Clean Run - October 2020 - 33

Don't Watch
Your Dog, MOVE!
Mastering Timing Basics
By Chris Tucci
© 2016 wAo TeAm uSA

I often have fellow competitors comment on how fast I run and how easy it must be to be able to move like I do.
I agree that movement comes easy to me, having been involved in an organized team sport for over 20 years;
movement mechanics and speed were a required skill. However, being a great agility handler is more about
timing and cue information than being able to run faster than your dog.
My wife and I have 12 dogs. They are
masters at processing information
quickly and at full speed. I watch as
the pack tears off after a ball or each
other and how they can avoid collision and contact in a split second.
They can come inches from one another and turn away on a dime, avoiding impact. They have this communication of movement and timing that is
executed masterfully on the exercise
field, and they do this without hesitation. I am in awe of this remarkable
feat of athleticism and mental ability,
and I strive to be that for my dogs.
As one human and one dog on an agility course-where the dog is doing
all the difficult work-I aim to be the
one that gives cues and positional information as soon as my dog can read
them so the dog can execute what I
want at the fastest speed possible.
Great timing involves having a great
eye and knowing when to move. As an
October 20 | Clean Run

instructor, I impart on my students
that watching their dog perform an
obstacle will often put them behind
on course. And if you are watching,
you are not moving.
Of course, this requires your dog to
take the cue that you have given,
which means achieving independence
in your training. If my foundation
skills are weak, I will not be able to
trust my dog to execute what I have
asked them to do. So a strong foundation is paramount to have great timing. It's never too late to go back and
strengthen weaknesses that you see
pop up, especially on course work.
My dog is my partner; we are a team.
If I fail in my timing, my partner ultimately fails in her ability to execute
the course. It doesn't mean she goes
off-course necessarily; it means that
she doesn't have enough time to process my cues because of late timing.

So, to have great timing on an agility
course, my cues must happen early
enough for my dog to read them, process them, and execute them. If my
cues are late, then my dog has to slow
down or hesitate, or she will make
wide turns or drop bars.
This doesn't mean I am frantic on
course. It just means that I am timely
with my information. I make sure that
I see my dog's commitment point to
an obstacle, and then I move to my
next position. If I watch my dog while
she has already committed, then my
next cue will be late.
My favorite trainer's phrase to all of
her students is "trust and go," meaning that you should trust your dog
understands your cue, and as soon as
you see your dog commit, you move
immediately. This has served me so
well in my handling on the course, and
I remind myself frequently.
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