Clean Run Magazine - April 2010 - 11

There is no single definition for which kinds of skill training are referred to as groundwork. Flat work, circle work, shadow handling, motion exercises, heelwork, and groundwork are all somewhat interchangeable terms. The term flatwork comes from the horse world. Similar to our sport of agility, flatwork has long referred to equestrian skills of working or riding a horse that do not involve jumping.

A p p ly i n g g r o u n d w o r k p r i n c i p l e s t o

By Nancy Gyes, photos by Marcy Mantell

he intent of the terminology is to describe the kinds of training we do with our dogs both on and off leash at our side while walking, running, slowing, or stopping. We are teaching them to follow our lead, our speed, our direction, and side changes on the ground, as opposed to using hurdles and other equipment where the dog’s feet leave the ground either jumping or climbing, or moving through tunnels or weave poles. Recalls to your side, spins in place, Go On cues, and front and rear side changes are also part of this kind of groundwork training. The dictionary description of groundwork is foundation, basis, and preparation. My personal feeling is that groundwork training has come to encompass much more than just the exercises we do to teach our dogs to follow us; I refer to all stationary and moving exercises with the dog on the ground as groundwork. Foundation training refers to all agility skills that are trained before starting to train on actual agility equipment. It includes groundwork position training (stays); toy training (retrieve, tugging, releases); balance work using discs or wobble boards; balance and proprioception skills on the ground (dog backing up, standing on fewer than four legs, sit-ups, and any number of other movements using stools, buckets, and cones); body isolation exercises (front feet up, or
April 10 Clean Run

rear feet up, and skills referred to as rearend awareness exercises); nose touching hands or targets; and foot targeting boards or mats or boxes. But where foundation training ends and real agility begins is a blurred line. Twoon/two-off on a short board turns into backchaining at the end of the dogwalk. Bang games on the teeter are considered foundation skills, or the first step in teaching full teeter performance. Running your dog over a board flat on the ground could be foundation training, or just step one of teaching your dog to run a 36' dogwalk. Teaching your dog to go around a bucket is the same as going around a jump standard. You can use the bucket in the living room and the jump standard in the agility yard; the skill training is the same. There is no magic moment when foundation training ends and the real stuff begins. What the agility world has discovered over recent years is the better we prepare our dog physically and mentally to understand the job of following us and taking both physical and verbal cues and directions on the ground, the easier it is to transition into handling exercises that do include jumps and other equipment. It is pointless to teach your dog to go through jump standards if you have no history and training to support what happens after the

dog takes the jump. Should he return to your side, move forward with you, run off with the toy, or stand still and look at you?

The Progression from Groundwork to Jumps
When skill training with a puppy I usually follow the list below, with some skills being taught or perfected at the same time. • • Puppy follow-the-leader game (run and chase me) Controlled trotting on leash with eye contact, transitioning to offleash running at my side Stay and release training with tug and play Recalls to my side from a stay Acceleration/deceleration, front cross, spins at my side

• • •

I don’t present anything that looks like jumping or going through standards of a jump or even go over a jump bump until I am confident in my dogs’ stays, recalls, and ability to play with me. My groundwork might not be totally perfect before I do a jump bump grid, or teach my dog to go through jump standards, but my dog stays when I ask, follows me to wherever I move, and remains engaged with me while playing.
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Clean Run Magazine - April 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - April 2010