Sarah and Simic in Basel, Switzerland

Sarah Lorentzen: “I will keep doing agility till they kick me out of the course!”

But one can be sure it won’t happen this soon, as Sarah has already proved she is one of the best handlers ever and Simic, a extraordinary dog. Together, they won big: from the Danish Championship (2006) and Nordic Cup (2005 and 2006) to World Agility Championship Agility, where they achieved first place both in individual (2006) than in teams (2007). Owner of an agility club (KS-agility – link: http://www.ks-agility.dk/loadpage2.php?URL=index.php), she lives Agility 7 days a week and despite her winnings, success in the course didn´t bring many changes to this 31 years old Danish handler: “Life didn’t chance much since Agility WC. I’ve been out teaching agility a lot more, but that’s it. I’m still Sarah and Simic is still just a dog”.

Is is true that your baby was born a few months after Nordic Cup? How did you do to manage training, competition and pregnancy?

My daughter Silje was born in February 2006. When I won the Nordic Championship 2005, I was 7 ½ month pregnant. I was training 2 days before I gave birth and again 6 weeks after. World Championship competition was easy in 2006 because there were always somebody who could take care of her in 10 minutes. Now she is everywhere and not everybody can take her. that makes it a bit harder. At WC 2006 we hired a nanny to come with us and she took care of Silje day and night so I could concentrate on me and my dog.

Agility time!

How did you get in touch with Agility for the first time?

I have an education in horses and I saw agility at a horse show in 1998. I found it funny to look at and you could really see a connection between handler and dog that I wanted with my dog. In 1999 my Labrador mix turned 1 year and we started on agility.

Sarah and Simic (left)
and the 2007 Agility World Champion Standard team

How many dogs do you have?

I have Simic who has just turned 5 years and I have a brown and white Border Collie named Bianca and she is 7 years old. Bianca became no. 18 at WC 2004. My boyfriend Kim also has a Border Collie named Ready, who is almost 10 years, 4 times Danish Champion and Nordic champion 2001. All of our dogs have free access to our house since they are a part of our family - but they are still dogs. We don’t treat them as human beings, so they sleep and eat on the floor. J

The whole family

How did you choose Simic among the litter

I told the breeder that I wanted a strong, independent dog that would function I a large group of dogs. I didn’t choose Simic. the breeder chose for me and I think she did a pretty good job J

Sarah and puppy Simic

How was your evolution as a handler since you started practicing Agility?

I started with my lab mix who I had to scream and shout and clap all the way around on the course if I wanted him to gallop. My second dog Bianca did the running part great, so I would stay behind and tell her what to do until I met Kim (my boyfriend). He showed me that if I moved my behind a little more, my dog would actually run a little faster. Wow, what a surprise! I was invited to a week course with two Swedish instructors in 2004 and I learned so much that week. Every year this week course is on my calendar and I have participated every time. 2007 I was one of the instructors on this course, but in the evenings I kept on training my own dog with the other instructors so I learned something anyway.  

Your boyfriend is also a top handler. Do you exchange many information during training sessions, like coaching each other or do you train separately from each other?

We don’t use each other very much in training. We both have a lot of temperament so we nearly almost end up biting each other’s heads off if we should be so free to correct each  other. We really want to bead each other on the agility course, so we keep ourselves on the toes and put pressure on each other that way.

Sarah and Simic are 2006 Individual Standard Agility World Champions

Have you ever thought about running other breeds, maybe a Mini or Midi dog?

Yes, I’ve thought about a Pyrenean Sheepdog, a Kromfohrländer or a Malinois but I don’t think it will ever happen. Whay I can say is that I would never ever run with a Sheltie! I don’t think I would choose another breed than the Border Collie, I think it is the best dog for agility. They learn fast, they want to work for you all day long, they are not to big and they can turn on a penny. I train 3 other dogs for some of my students, a Cocker Spaniel, a Poodle and a Border Collie and there is no doubt that it would be the Border Collie that I would keep if they asked me. The two others are cute and they want to work but not at all on the same level as the Border Collie.

At which age do you thing the dog’s training should start?

I teach a puppy class and some of them where only 12 weeks old when they started. I teach them tunnels and they learn to run forward on the jumps with the bar on the ground. I teach the puppies to stay with the handler and turn with the handler. Teach them to stay on command and the basic ground work. I let the puppies stay on the contact until they are released but I won’t let them walk the entire dogwalk or A-frame before they are one year, the same for jumps and weave poles.

What other activities besides Agility do your dogs perform?  

None. In fact, I teach my dogs a lot of tricks, but I don’t compete, for instance, in dog dancing. Who knows maybe I will try it some day?

Simic: “Smileeeeee!!!”

As a handler, which are your characteristics you think you could/should improve?

I think I could improve the speed of the weave poles with Simic and maybe the speed around a corner in a box. Otherwise I just need to tighten up her contacts once in a while to make sure that she stays if I don’t give her the release command, even if I keep running

How do you set priorities and define which aspects should be trained in each session?

I normally train two times a week at home and once a week in another club, so I can be with someone on my own level. We have no instructor but we help each other and push each other to do better. At home If there have been a combination at a competition that many handlers found difficult (including myself) I train that combination at home.

Do you divide physical and technical training sessions or can everything be trained together?

I usually do the physical training away from the agility course, on walks for example, and the technical training on the course.

Bianca

Can you identify any technical problems in your dogs?

You can always improve something a little bit but all in all I think Simic is perfect. Bianca, on the other hand, is totally ruined by me. If I’m not in the correct place she knocks down a bar. If I speak with her on the wrong time. she knocks down a bar. If I don’t stay behind her on the contacts. she jumps. If she can get away with it she also takes of at the start before I release her. All that is because I haven’t been consistent enough all the way. Shame on me. She is great in training but as soon as we enter the ring at a competition she has no rules at all J.

If I should change her behavior I would have to disqualify her in every run for the next year and she will never be my top dog anyway, so I run on her demands and let her have some fun. J Shame on me 

When was the first time you represented Denmark in an abroad competition? Did you get nervous?

The first time was in the WC in Italy, in 2004 with Bianca. I got a little nervous when I saw the starting list. I had start number 1. Otherwise I wouldn’t be that nervous. As soon as I was in the starting area I forgot everyone other than myself and my dog

What does one have to have in mind while in a WC course?

I try not to think about it being a WC. For my dog it’s agility and she doesn’t care where we are as long as we run agility. I know she can do most things and I know she will listen to me if I give the right commands. If I get nervous I’m always late with my commands and my legs are not as fast as they should be and that pisses me of. I owe to my dog to make it easy for her to understand what I want her to do, so I just see it as agility and we are here to have fun and do our best.

Do you have any kind of physic work to improve your fitness regarding your performance in Agility?

I don’t do enough to keep myself fit. I walk and bike and sometimes I run but that’s like twice a month J. My dogs on the other hand are very fit. They walk, run by the bike and swim, other than that they have a lot of space at home where they can play.

Are there any exercises you do as a handler do to improve your dogs’ speed and strength?

To build strength in my dogs I let them jump what we in Denmark call tempo jumps. There are only 1 ½ meter between the jumps (for the large dogs) an the height is 45 cm. That makes the dog land and pull of again without taking a stride. That really strengthens the big muscles in the thighs and the abs of the dog. I make my dog run up a hill in full speed which also strengthens the ability to accelerate.

What is the physical preparation and heating you do before and after entering the ring?

I usually go for the warm up 20 dogs before me. I let my dogs walk the tempo they want for about 5 minutes and then I take control. I make my dogs do tricks, so I know that the dog brain if functioning and that they are ready to listen to me. After that I run around and do turns with the dog beside me and send the dog around trees, poles, tents and stuff to get them to accelerate and work away from me. After the run I just take a walk for about 15 to 20 minutes

Simic and Sarah

What is the best thing in Agility?

Where should I start?

1. The dogs love to have something to do. You can see them smiling when they do agility, and they are so satisfied and tired at the end of the day.
2. The agility family. All the friends you get and can share laughs and tears with. We are all there for each other.
3. The exercise
4. The connection you get with your dog.
5. The atmosphere at the championships
6. The thrill of winning and standing on the top of the ramp.
7. The friendships outside Denmark
8. The wish to be even better
9. To be outdoors

There is a lot of things that means a lot to me. I will keep doing agility till they kick me out of the course J