Clean Run - January 2013 - 15

independently around the arc of jumps after the A-frame allows the handler to move more quickly to the tunnel, demonstrated by the turquoise path. The dog can race around the arc and catch up to the handler. Compare that path to the blue one of the handler who cannot work at a distance. A cross must be performed between #4 and #5 and between #5 and #6. The handler is slower to get around the course both because of the crosses that have to occur and because she is covering considerable yardage.The ability to communicate the correct path to the dog at a distance and have the dog race to catch up at the tunnel allows the dog to run without waiting for direction or for the handler to catch up.

After the table, if the handler has to go with the dog to direct him to the tunnel, the handler becomes trapped behind the dogwalk and is not in a position to indicate the jump after the tunnel. However, if the handler can send her dog to the #4 tunnel, she can move directly to the end of the tunnel, and the #5 jump becomes the next logical obstacle to the dog. In Figure 5, if the handler has to stay near the weave poles with the dog, a cross is necessary at the end of the poles, and then she must either do a front cross at the end of the A-frame, slowing the dog down, or a rear cross at the triple, risking a knocked bar. If, however, the handler can move away while the dog is in the weaves and follow a path on the other side of the A-frame, no cross is necessary, which speeds up the sequence and lowers the risk of knocked bars on the triple.

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Rather than getting trapped on one side of the dogwalk, if the handler can send her dog to the #4 tunnel, she can move directly to the end of the tunnel, and the #5 jump becomes the next logical obstacle to the dog.

ConfidenCe
Once dogs are allowed to work obstacles on their own, their confidence increases. Teaching dogs patterns like pinwheels and serpentines gives them the tools to work these sequences on their own, increasing their confidence. A dog that can work contacts and weaves without the handler babysitting will move forward to these obstacles without worrying about interference from the handler. The more successful a dog is at negotiating portions of a course on his own, the more confident he becomes in future runs.

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What’S next
The examples presented in this article illustrate the importance of distance for success in any venue. Distance allows your team to navigate the challenges presented on course and focus your closein handling on the portions of the course that require it, while allowing the dog to confidently work the sections of the course that can be done independently. The next step in developing distance skills is to understand exactly what you are communicating to your dog while running a course. This topic will be covered in the next article in this series. D

X 5

CourSe deSign
Judges often design courses that require handlers to either work at a distance or risk an off-course, knocked bar, or refusal. Consider the example in Figure 4.

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The turquoise path eliminates crosses, which speeds up the sequence.

Lorrie Reynolds has been involved with agility since 2002. She and her mixed breed NATCH-8, Versatility-NATCH-5, Gold-C-MEX, PDCH Maxx have qualified for national championships every year in multiple venues, and have competed at the NADAC or DOCNA championships for the past nine years, never placing lower than 8th. Lorrie is well known in Colorado for her distance work with mixed-breed rescues Maxx, C-MEX Storm (retired), and her newest dog, Pixie. Lorrie has been teaching her distance seminar, “Gambling is Addictive,” in Colorado since 2006 and also offers private lessons. Contact her at coagilityinfo@yahoo.com.

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Clean Run - January 2013

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