!

Sarah also works with shelters to temperament-test and recondition lost and abandoned dogs to improve their odds of finding permanent homes. Over the years, she has fostered many hard-to-place shelter dogs in her home, using her gentle, humane techniques to rebuild their trust and confidence.

Sarah has appeared as a guest expert on NBC, CNN, CNBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, Animal Planet, and the DIY Network. As a press escort for the Westminster Dog Show, Sarah worked alongside many news personalities, including Al Roker, David Fry, and Storm Phillips, creating segments for their networks. Sarah appeared on Animal Planets Dogs 101 series in December 2009.

A regular contributor to a variety of print publications, Sarahs columns have appeared in Parenthood, Prevention, and Country Living magazines as well as The New York Times and The Record Review.

A graduate of SUNY at Purchase with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with an emphasis on human psychology and animal behavior, Sarah is also the inventor of the Teaching Lead. Its ingenious, patented design allows its use as a regular leash, a hands-free lead, or an indoor and outdoor training aid.

Sarahs famous clients have included TV personality Katie Couric; actors Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Chazz Palminteri, Chevy Chase, and Lucie Arnez; business moguls George Soros, Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy Mottola, Peter and Sara Arnell, and Michael Fuchs; and sports greats Bobby Valentine and Alan Houston.

Sarah lives in Katonah, New York, with her husband, their two children, and their pets.

Dedication

For Lindsay, Bobo, Whoopsie, and Daisy: Always up to their tricks... always able to make their mama smile.

Authors Acknowledgments

The book you are holding is the product of many good, hard-working, creative people. I am so grateful for each of them! A special thanks to my personal assistant, Moira Clune your suggestions add life to my words, like a soft breeze on a sunny day. You are one of a kind. Thank you to the crew of editors and readers at Wiley Publishing, Inc., who harp but in a good way. I am grateful to Tracy Boggier for conceiving this idea and pursuing it. And finally, many thanks to my husband, my top agility performer who regularly juggled meals, kids, and dogs to keep things stable so I could complete this book. Thank you all!