Clean Run - March 2020 - 17

Understanding Collection and Extension
By Jo Sermon, photos courtesy of author

A common problem for enthusiastic
young dogs is a lack of understanding
of collection. As they pick up speed
and enthusiasm, their stride gets longer, and their turns get wider. Dogs
that run on their "forehand," with all
the jump action coming from their
front, are unable to collect because
their center of gravity is forward. They
are also not utilizing their powerhouse-their rear end. When those
dogs come across a short gap, if they
haven't had the necessary training,
they are likely to demonstrate the horrible inverted back that can cause so
many injuries.
In this article, we're going to look at
various areas of training that I've found
to help with collection. We will almost
always teach extension first, as collection is hard work for the dogs. It should
also be remembered that if you focus
exclusively on collection, you will only
have part of the puzzle-agility is a
timed sport, and we need our dogs to
be able to extend as well as collect.
To begin with, let's define collection. In
horses, collection is the sixth, and final,
level of the training pyramid. When
collected, the horse shifts his weight

from the forehand to the hindquarter.
This weight shift enables him to step
further underneath himself, resulting in shorter, more energetic steps.
As a result, the horse is balanced and
poised, the hindquarter is engaged,
and the forehand is elevated. This, in
turn, allows the shoulders and forehand to move more freely. The rhythm
of the pace doesn't alter-the pace
compresses instead, impulsion is a
very important part of collection.
Note it is the final level in the pyramid.
Think about the physical requirements, and please be very careful asking young, immature dogs to collect
at speed. It takes muscle, balance, and
coordination. Asking a dog who has
been taught to drive forward to collect
takes systematic training; a dog who
is heavily on his forehand will find it
almost impossible.

4 in a Box
We begin with proprioception. Any
work in this area will benefit an agility
dog, but for collection, I've found 4 in
a box to be the most valuable. It tests
the precise posture that is required
for collection.

Start with a box large enough for your
dog to stand in comfortably with no
compression of their usual stance. Ask
your dog to put all four feet in the box
(put a non-slip mat in if you see them
slipping). Reward low to encourage a
stand rather than a sit.
Gradually work your way through
smaller boxes towards a box that is
about half the length of your dog's
back. Many people go further than
that, but my recommendation is
always for moderation in training.
Look for your dog to be able to hold
this pose for about 10 seconds. This
makes dogs highly aware of paw
placement and also challenges their
balance.

Ladders
Most dogs will have to compress their
stride to negotiate a ladder successfully. I prefer to use a metal one as you
can hear when the dog makes contact.
We're not looking for speed here.
We're looking for calm, deliberate action that shows the dog is comfortable
stepping over the rungs and knows
where his feet are.

Dogs that run on their "forehand," with all the jump action coming from their front, are unable to collect
because their center of gravity is forward. They are also not utilizing their power-house-their rear end.
When those dogs come across a short gap, if they haven't had the necessary training, they are likely to
demonstrate the horrible inverted back that can cause so many injuries.
March 20 | Clean Run

Clean Run - March 2020

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