Clean Run Magazine - August 2007 - 72

MA S T E R P L AN By Claudia Bates 16 4 17 3 12 13 18 5 11 10 19 T 2 15 14 This month’s Master Plan came from courses designed and used in classes taught at A Click Above in May 2007. The courses include handling challenges that were inspired by courses I have seen recently in competition. 6 7 1 8 9 Advanced/Masters Level We used the course in Figure 1 in the Masters and Advanced classes. Students walked the course, asked questions, and then ran the course, while receiving a critique during the run and at the end. Most handlers began the course with the dog on their right, executing a lateral lead-out or using lateral motion to draw the dog to the dogwalk after the panel jump at #1. A few students opted to handle with the dog on the left, executing a lead-out pivot or push to the dogwalk, and then either crossing in front of the dogwalk or doing a rear cross at the #3 double. Handlers continued from jump #4 to the #7 A-frame with the dog on their right. A few students, who did not accelerate forward as their dog was over jump #4 and moving toward the chute, got left behind and found that the dog turned off toward the table when he turned to look for his handler. I encouraged students to accelerate aggressively after their dog made the turn from the double to the #4 wing jump so that they accurately cued jump #6 to the A-frame. From the A-frame to jump #10, handlers continued with the dog on their right. A few students executed a landing-side front cross from #10 to the #11 tunnel. Others decelerated and kept the dog on their right for the tunnel, which was problematic for a few handlers who did not cue the tunnel in a timely fashion or who ran too far past jump # 10 and sent the dog off toward or over jump #13. I encouraged handlers to try the front cross since I thought it cued the tunnel most accurately and also set the student up in a better position to handle jumps #12 to #13. From the tunnel, a few handlers stayed on the takeoff side of jump #12 and handled jumps #12 and #13 like a serpentine while keeping the dog on their left into the #14 tunnel and executing a rear cross. Other students did a front cross from jump #12 to #13 and sent the dog into the tunnel off their right side. All handlers kept the dog on their right for the #15 triple to the weave poles. Most students found it necessary to avoid cueing too much acceleration into the weave poles since most dogs had lots of speed coming out of the tunnel and over the triple and a few overshot the weave pole entry. Students 72 1 Masters/Advanced course 2 8 7 3 1 6 4 5 4 5 6 T 3 1 7 8 2 2 Masters/Advanced sequences found success by waiting on the takeoff side of the triple before moving forward toward the weave poles. From the #17 jump to the teeter, students either did a front cross to keep the dog off the #5 chute, ﬁnishing the course with the dog on their left; or they set the line before jump #17 by using a V-set just after the weaves and completing the course with the dog on the right. A few students did a false turn from jump #17 to the teeter and ﬁnished the course with the dog on the right. The false turn and/or front cross options seemed to work equally well, although I believe that the front cross option held a tighter line and seemed to be faster. Clean Run | August 07

Clean Run Magazine - August 2007

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