A.Gility: Svetlana, you've got many admirers, you can believe
me. Our visitors have observed your successful achievements for several
years. You are Champion of Russia and you have shown successful and
stable performance at the World Championships as well. You win almost
every competition. Could you tell me, which victories are the most
important for you?
S.Tumanova: All of them. The level of a competition doesn't
matter to me.
A.Gility: Do you remember your first victory?
S.Tumanova: Yes, very well. It was Bewi Dog Cup, that took
place at the NATI. Bonny was one year old then. The other win was
in Kaliningrad, where he took the third place, being only 8 months
old.
A.Gility: Were you happy or not to become the third in Portugal
last year?
S.Tumanova: I was very happy.
A.Gility: Are you going to continue trying to win the Agility
World Championship?
S.Tumanova: Why not? My goal is to set a record at the World
Championship by winning in at least two height categories.
A.Gility: Let's turn to history. How long have you
been in Agility? Who are your trainers? Where do you train now?
S.Tumanova: I have been in Agility since 1994. I started
at Elita, trained by Olga Burtseva. After the closure of that
club, I came to Andrei Ignatov's Borodino. There I got acquainted
with Elena Dmitrotchenko, and I liked her training methods very
much. So, now I am a member of Together club, trained by Elena
Dmitrotchenko, and I owe all of my achievements to her and our
team.
A.Gility: Taking into account your own Agility experience,
how interesting is the trainer's advice to you?
S.Tumanova: Very interesting. I always like to listen
to various opinions and comments, by different people, not only
by my trainer, analyse them and figure out if I need to add
something. This is the way I get results.
A.Gility: Would you like to try yourself as an Agility
trainer?
S.Tumanova: No. I work as a dog trainer, but I spend
more time teaching the owners how to work with their dogs. At
Agility training sessions, I have a rest from my work. If I
have to teach people there as well, Agility will become work,
and I will stop loving it.
A.Gility: Could you tell us about your dogs?
S.Tumanova: At present, I have four dogs. My first dog,
a German Shepherd Dog Kerrie, with whom I began my Agility career.
The second is Bonny, a Spitz. The next dog - a two-year-old
BC Jimmy. Not long ago, I bought a Welsh Terrier puppy, he is
two months old now.
A.Gility: In your opinion Who of your dogs is the most
promising in Agility? |
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S.Tumanova: I can't tell anything about the puppy yet. Of the
adult dogs, it is definitely my Border Collie Jimmy. However, he's
got one serious problem - he knocks down jump bars very often. If
I manage to solve this, he will have a good chance to get a prize
at the World Championship.
A.Gility: How many times a week do you train?
S.Tumanova: At least twice a week. Sometimes, when I don't
have much work, I train 5 - 6 times a week.
A.Gility: You take part in many competitions. Do you prepare
your dogs somehow for special competitions, or are all of your dogs
"always prepared"?
S.Tumanova: I don't prepare them to special competitions, but
each dog has his own peculiarities. For the Spitz, I reduce training
before the competitions. For example, if I have a competition on Saturday,
I train him only on Tuesday. And with the BC, this is just the other
way round - I have to train him four times a week before the competitions.
A.Gility: Did you do anything special to get ready to the World
Championship?
S.Tumanova: Yes. I arranged the obstacles so that there were
options and call-offs, trying to improve control. However, I didn't
need this at the latest Championship. I think the courses were very
simple, especially in Mini Agility. So, the results depended solely
on the speed and the contact zones.
A.Gility: You are a member of the Russian National Team.
What is the task of the trainer of a national team? What does he
do to help you in achieving high results?
S.Tumanova: The task of the trainer of the Russian National
Team is to choose the most promising dogs and provide for successful
runs in the country we are going to. The Chief trainer can't train
the team, as the handlers come from different clubs and are accustomed
to different training methods. So, the trainer can point out the
faults to the handler, and the handler's trainer must help to correct
them.
A.Gility: You compete very much. Who supports you morally,
have you got permanent fans?
S.Tumanova: Yes. The whole of our club. And many people from
other clubs, especially those who have been in Agility for a long
time and have achieved significant results.
A.Gility: What can you tell of non-FCI competitions? Should
any organisation-based limits be imposed on the handlers?
S.Tumanova: To my mind, the handlers should be free to choose
any competition. I like the competitions held by other organisations,
and each competition matters to me, as all of them strengthen both
the handler's and the dog's nerves.
A.Gility: There is much argument re the admission of non-pedigree
dogs to Agility competitions. What is your opinion on the mixed
breed dogs in Agility?
S.Tumanova: Normal. I think they should be admitted. But
personally I wouldn't take a mix-breed, as its development is unpredictable.
A.Gility: What are your other interests except Agility?
S.Tumanova: I train people so that they could work with their
dogs, and I train dogs. This is my job, but I can't say I like it
very much. I also handle dogs. I like this, as it has something
in common with the competitions.
A.Gility: What would you wish to our visitors?
S.Tumanova: I wish them to always achieve the results they
need.
A.Gility: Thank you for the interview. On behalf of your
fans, I wish you further success.
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