Clean Run - March 2012 - 28

The blind cross is also different from the front cross in three ways: 1. Having your back to the dog and running away from him, which is the position you are in during a blind cross, causes extension. Because a blind cross maintains a dog’s extension, a blind cross tends to be effective on smooth, fast lines. Facing a dog causes collection, which is the position you are in during a front cross. A front cross tends to be effective for tight technical turns because it causes collection. 2. From a biomechanical perspective, a blind cross is very effective when you don’t want a turn and you simply need a change of sides on a straight line (for example, you want to have your dog

on your left hand instead of your right hand) as you run forward. You get to keep running forward at full speed. If you use a front cross to change sides on a straight line, you must turn 360°, which is a physically diﬃcult move, and puts you at higher risk for injury. See Figure 4. 3. A blind cross puts more responsibility on the dog for picking up signals and committing to obstacles because you must trust your dog to take the obstacles you have signaled. Although dogs should have the same level of commitment and responsibility during a front cross, there is more opportunity to “babysit” them for commitment and cue recognition (that is, making sure they take a jump or turn tightly).

A blind cross is useful where you would like to do a front cross or simply need a change of sides on a fast line when you don’t think you can execute the front cross fast enough and a rear cross further up the line doesn’t work. Figure 5 shows an example of a sequence that’s similar to a challenge from the 2010 FCI World Championship Large Team Jumpers designed by Judge Sabine, where a blind cross was the handling move of choice at the point marked BC. Handlers who tried a front cross where shown by the FC marker or a rear cross at RC2 were not as successful as those who did a blind cross at BC. A rear cross at RC1 risked a run-by at #17.

A blind cross is a cross
14 15

in front of the dog where the handler chooses to prioritize the path she is running over keeping her eyes on the dog.
FC RC1 RC2

The handler turns her back on her dog for an instant, losing sight of her dog in
17

BC 16

favor of maintaining speed and eye contact with the course.

Blind cross

Front cross

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Clean Run | March 12

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Clean Run - March 2012

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