Tuesday's class

Yesterday's class was about blind crosses. With this cross the handler actually turns her back on the dog but immediately makes eye contact again. We started out with an exercise using a blind cross at the end of the DW, then we did it with the teeter and the aframe and last we tried it with the weaves. The handler needs to make sure her blind cross move is completed before the dog finishes the obstacle. BCs can be very effective when used with nonturning obstacles but if timed correctly, they can be used with turning obstacles when the goal is to move in a straight line. The handler should perform the BCs on the landing side of a jump as the dog commits to that jump. BCs should not be used to turn the dog.

Other thoughts:

If you are having trouble figuring out where to stand for a lead out, think about where you would put in a front cross and then freeze in the front cross position and you have your lead out. A lead out push is a frozen front cross. Also recall to heel positions are intended to be performed at jumps and not on the flat.

A backy-uppy is generally only appropriate if you need to block the choice of taking a jump - like if you have two jumps side by side and you want to pull the dog through the gap (threadle) then you use a backy-uppy. If you only had the one jump and you need the dog to wrap back towards you, you would use a forward send. However, for dogs that are slower like me, the backy-uppy would work better than a send and the handler would just have to run more. Get it? I know video would make it clear but I don't know if we'll get around to it.

That's about it for this week's class. We are near the end of this session. Next week we run a course and then we have three weeks off because of USDAA Nationals etc. It's ok though because I have a trial this weekend, next weekend and then one day the following weekend. Some how trials around here are all happening at the same time. Hope we don't get burnt out!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Tuesday's class

In this week's class we practiced some course openings. First off we had to do a lead out push and then a forward motion front cross on the same sequence - the FMFC worked better for us. On the next sequence we had to try a FMFC and then a lead out pivot. We're going to try to make a video of this one to illustrate what we mean. It seemed that the two moves were very similar but with the lead out pivot there was no handler motion involved and with the FMFC there was handler motion. In this lead out pivot, the handler had her dog on the left and lead out past the plane of the jump (the dog was to take the back side of the second jump) - she called her dog to her left leg and then pivoted into a front cross and motioned the dog over the second jump.

We also talked a little about blind crosses which Jenn says are ok as long as the handler uses them at non-turning obstacles. So if your dog is in the weaves and you can get ahead, it is ok to BC - but the dog needs to still be weaving when you do it (the dog needs to still be performing any of the non-turning obstacles while you perform any cross). Otherwise you will slow your dog down as he exits as he will not know where to go next.

At the end of class, we practiced weave entries - one jump and then weaves - jumps started out easy and got harder. I got all my entries - no problem!!

Not the greatest video but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I am talking about. First mom tries a FMFC, then she tries the LOPivot but moves too soon and I jump the wrong direction. Then we do two better LOPs and one more FMFC.

BTW, here is a link to some shots of me in action at my last trial - click on the link and you'll see one picture and then under that there is a link to see the rest of the album. Mom loves the picture on the front and also the first one of me finishing the weaves.

http://mlifer.com/mlp/album/res/ecard/201007144759343.html

Gotta zoom!

Ricky