Clean Run Magazine - August 2009 - 12

Trainer’s Forum By Brenna Fender My dog does a great two-on/two-off contact, but I’m worried about his up contact and how he uses his body. He never misses the contact, but he does slam into it so hard that spectators often gasp. It also slows him down because he must collect himself to then ascend. How can I teach him an approach to soften his impact? Webb Anderson Your concern is well-warranted. I very clearly recall the day that Elvis, my FlatCoated Retriever, broke the A-frame with his “bug on the windshield” approach. If the A-frame had not broken, Elvis would have absorbed that force with his body. I immediately began analyzing the dog’s approach to the up contact. Dogs that slam the up contact leap onto the A-frame, using it as a launching pad to propel them over the apex. Although you generally see this with larger dogs, some small dogs do this as well. Rather than softening the impact, I would prefer to see dogs using the momentum gained from their approach to propel themselves up the A-frame. To teach dogs to run up the A-frame, I begin with the A-frame lowered to 2' to 3' at the apex. At this height, the dogs run effortlessly over the obstacle. Each week I raise the A-frame approximately 6". By the time the A-frame reaches full height, the dogs race up and over the apex with ease. For most dogs, this method of training or retraining produces a natural fluid movement. Webb is an AKC agility judge and currently competes with Nigel, an AKC top-ranked Miniature Schnauzer. Webb is a full-time agility trainer and coach. For seminars or lessons, contact him through his website at www.performanceplusk9s.com. Occasionally there are dogs that are determined to become crash-test dummies. These dogs are fully extended as they jump onto the A-frame. For these dogs, using a hoop on the up contact as well as lowering the A-frame helps create the movement we want to see. As the A-frame is slowly raised to full height, the hoop maintains the correct body position for a safe approach. The hoop is set at a height that causes the dog to drop his head as he enters the A-frame, but not so low that it hits him. To determine the correct height of the hoop, stand the dog at the desired point on the up ramp and place the hoop over his head, adjusting it until the hoop is about 1" from his head. Introduce the hoop on the A-frame by luring the dog under the hoop several times before asking the dog to approach the A-frame at full speed. Using the hoop works every time and creates a safe approach without causing any significant slowdown on the approach to the obstacle. Elicia Calhoun Hitting the up contact too hard is similar to missing the up contact, so refer to my Trainer’s Forum contribution in CR March 2009. This problem is either due to the dog’s stride or incorrect focus. In performing the obstacle, the dog is focused on driving to the end of the obstacle, which is where all the rewards have been placed. When retraining, you simply need to bring attention to the upside contact in the same way you did the downside contact. I suggest lowering the A-frame height and reinforcing the dog for hitting the upside contact as I outlined in March 2009. In the case where the dog’s stride is simply too large to comfortably hit the upside, this task is a bit more involved. Giant and large breeds such as Great Danes, Bouviers, Greyhounds, German Shepherds, and even the large Border Collies can fall into this category, but I’ve seen small dogs miss due to speed. Because the dogs will do what 12 Elicia, a National and World Champion, and professional agility instructor, has owned and operated Waltzing Paws Agility since 1996. As a World Champion Team member in 2001 and bronze medalist in 2003, Elicia represented the U.S. for five consecutive years with her Australian Shepherd Suni, ADCH MACH5 Slydrock’s Solar Power. Elicia created the Suni Fund (www.SuniFund.org) to memorialize Suni and to raise money for cancer research. Contact Elicia through her website www.waltzingpaws.com. is most comfortable, we have to determine how we can accomplish the task of making hitting the upside comfortable (realize this task may not be 100% doable). I start with a lowered A-frame to see what the dog naturally brings to the performance. Then I determine what method is best. Often, stride regulators or even a foot-touch criterion in the desired upside contact might suffice. For many breeds, however, asking for the foot touch may stop all momentum and make it difficult, if not unsafe, to then perform the rest of the obstacle. I have found that using hoops in this case is beneficial. The hoops need to be about 2" higher than the dog’s withers. Shape the dog to go through the hoops on the ground as you would train the tire. Then you need to assess where on the A-frame to place the hoops (not necessarily on the ground). In this case, let’s use the Great Dane as an example. If the hoop was on the ground the dog would hit the hoop as he went through and would not be comfortable in the rest of his performance. In this case, the best location for the hoop would actually be about midway on the upside contact, more specifically, on the line where the contact zone is marked. That would bring the dog’s focus to that location, allowing him a chance to modify his striding to accomplish the task of getting on the obstacle safely and going through the hoop. Although this isn’t a guaranteed solution, it is the best one I have found for the dogs whose stride makes the up contact more challenging. Good luck! Note: These solutions are based on retraining the A-frame performance. There are many ways you can handle the dog through these obstacles, such as using false turns before the A-frame or teaching an Easy command. I prefer to teach the dog his job and then be free to handle the course. Clean Run | August 09

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Clean Run Magazine - August 2009

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