Clean Run - May 2018 - 12

PRACTICALLY TRAINING:
Push
Through

By Sandy Rogers, photos by
Laura Tsuk except where noted

The push-through turn cue is used to
send the dog around to the backside
of a jump.

my Novice students the ground work
drill included here so they are ready to
learn the move when the time comes.

In my DVD, One Jump Two Jump, I laughingly refer to the push-through as "the
most dangerous" of the turn cues. The
push-through requires precise cueing
that can backfire easily in the hands of
an inexperienced or sloppy handler. The
danger factor can be reduced greatly
by teaching the move to a dog that has
already been trained not to cross in front
of his handler, nor the path the handler
has set. I'll elaborate on that particular
lesson in the ground work section of this
article; it is elementary work that should
be done in the early stages of every
dog's training program.

Seeing the lines of the course and setting them correctly for the dog takes
practice, and is a skill that's essential for
success in the sport. The better you get
at it, the more confidence your dog will
have in your ability to steer him. When
your dog's confidence in you increases,
a wonderful thing happens: your dog
will run faster. Learning to correctly set
the line to either the front of the jump
or the backside is what push-through
training is all about.

In my area (California), we do not see
push-throughs on courses very often
in some venues, but others are adding
them to course designs with increasing frequency. Since my goal is to be
prepared to tackle any course on any
given weekend, I like the opportunity to challenge myself with course
work that is more difficult than what
I expect at a local trial. That is why I
teach this move to advanced students
who have similar goals. I do not teach
the push-through to novice students.
Since those students do not need
push-throughs at the Novice level, we
are focused on teaching the dogs to
travel to and easily take the front side
of the jump first! I do, however, teach
12

Let's Make a Deal
If you have decided to take on the
challenges of courses that include
requiring your dog to make turns
around the backside of a jump, you
need to make a deal with your dog.
The deal I have made with my dogs is
that I will never hold them accountable for the correct performance unless I have set the correct line for them.
I actually imagine I have a single laser
beam shooting out from the middle of
my toes on each foot. When I plant my
foot to send the dog around to the back
of the jump, I can "see" the laser beam
setting the correct path to the backside.
The beam, no matter how long it is,
should never cross the bar of the jump
during a push-through.

I am very careful not to jump to the
conclusion that my dog has made a
mistake and strayed from the path until
I check my laser beams. Checking my
laser beams means when the dog goes
wrong I instantly freeze and look down
at my feet. In the beginning the buggers were often not pointing where I
had intended. Body awareness is necessary in this sport and it can be developed with intent, focus, and patience.

Ground Work for Training the
Push-through
The ground work is called the "Don't
Cross Me" drill. For those who have
been following my articles, this drill has
been published recently. I am including
it again because it is so essential to the
training of the push-through and other
skills. This drill teaches the dog that it
is worth his while not to cross his handler's path (the laser beams) in front or
behind. The dog is richly rewarded for
staying on the handler's side, even in
the face of temptation.
What you need to start:
* A dog that will run with you,
off leash and on both sides
* Several items that the dog likes
(treats or toys), but of varying
value to the dog
* A leash available if needed
* Patience
Clean Run | May 18

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2018