Clean Run - October 2019 - 12

Exercise 3
Figure 4 shows the setup for exercise 3 and 4. If you
don't have enough space or jumps, however, you can
set up one part of the course at a time.
Lead out to position A in Figure 5, as long as that won't
put you ahead of your dog when he is finishing the teeter. If it will put you ahead, then don't lead out so far.
Rev up your dog and release him to the tunnel. As the
dog powers ahead of you on the teeter, throw the toy as
he passes the teeter's pivot point. Or, if he is not super
confident, withhold throwing the toy until he is moving
through the downside yellow zone. It's a small difference, but timing and placement of the throw are a key
element to success.
The most important thing about throwing the toy are:
* The toy is of very high value, so the dog focuses solely
on that when you throw it and doesn't pay attention to
your body language.
* The timing of the throw creates confident drive forward
into the end position with the dog stopping straight
ahead, staring at the toy.
After you are successful starting at A, repeat the exercise gradually shortening your lead-outs as you work
toward starting at position B, and then C. Every throw
should be well-timed and placed to maximize your dog's
independence.

Exercise 4
Once your dog is very confident with Exercise 3, you can
do the drill in Figure 6. You are going to do just #1-#3
initially.
Take a very short lead-out as shown. Rev up your dog
and release him explosively. Drive your dog down the
line, do a rear cross at the teeter, and then run to jump
#4 as you throw the toy so it lands straight in front of the
teeter. The mechanics of the throw are tricky but give it
your best shot. At this point, if you have established your
dog's independence, this should be relatively easy.
If this all went well, give the whole sequence a try. Your
dog should be driving hard into his end position on the
teeter while you are running to jump #4. Release your
dog while you run forward which will allow you to show
deceleration at #6. Threadle #5 to #6 and post turn from
#6 to #7.
For another variation, start this drill with the dog on your
left. Send the dog to the teeter and peel away to jump #4.
You can also interchange contact obstacles for this drill.

A Full Course
This course should give you some other ideas about
where your independent contact training can take you.
I have illustrated the path I would run with my dogs in
Figure 7.
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I would do a lead-out pivot at #3 or run into a front cross.
After supporting #4, I would run lateral to the dogwalk. I'll
move forward a bit, setting intent to #6 and then, while
maintaining my connection with my dog, run into serpentine position at #7. I would decel at #9, rotating in place
to create space. Next, I would send to the teeter and run
behind #11 for another serpentine. I would decelerate at
#13 and rear cross #14. If I run between #15 and #16,
I can set the line to #15 and either front, blind, or rear
cross #17. There are other ways to handle the sequence
depending on your handling system, but this way is great
for working on independence.
As an alternative to a rear cross at #14, it would be
fine to set the line to #13 and front cross at #14 (green
dashed line). But two things to keep in mind: 1) I am assuming that many of you who have running issues would
prefer not to do too many front crosses; and 2) I prefer
the flow with the rear cross as it leads me nicely to the
spot between #15 and #16 if I am trying to get ahead or
minimize my running. Another potential problem is that if
you front cross at #14, you have little choice but to show
deceleration after the front cross, which could be confusing for your dog unless you want to run closer to the
end of the contact. So, unless your dog is stellar at driving independently over the contact, the rear cross is the
more dynamic and easier choice for your dog.
There are other ways to handle this course. I just gave
you the way I would run it, utilizing my skills to run the
shortest path. Try the course without stopping to get a
hard look at what your dog understands (not forsaking
your end behavior criteria), and then break it down, rewarding the pieces: contacts and jumps.
As you work the course, keep the following in mind:
1. Always work every obstacle, whether you are near
or far.
* Make sure you have set your line and that your dog
has "intent" to the next obstacle before you move to
your next handling position.
* Run with confidence! Any hesitation may pull your
dog off the intended line. Trust the skills you are
building.
2. Even though we are often working at a distance, it is
still vital to keep our connection with our dog.
3. Always give your dog enough impulsion to support
the behavior you are asking for.
* This can be done by running and using physical dynamics and, in the case of those who can't run well,
using some forward momentum and a lot of dynamic
energy with our voice.
* Energetically rewarding our dogs' behaviors (physically and verbally) creates huge value for their independent behaviors. This ensures that they have
a great desire to perform the behaviors that we ask
them to do.
Clean Run | October 19

Clean Run - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - October 2019