Clean Run Magazine - June 2008 - 23

For a forward send, I will start very close to a wing with my dog on a sit-stay, 10' or so away. I use a verbal Jump command and an inside hand signal extended forward to cue my dog to go around the wing. If I need to add forward motion to help cue him, that’s okay. As he commits to going around the wing, I turn and run 180° in the other direction. I can turn toward him or away from him. I reward him for the send and for following my motion when he reaches me. I will progressively start farther and farther from the wing, to the point where I am sending him forward about 15' with only my verbal Jump command and hand signal. For a lateral send, I start very close to the wing with my dog on a sit-stay, 10' or so away. I simultaneously step laterally away from my dog with my outside leg, and use a verbal Jump command and an inside hand signal extended laterally to cue my dog to go around the wing. As he commits to going around the wing, I turn and run 90° away from him. I can turn toward him or away from him. I reward him for the send and for following my motion when he reaches me. See Figures 8 and 9. The purpose of teaching the forward and lateral sends is twofold. First, my dog does not naturally understand my verbal and hand cues and I must train those skills. Second, my dog needs to learn to watch which direction I am running as I send and to accelerate to me once he completes the obstacle. For an experienced dog that is being retrained, this is a very important skill that should not be overlooked. In next month’s article I will review the fundamental skills I teach that involve jumps. D 8 A B C A) Forward Send: I start very close to the wing with my dog on a sit-stay, 10’ or so away. I use a verbal Jump command and an inside hand signal extended forward to cue my dog to go around the wing. If I need to add forward motion to help cue him, that’s okay. B) As he commits to going around the wing, I turn and run 180° in the other direction. I can turn toward him (front cross) or away from him (pull). I reward him for the send and for following my motion when he reaches me. C) I start progressively farther and farther from the wing to the point where I am sending him forward about 15’ with only my verbal Jump command and hand signal. Eventually I should be able to add obstacles that are not to be performed. Author’s Notes • I use the term “pull” because the turn should be cued with motion. I no longer use “shoulder pull” because it implies that my shoulders are the primary cue for the turn, which is not the case. In addition, I do not use the term “post turn” because it implies that I am standing still like a post. hand to cue collection. 9 • An example of an exception to this is when I use my outside A B C A) Lateral Send: I start very close to the wing with my dog on a sit-stay, 10’ or so away. I simultaneously step laterally away from my dog with my outside (right) leg, extend an inside (left) hand signal laterally toward the wing and give a verbal Jump command. B) As he commits to going around the wing, I turn and run 90° away from him. I can turn toward him (front cross) or away from him (pull). I reward him for the send and for following my motion when he reaches me. C) Unlike the forward send, I do not progressively increase my distance from the wing. This is because I am training a lateral motion cue and increasing lateral distance minimizes my motion cue. Eventually I should be able to add obstacles that are not to be performed. Linda Mecklenburg is one of the most accomplished dog agility trainers and instructors in the United States. She and her students have achieved the highest levels of success in dog agility. Linda has represented the United States in international competition on 12 different occasions with four different dogs. She has earned gold and silver medals at the prestigious FCI Agility World Championships, in addition to earning multiple top-10 individual placements at that event. Linda teaches agility full time at her Awesome Paws Agility Center in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Contact her at awesomepaws@aol.com. June 08 | Clean Run 23

Clean Run Magazine - June 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - June 2008