Clean Run Magazine - March 2008 - 64

two small dogs (Toast and Jack) as well as many students’ small dogs a running A-frame, Jim and I have chosen to try using that method to teach Sweep. If you have a small- to medium-size dog I would encourage you to consider teaching your dog to run the A-frame. If you have a larger sized dog, the safest proven method is two-on/two-off. Jim and I are experimenting, but I believe that there is a 50/50 chance we will give up the adventure and decide to use the tried and true two-on/two-off, nose touch method. I normally would never teach anything to students that I have not taught and proofed with all my own dogs, but this topic does merit discussion. I will share what we are doing but do not encourage you to follow suit, especially if you do not have assistance from an instructor who has successfully taught running A-frames. If Sweep’s running A-frame is still looking reliable at around 17 months of age, and we have been able to wean him off the aids, I believe we will begin competition with a running A-frame. If not, then we will have a month or two to apply the two-on/twooff target method to the training, and acknowledge that it may take longer than that to switch to the new method. The timing of beginning Sweep’s competition career may hinge on the reliability of this piece of equipment. The aids: three jump bumps cut to the exact width of the A-frame. Our stride regulator bumps are PVC pipes that have been cut in half. The pipe diameter is 8" inches at the top and when cut in half through the center it makes a 4" halfpipe or “bump.” The middle and lower bumps are 2" in height, half the size of a 4" diameter pipe. The height of the bump could be increased or decreased depending on the size of your dog. The bumps are placed just past the apex on the down side of the A-frame, and at or just above the contact seam, where yellow meets color on the down ramp, as well as just at the bottom of the A-frame. We first introduced Sweep to a 4'-high A-frame, with no bumps, walking him over the A-frame on leash a few times, and then removing the leash while we stayed very close to him for safety. Then we placed a 2" high bump at the apex. When he could confidently run over the low A-frame we began to increase the height of the apex bump, as well as added bumps at the middle and bottom of the contact. We reward Sweep about 5' from the bottom of the A-frame with a tossed toy each time he performs the A-frame. Right now we are not adding a lot of speed to the A-frame approach. Sweep starts from about 10' to 15' in front of the A-frame, and we are moving parallel with him each time. We watch every footfall to insure he looks comfortable on the board. Sweep lands deep over the apex past the bump, then jumps over the middle bump into the yellow. We will adjust the spacing and height of the bumps as the training progresses. Our goal this month is to have the A-frame at 5' with the same performance we are getting at the lower height. We are doing video analysis to make sure the bumps are in the correct location. I assume we will adjust the position of the bumps as training progresses to aid Sweep in comfortably striding into the contact zone after jumping the bump at the contact seam. If you start the experiment with your own dog, you will need an extra set of eyes or a video camera to help you find the correct position for the bumps. A different size dog may need the bump adjusted much higher or lower than we have positioned it for Sweep. It’s the complete Clean Run magazine you love – delivered digitally, to your desktop. Check out the free sample issue at https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ cleanrun/sampleissue/index.php Getting a Clean Run has never been easier! 64 Clean Run | March 08

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Clean Run Magazine - March 2008

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