Clean Run Magazine - October 2008 - 75

Fun Games to ProoF Flatwork skills By Debbie Sacerich Photos by Deborah J. Hageman, AniGraphs Some people find flatwork boring. I say, “No way!” If you want to feel confident in your ability to cue your dog correctly and in time for turns, and if you want to be sure your dog understands his job and is certain of the behavior you are looking for, then regardless of the level at which you compete, practicing flatwork skills is essential. n agility, flatwork skills include stays, recalls, exposure to various turns, and directional cues such as Out (lateral) and Go On (straight). Onthe-flat skills can use jump stanchions as well as jumps, with the bars on the ground. The idea is to expose the dog to handling moves and teach the dog what is expected, before asking for the same performance on obstacles. The exercises described here are excellent for pre-agility and beginner students, but don’t underestimate their value for more experienced teams to solidify and perfect their skills, too. While sequencing often seems like the preferred choice in agility training classes, relying on sequencing alone can lessen your chances of success over the long haul. When we use obstacles, we add in many more variables and lose the pureness of being able to mark and October 08 | Clean Run I reward just the behavior we want. It is extremely valuable to be able to isolate the signals we use to cue our dogs for turns, and reward just the response to that specific cue. Many, if not most, students perfect flatwork at a slow to moderate pace, but never take the final step of perfecting those skills at a competition pace—fast! Teams often progress from practicing handling skills on the flat at a moderate speed to trying those same handling skills at full speed on obstacles, then suddenly their skills break down. Flatwork games allow all levels of agility teams to perfect skills at full speed, with the added benefit of competitive pressure. Following are on-the-flat skill drills and games to help you incorporate this much needed experience into your class cur- riculum and your personal training. For pre-agility and beginner teams, the skill games are the class focus; for advanced teams, use jumps the short drill games as class warm-up. I like games and drills that allow a maximum number of dogs to perform at once, thus mimicking the excitement and enthusiasm of the trial situation. Use these games and challenges during class to test understanding, not during the learning phase. Let’s start with the basics: stays and recalls. Stays are essential to start lines, tables, and stationary contact positions. Recalls are required for all handling skills. Our ultimate goal is a solid stay with a fast, reliable response to the recall. With this in mind, first allow the class a chance to practice the following skills then challenge them to various tests to see who has the best stay and recall under distraction. 75
Clean Run Magazine - October 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - October 2008
