Clean Run - February 2013 - 24

The configuration of vertebrae in the spine is such that there is
not very much space between them. When only two or three
vertebrae are bent, the degree of bend is slight. The greatest
bend occurs when all the vertebra are working together to create a curve in the spine. When a dog turns without a bend in
his entire spine, he is only partially accessing his turn potential. With thoughtfully executed turn work, and proper conditioning (starting with the triple plunger turn work from the
previous article), we can teach our dogs to bring their entire
spine into a turn. This gives them balance throughout the turn
and more power when executing the motion.
The added benefit of teaching your dog to bend when he turns
is that it reduces the load incurred by the dog’s shoulders.
When a dog throws himself over a jump, he has to get back on
his line by overcorrecting and turning hard on his shoulders as
he lands, which creates stress on his body. A dog that knows
how to bend and turn is able to set himself up by reading the
degree of turn, curving his body, and executing the arc he
needs to get the job done—ultimately saving his shoulders
from added stress.

Components of the Perfect Turn
Approach and takeoff position are the first elements that set up
our dogs for a stellar turn. You don’t want your dog to go too
wide to set himself up, nor do you want your dog to approach
so close to the jump standard that he can’t turn properly. There
is a “sweet spot” on the approach to a jump that will allow

your dog just the right amount of room to make an efficient
bend without yardage and extra time.
Body position in the air over the jump is also important. If
your dog elevates and goes over the bar with a straight spine,
and no regard for where he is going next, you won’t get the
best turn. If you get this kind of effort from your dog, he either hasn’t had enough experience with turning, or hasn’t had
enough proofing on turns to understand how to maintain control of his body.
Landing position is the final part of the turn equation that
brings the motion together. I want my dog to land on the arc,
showing the direction and degree of bend he intends to travel
on. His body should tell the story of where he travels next: his
head, spine, angle, and feet should all indicate that he is on his
ideal arc for that turn and the next obstacle. If his body is indicating motion in another direction, then it is extra work and
yardage for the dog to recommit to his line, and harder on his
body due to the overcorrection he needs to make.

Ground Work For Elevated Turns
To prep our dogs for turn work, we have to consider their footwork and their ability to manage their body. For our dogs turn
over a jump, we are asking them to downshift from extension
to collection, bend in collection for a couple of strides, and
then accelerate out of a collected bend in an extending stride.
You can introduce these skills with an extension-to-collectionto-extension grid and bend grids. These jump grids will help

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Clean Run - February 2013

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