Clean Run Magazine - October 2007 - 74

MA S T E R P L AN By Claudia Bates 11 3 4 10 5 12 16 13 17 6 9 This month’s Master Plan is loosely based on a particular challenge I saw at the Southeast Regional Steeplechase ﬁnal in Perry, Georgia. Judge Tom Kula designed a course that included a challenging approach to the broad jump and A-frame. Many dog and handler teams found the challenge daunting, to say the least! I decided to include a modiﬁed version of the broad jump sequence in my class plans just after returning from the Regional. 2 15 20 18 14 19 1 7 T 8 Masters and Advanced Figure 1 contains the course used in Masters and Advanced handling classes at A Click Above. Students began the course with the dog on the left, ﬂipping the dog left into the #3 tunnel. From the tunnel, handlers continued with the dog on their left to the teeter, moving laterally toward the teeter while the dog executed the tire to cue the turn from the tire to the #5 triple jump. Students generally kept the dog on their left to the #7 tunnel, either executing a false turn and cueing the dog with his name to keep him from jumping across the broad jump, or by cueing with forward and slightly lateral motion toward the tunnel. The sequence from the #7 tunnel to the #9 A-frame proved to be the most challenging sequence on course. Many students opted to do a front cross before the broad jump. This choice was somewhat tricky because it set many dogs up for a diagonal line toward the A-frame, which caused some dogs to jump the broad jump sideways or diagonally, missing the left side marker and faulting the jump. Other students decided to execute a rear cross on the ﬂat from the broad jump to the A-frame. This option was also difﬁcult because handlers had to be careful to time the cross on the ﬂat, not while the dog was jumping the broad jump. Eventually, both options worked. In some cases, we broke the ﬂow of the course and had the dog sit in position somewhere between the exit of the #7 tunnel and the front of the broad jump. The important lesson of the handling challenge was one of obstacle performance and training. Dogs that could jump the broad jump from various angles and that had experience with their handlers crossing in front and behind the obstacle were the most successful. After the broad jump challenge, handlers generally kept the dog on the right to the #12 tire. From the tire to the weave poles, students either executed a false turn and moved laterally away from the tire while cueing with the dog’s name, or did a front cross to cue the dog to the weaves. Students generally handled the #14 tunnel through jump #17 with the dog on the right. Many handlers chose to cue the dog to turn to the #17 panel with a false turn. A few students executed a landing-side front cross from jump #17 to jump #18, ﬁnishing the course with the dog on the left. Other students did a rear cross at jump #18, also ﬁnishing with the dog on the left. 74 1 Masters and Advanced course 1 2 7 1 2 6 3 3 8 4 5 4 8 5 7 6 T Masters and Advanced sequences 2 The sequences in Figure 2 accompanied the course in Figure 1. The black sequence gave students the opportunity to work on obstacle discrimination and a different weave pole entrance. The teeter was ﬂipped to accommodate the white sequence and remained in this position for the Novice course. Students generally did a lead-out with the dog on the right from jump #1 to the #2 tunnel, picking the dog up on their right for the #3 panel. Many students cued the turn from jump #4 to the #5 weave poles by decelerating and/or doing a false turn. A couple of students picked the dog up on the left from the tunnel and did a rear cross from jump #4 to the weaves. From the weaves, students either executed a front cross at the end before the #6 tunnel or crossed behind the dog at the tunnel. All handlers picked the dog up on their right from the tunnel to the dogwalk. Many handlers cued the dog to a tighter turn by remaining nearer Clean Run | October 07

Clean Run Magazine - October 2007

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