Clean Run - January 2012 - 12

By Anne Andrle Photos by Joy Elliott

Ever hear these common complaints? “My dog launched straight over a jump into the next county! He landed so far away, that he took an off-course jump in his path.” While handling plays a role in the above scenario, teaching your dog to use his body more effectively may give you more options. Why teach your dog to bend? The first big reason is that it can improve your dog’s balance and general athleticism while negotiating obstacles. As the dog practices using the muscles required to bend his body, the dog becomes stronger and more physically capable. Potential benefits include fewer physical injuries and enhanced physical skills, giving the dog more options to negotiate obstacles on course. First let’s review what it means when a dog bends. I define bending as a dog bending his body from front to hind end, in an arc like as shown in figure 1. To maintain this arc while in motion, the dog must use his hind end, supporting a portion of his body weight on the hind legs, in effect “driving out” of a turn off his hind legs. The hind feet footfalls should track along the same arc, moving into the position that the front feet just vacated as seen in figure 2. Dogs that are only bending in their front end while

making a turn will make two circles: the front feet will make a smaller diameter circle, and the hind feet will be “drifting” somewhat farther out, making a larger circle as seen in figure 3. Dogs that do this are typically pulling themselves around with their front ends and may not be using their bodies in the most efficient, balanced manner front to back.

1

While I am initially referring to a dog 2 traveling in an eﬃcient arc on the flat, ultimately, the goal is to enhance a dog’s ability to bend on a similar arc while negotiating a jump, where a tight turn is desirable. It’s noteworthy to mention that bending and turning very tightly can reach a point of diminishing returns. In other words, bending too much and turning too tightly does require the dog to slow down somewhat (how much depends on the structure of the dog), The dog's front and rear feet possibly leading to slower course times, track on the same arc. despite a shorter course length traveled. Running straight usually means the 3 dog is covering more ground, traveling The dog's front and rear feet a longer path in yards, but keeping his track on the same arc. speed up. Depending on the handler’s goals, extremes at either end should be avoided. Finding a place somewhere in the middle is often the best plan, always taking into account the abilities and skills of each member of the team.

Why teach your dog to bend? The first big reason is that it can improve your dog’s balance and general athleticism while negotiating obstacles.
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The dog's front feet track in a separate arc from his back feet.

The dog's front feetRun | January 12 track in a Clean separate arc from his back feet.
Clean Run - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - January 2012
