Hi Laurie,
I am setting up a booth at an agility trial next weekend (my first one...eek). I am trying to think of demonstrations I can do during the show to attract people to my booth. I thought I would do three demonstrations one on stretching, one for coordination work in the puppy, and core strengthening program. I saw that you have your “What you can do to build up the core in your dog?” blog in a printable form. Am I able to use this as a hand out for the demonstration (your pictures are great!). Also, I was looking at your recommended stretches for agility dogs and noticed that Teres major was not one of the stretches you do and was wondering if that would be a valuable stretch for the agility dogs.
Hope you are doing well.
Cheers,
C
Going to an Agility Match
Going to an Agility Match
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES
Re: Going to an Agility Match
Hey C!
Congrats on doing the Agility Trial! Exciting and scary all at the same time!
Maybe get some balls / peanuts (and ways to secure them) to do some demos. Bring you laser, and go ahead and use it! If you have a tent (i.e. picnic size) bring it for doing a treatment if you need to. Go ahead and use my handout - just be sure that my copyright stays at the bottom. You might want to add a stamp or sticker with your info on it - so when they take it home and want to find you, they can!
Where did I not recommend Teres Major stretching? Which handout? I do think it’s useful, but it’s a hard one to explain without a demo, since most folks can't figure out the nuances of adding some abduction and external rotation. It’s a great one to show in person!
The trial will be busy with people competing. Honestly, nobody will be watching people doing demos. I’d say, bring your info, handouts, etc. Bring your laser. Be prepared to treat (for you, dogs and owners)! Bring some kind of a useful give away that will be a reason for folks to come talk to you! Water? Freezies? Dog treats? People treats? Or go to the dollar store and get some different things (and then add a sticker with your company info on it). Then you chat to people going by: “It’s getting hot out here, want a Freezie?” (I just thought of this… I like this idea! You can get really cheap ones at Superstore! Freeze them and then bring a couple of coolers with ice and Freezies!)
It’s sort of a catch 22. Most of the folks that are competing at that level have someone they use for rehab, chiro, massage, etc. They’re not shopping for someone new, necessarily. So, to break through their icy exteriors, you’ll need to get creative! It’s worth doing, but it’s going to take having a thick skin and breaking out of your comfort zone to get some business out of it! No matter how it goes, it'll be good exposure.
Best of luck!
Laurie
Congrats on doing the Agility Trial! Exciting and scary all at the same time!
Maybe get some balls / peanuts (and ways to secure them) to do some demos. Bring you laser, and go ahead and use it! If you have a tent (i.e. picnic size) bring it for doing a treatment if you need to. Go ahead and use my handout - just be sure that my copyright stays at the bottom. You might want to add a stamp or sticker with your info on it - so when they take it home and want to find you, they can!
Where did I not recommend Teres Major stretching? Which handout? I do think it’s useful, but it’s a hard one to explain without a demo, since most folks can't figure out the nuances of adding some abduction and external rotation. It’s a great one to show in person!
The trial will be busy with people competing. Honestly, nobody will be watching people doing demos. I’d say, bring your info, handouts, etc. Bring your laser. Be prepared to treat (for you, dogs and owners)! Bring some kind of a useful give away that will be a reason for folks to come talk to you! Water? Freezies? Dog treats? People treats? Or go to the dollar store and get some different things (and then add a sticker with your company info on it). Then you chat to people going by: “It’s getting hot out here, want a Freezie?” (I just thought of this… I like this idea! You can get really cheap ones at Superstore! Freeze them and then bring a couple of coolers with ice and Freezies!)
It’s sort of a catch 22. Most of the folks that are competing at that level have someone they use for rehab, chiro, massage, etc. They’re not shopping for someone new, necessarily. So, to break through their icy exteriors, you’ll need to get creative! It’s worth doing, but it’s going to take having a thick skin and breaking out of your comfort zone to get some business out of it! No matter how it goes, it'll be good exposure.
Best of luck!
Laurie
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES