Clean Run - May 2014 - 33

FEET
VOICE
NT

MOVEME
CHEST
POSITION
EYES

ARMS

Methodology: Handle Lines Not Obstacles
By Janita Leinonen and Jaakko Suoknuuti

I started agility in 1993. For the first 10
years, all I saw in the agility ring when
I walked or ran a course was individual
obstacles. I handled my dog one obstacle at a time, aiming to somehow
get her through the course without
elimination. Despite not knowing better, we had decent results. We managed clear rounds and all my dogs
earned their agility champion titles.
But, after 10 years of doing agility like
this, one of my dogs lost her hearing.
She opened the door to a different
world of agility and helped me see a
way that did not focus on the obstacles. She taught me to focus on the
imaginary path of the dog-the ideal
path that exists in my mind.
The dog's line begins at the start line
and ends several feet after the finish
line. All the obstacles the dog performs
are along this line; I do not need to address each obstacle individually.

May 14

| Clean Run

It's Like Driving a Car
When looking at an agility course now,
I imagine my dog driving a rally car,
with me as the co-driver. I want to be
the best possible co-driver for my dog. I
want to tell him about upcoming turns,
when to accelerate, and when to decelerate-all at the right moment. I picture the best path for my dog to stay on
from start to finish. If he is not on this
line, it means I have guided our car off
the road. This doesn't necessarily mean
the car will crash and go off the road;
sometimes the car just drifts a little to
the side of the road, but can recover and
continue the race. Sometimes in agility
you lose the connection with your dog
for an instant, or the timing of your handling is slightly off and leads to a wide
turn where your dog goes off the line.
You lose time, but the dog can get back
on the ideal line. But, other times when
the dog drifts even slightly off the ideal
line, there is an off-course obstacle

right in front of him, which he is likely
to perform. Being "sloppy" while giving instructions to your dog can have
a range of consequences: loss of time,
dropped bars, refusals, or eliminations.

What You Say Is What You Think
I like teaching on a dirt surface because
I can illustrate the dog's path by drawing it in the dirt. This makes learning
and understanding the concept much
easier for students. The best path for
your dog will depend on his unique
qualities: speed, stride length, type of
jumping arc, turning ability, etc. Many
variables can impact your dog's path
through the agility course. It is a great
feeling when we help a handler change
her handling and see how it helps her
dog stay on the perfect path drawn
on the ground. The handler's job is to
focus only on keeping the dog on this
line. The dog's work is to independently perform all the obstacles in his path.
33



Clean Run - May 2014

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