Clean Run - July 2014 - 20

Too Soon vs
Too Late -
The Window of

opportunity
Secrets to Perfect Timing

By Kathy Keats, The Agility Coach

Have you ever driven somewhere with a friend navigating?
Some people are great navigators-they're clear, direct, and give
you just enough information to make you feel confident and let
you know when to turn, but not so much information that you're
overwhelmed. Then there are the navigators who shout, "Turn
here!" just as you are passing the exit ramp at 60 mph towing
your 8,000 lb. trailer behind...no chance and now you're frustrated that you have to get turned around. The opposite side of
the coin is the navigator who says, "Turn right up ahead" miles
in advance. So you find yourself saying, "Here? Here? Is this
it?" at every intersection while your friend says, "Not yet, the
next one...wait, the next one, two more..." So you start driving
slower and getting more frustrated each time you think that you
are at the correct intersection. And, finally, there are the navigators who say, "Turn left at Schmackin Street, right at Bracken,
right at Cracken, then go through three lights and take a left, and
then turn east at the tree that was hit by lightning...blah, blah,
blah," and your brain explodes.
I think you get the point.
Good timing means you give the appropriate amount of information at the appropriate time. You have an ideal window of opportunity to give the cue. I'm going to call this the "cue zone."
Outside of that window or that zone, things get ugly. Too late and
your dog goes wide or goes off-course or doesn't take the obstacle at all. Too early and he starts to get confused about which
obstacle he is supposed to be. He starts to slow down and question or he just starts guessing and picking obstacles on his own.
Different types of dogs need the information at slightly different
times, but the principles of good handling don't change. Some
dogs may be big jumpers that need the information sooner, like
a friend who drives really fast. The friend who drives slowly and
cautiously doesn't need the information as early, but both still
need to know when to turn within a reasonable window of opportunity and at their comfort level. Ideally, as the dog is performing
one obstacle, you have already given him enough information

that he can perform that obstacle in such a way that it gives him
an advantage for the next obstacle. He has a sense of where he
is going next and whether or not he should be more obstaclefocused or handler-aware. A fast, confident dog may need turning information earlier whereas a less confident dog might start
thinking too much and slow down if you give him the information too early.
Too early and too late are relative to what you need the dog to do.
The cue zone moves around. There are times where you withhold
information or give more information based on what you need
the dog to do. For example, if I want a dog to jump long in order
to help set up a better line to a contact approach, I won't cue the
turn as early because I want the dog to stay in extension and I
may not mind if the turn happens on the landing side of the jump
as shown in Figures 1 and 2. If my dog is coming out of a blazing fast line to a tight turn, I'll give more information and I'll give
it a lot sooner, because I need him to start the turn on the take-off
side of the jump as shown in Figure 3. His speed changes where
the cue zone is. Figure 4 shows each of the cue zones and the
relative impact on the dog's path.
Now, don't get too hung up on the idea of a precise cue zone.
You are giving your dog information all the time based on the
combination of your position, your motion, your orientation, and
your verbal connection. The idea is that there is an ideal range of
time to give your cues which will maximize your dog's speed and
confidence while keeping an efficient line through the course.
Most people think that the opposite of excellent timing is late
timing, but this isn't true. The opposite of excellent timing is information that is outside the appropriate window of opportunity
for your individual dog.
A great navigator knows what the window of opportunity is for
each individual dog and always gives the dog the appropriate
amount of information inside that window to get confident, fast,
accurate performance. Your goal is to be a great navigator. D

Good timing means you give the appropriate amount of information at the appropriate time.
20

Clean Run | July 14

Clean Run - July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - July 2014