Clean Run - February 2020 - 6

Walking the Course, Not Connecting the Dots
By Jo Sermon

When we first start out in agility, there's a
strong tendency to work obstacle to obstacle almost like a game of Connect the
Dots-this jump to that jump then the
tunnel, and so on. "I wish my dog could
read numbers" is often heard during
walk-throughs as people try to memorize
the course. The myriad of obstacles can
feel both daunting and intimidating, and
handlers with low spatial awareness-
there are a lot of us-often lose track of
the course as they turn.
The next worry during walk-throughs
concerns all the crosses you've been
taught along with where and when you
should use them. People spend time
thinking about "getting there" to make
the "insert whichever cross." I'm not
suggesting there's anything wrong with
practicing new crosses and finding places
where they are useful, but the emphasis
here is on the handler. Course handling
should really be about your dog and the
information he needs to complete the
course successfully. Fast, confident dogs
are dogs that have the necessary information for the job at hand. That, in turn,
leads to increased handler confidence and
can really help with the nerves that many
people suffer from when they stand at the
start line.

There are many ways to memorize
courses. I like to focus on getting a feel
for the overall course, rather than thinking about individual obstacles. The first
job is to look for lines or curves through
the equipment. A straight line or a curve
through a series of obstacles is both easier for your dog to understand and will
also be faster for your dog to complete
than a series of turns. The fact that it's
much easier to remember a straight line
to "x" rather than one, two, three jumps
is a useful by-product.
Figure 1: This sequence features a simple
line of angled jumps from #1-#3. It's an
excellent example of looking at a straight
line for the dog as opposed to a series
of turns. The fastest and easiest path
through the first four obstacles is the
straight one, although your dog needs to
have the jumping skills necessary to slice
and clear angled jumps.
Put yourself on the start line as if you
are going to run the sequence and adjust
your position until you can see a clear line
through the jumps to the tunnel. That's
the sweet spot for your dog. Be careful
how you set him up, making sure he is
facing the way he needs to go.
Next, look at the line that you will run. It
needs to be parallel with your dog's line

(shown with the green dashed line), and
you need to be able to run it without getting caught behind a jump.
Set up laterally from your dog's starting position. If you struggle with spatial
awareness, lift your head and look at the
entrance of the tunnel from behind the
start line. Now run! Look where you're
going and make sure feet, hips, and
shoulders are supporting the dog's line.
Keep your dog in your peripheral vision.
If the handling is kept simple and you
remember to drive the straight line proactively, you'll get a nice result.
If you have a dog that is worried about
being left at the start line, work on the
lateral distance between you and your
dog at the start rather than distance
away. You can still support the dog verbally, but you need to be able to run that
straight line.
Figure 2: This diagram shows what
happens in this scenario when you get
caught next to your dog. Your motion
away from the dog's ideal line will pull
the dog to the right, making jump #2
diﬃcult and a smooth line to the tunnel
very hard indeed.
Figure 3: Box work is often useful for
helping people see lines for their dogs.

When you walk a course, look for smooth lines for your dog and the starting point of those lines.
Also, look at your path, and if you have problems with spatial awareness, make sure to pick your
head up and look at the end of the line that you want your dog to drive.
6

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Clean Run - February 2020

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