Clean Run Magazine - February 2010 - 44

Handlers may choose their team’s course through the obstacles and also when and at which point during the course to attempt the designated send bonus. Red path 69 points 12 obstacles, 315 feet ~105 yards 4 7 17' 20' 31' 28' 1 20' Red path 78 points 14 obstacles, 378 feet ~126 yards 4 7 10 22' 20' 31' 17' 1 20' 18' 8 12' 28' 28' 22' 15' 9 12' 5 16' 22' 3 16' 2 18' 1 S 6' 1 1 25' F 20' 1 1 15' 15' 20' 9 12' 1 6 14' 16' 22' 3 16' 24' F 1 1 2 18' 23' F 20' 1 14' 23' F S 6' 1 17' S Start with turquoise path 70 points 13 obstacles, 334 feet 111 yards S Adding turquoise path 80 points 16 obstacles, 419 feet ~140 yards Which Plan Is Better? The plan with the teeter and double results in 66 points while the plan with the weaves and jump results in 62 points, 4 points fewer for almost the same yardage. If all else were equal it would make sense to choose the path with the higher point value (the teeter and double). However, a lot of time is being left on the clock for the dog in this example. So although this would be a good plan for a dog with an anticipated rate of speed of 3 yps (97 yards divided by 32 seconds), a faster dog can have a longer path. The Optimal Plan A more optimal plan for this dog is shown in Figure 5. The dog does both the teeter and the weaves, using 126 yards and resulting in 78 points. The maximum number of points that can be earned on course is 80. Doing two additional 1-point jumps will achieve this score.These could be added at the start of the course shown in orange in Figure 5. This adds approximately 14 yards for a total of 140 yards. This requires an approximate rate of speed of 140 yards divided by 32 seconds, which equals 4.375 yps. This speed is a little faster than our target for our sample dog. It would be an optimal choice for a dog with an anticipated rate of speed on course of 4.5 yps or greater. Fine Tuning the Plan Adding the 7-point double jump to the core plan with the weaves is shown in red in Figure 4. This adds 11 yards and 7 points to the plan for a total of 105 yards and 69 points. Recall our target yardage was 136 yards so this is a good plan for a dog that typically runs a FAST course at 3.38 yps, but we are still leaving 28 yards on the course for our example dog. We could add the jump to the right of our original starting jump (shown in turquoise in Figure 4) and gain 1 point for 111 yards, 70 points. This requires a rate of speed of 3.65 yps and is still within our range, but still leaves time on the clock for our sample dog. FAST Is Fun! FAST is a fun game. With the tools I’ve given you to quickly compare strategies, I hope you’ll find that it can also be fun to devise your plan, optimize it, and run it with your dog and compare what you thought would happen with the actual results. D Ann lives in San Diego, California with four Border Collies, Trigger, Flurry, Kit, and Stun. Her first agility dogs, Bostons Mystic (1992-2004) and Chance (1992-2007), achieved many agility firsts for their breed. Chance, Caper (Ann’s first BC, 1996- 2007), and Trigger are all double agility champions, MACH and ADCH, and have all been AKC Nationals finalists, with Trigger placing second overall in 2003. Trigger and her teammates won the 2004 DAM National Team Championship. Flurry and Kit are just beginning their agility careers. Ann now teaches full time at her training center, Paws on the Wind Dog Sports, and is also an AKC and USDAA judge. Learn more at www.pawsonthewind.com. 44 Clean Run | February 10

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Clean Run Magazine - February 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - February 2010