Clean Run Magazine - January 2007 - 23

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the biomechanics of the task, it is very hard to do. When riding a horse
through tight turns on course, the horse has the benefit of the rider to
help. The rider can greatly influence the horse through the use of aids
seat, hands, and legs to assist the horse with balance through the turn,
but the dog does not have the benefit of this help. The argument could
clearly be made that dogs can certainly control their own bodies without
our help. Yet, if you were a person who knew how to jump, like a hurdler,
you would be aware of the body parts used for the task and the dynamics of
how they work, whereas most of us are unaware, even though we have the same
body parts as the hurdler. This is where training comes in. We all fully
understand that animals, like humans, are either right- or left-handed;
for the human, this determines how a task will be done. 3 The animal is
expected to perform fast, tight turns while jumping regardless of whether
the turn is to the animal’s strong or weak side. Recently I asked for
help with a jumping survey so that I could better understand the specific
weak areas in need of training: the results were clearly that most dogs
could power into a turn and jump, or power out of a turn after a jump;
however, very few indeed can do both. Trained behavior produces smooth,
continuous, flowing motion, which is comfortable for the athlete to
sustain. Watching athletes perform at high levels of skill makes any sport
look smooth and effortless, and yet we all know that much work goes into
making it appear so easy. Why then would we assume it would be so
different for our canine athletes? You cannot ask the dog why he turns so
wide; you have to show the dog how to perform the task and therefore must
have a method to accomplish this. Training bend work is one of my personal
favorites to teach as the grids need not be as specific in distance between
obstacles. When bending, the spine of the dog should make a shape like a
comma, and because of this, the dog’s body length does not need to be
accounted for as specifically as in straight-line grids. Step 2: Adding
Jumps to the Grid Once your dog is comfortable with step 1, you can put
the next piece of the puzzle in place. As you look at Figure 3, the
complete foundation bend work, it looks like the letter W. I start with
three jumps to make the same triangle used in step 1, and then I add two
more jumps to make an inverted triangle at each end and form the letter W.
When you add these two jumps to the grid, you must also return the jump
bars to a horizontal position. The height for small dogs should be no more
than 4 to 6 , and for big dogs no more than 8 to 10 . This work allows the
dog to practice the necessary balance and footwork without a heavy penalty
to his body if the effort is not completely 4 successful. It is hard for
most agility handlers to separate jump training from the element of
height. There are indeed many places in jump training where full height is
required of the dog; however, at the foundation level this is not an
appropriate place to add height. You may now begin a three-part training
exercise with this configuration. • Dog is on your left side and goes
from the center jump of the W to the right side as shown in Figure 4. This
is a right-lead turn for the dog. • Dog is on your left side and goes
straight across the four jumps at the back of the exercise as shown in
Figure 5. 5 • Dog is on your left side and goes from the end jump at the
back of the exercise to the center jump as shown in Figure 6. This is
another right-lead turn for the dog. You can then repeat the process with
the dog on your right, as shown in Figures 7 through 9, so that he is
working two left-lead circles. I have taught this exercise for several
years and if I do not state which side the dog will start on, 80% of all
people will begin with the dog on the left. When the exercise is done with
the dog on the handler’s right side, 65% of the people cannot remember
where they are to go next and there are only three parts to this exercise!
6 Dog is on your left and goes from the center of the W to the right side a
right-lead turn for the dog . Dog is on your left side and goes straight
across the four jumps at the back of the exercise. Dog is on your left
side and goes from the end jump at the back of the exercise to the center
jump a right-lead turn . 7 8 9 Dog is on your right and goes from the
center of the W to the left side a left-lead turn for the dog . Dog is on
your right side and goes straight across the four jumps at the back of the
exercise. Dog is on your right side and goes from the end jump at the back
of the exercise to the center jump a left-lead turn . January 07 | Clean
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Clean Run Magazine - January 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - January 2007
