Clean Run - July 2019 - 23

PHOTOS © LESLEY MATTUCHIO

The

S O L U T I O N
Sequences	for	Small	Spaces
With	only	about	25%	of	the	area	of	
a	typical	agility	course,	my	training	
center's	inclement	weather	training	space	is	under	a	60ft.	x	40ft.	
pavilion.	Using	a	teeter,	six	poles,	
4ft.	jumps	and	some	10ft.	and	15ft.	
tunnels,	we	can	cultivate	our	dogs'	
basic	agility	skills	including	contact	
performance,	weaving,	and	jumping,	as	well	as	work	on	our	handling	
abilities.	Here	I	will	share	some	of	
our	equipment	setups	and	drills.
The	fi	rst	setup	this	month	challenged	teams	with	backside	sends	
to	tunnels	as	well	as	offering	a	
course	advancement	advantage	to	
those	who	were	able	to	cue	a	tunnel-exit	turn	in	the	opposite	direction	
of	the	curve	of	the	tunnel.	Directing	the	dog	to	an	unseen	opening	
(sometimes	referred	to	as	a	"blind	
entry"),	either	from	the	back	of	a	
curved	tunnel	or	to	the	other	end	
of	a	straight	tunnel,	is	a	course	test	
seen	with	ever-increasing	frequency.	With	practice	and	consistent	direction,	most	of	our	canine	partners	
pick	this	up	fairly	quickly.	
The	curve	of	a	tunnel	determines	
the	dog's	lead	and	therefore	the	
most	likely	direction	of	his	turn	
when	exiting.	If	a	tunnel	curves	to	
the	right,	the	dog	will	be	on	his	right	
lead	and	generally	exit	turning	to	
the	right.	Similarly,	left	curved	tunnels	produce	left	veering	exits.	
July 19 | Clean Run

There	is	a	phenomenon,	that	when	
employed	properly,	can	cause	the	
dog	to	turn	in	the	opposite	direction	
of	the	curve	when	he's	leaving	the	
tunnel.	If	the	handler	can	maneuver	such	that	his	position	when	the	
dog	enters	the	tunnel	is	at	least	
3ft.	down	from	the	entrance	on	the	
outside	of	the	tunnel's	curve,	the	
dog	will	change	his	lead	on	exiting	
and	turn	toward	his	handler.	Use	
this	technique	as	much	as	possible	
in	the	exercises	shown	in	Figures
1-3,	even	if	would	not	be	your	fi	rst	
choice.	It	is	a	cool	cue!
Snooker...it's	an	agility	game	that	
intimidates	many	at	fi	rst	but,	after	
its	fundamentals	are	grasped,	often	becomes	a	favorite.	The	setup	
shown	in	Figure 4	offers	a	minicourse	with	which	to	practice	the	
game.	The	rules	of	Snooker	vary	
somewhat	from	venue	to	venue,	so	
it	is	wise	to	review	those	of	the	one	
you	are	choosing	to	run.	No	other	
agility	game	leaves	as	much	to	the	
judge's	discretion	as	does	this	one,	
so	the	Snooker	briefi	ng	is	one	you	
should	not	miss!	
In	the	version	shown	here,	the	team	
must	make	one	attempt	of	each	of	
the	"reds"	designated	by	the	red	
"R"	and	follow	each	successful	effort	by	completing	any	one	of	the	
other	numbered	obstacles,	thereby	
gathering	the	points	equal	to	that	

By	John	Reid

obstacle's	number.	All	obstacles	
are	bi-directional	in	the	opening	but	
must	be	taken	as	numbered	in	the	
closing.	If	a	bar	is	knocked	in	this	
opening	period,	whether	it	be	as	a	
red	or	as	another	numbered	obstacle,	it	will	not	count	as	a	successful	
attempt,	no	points	will	be	awarded,	
and	the	bar	will	not	be	reset.	If	the	
team	manages	to	continue	the	run,	
subsequent	efforts	on	the	downed	
bar	jump	will	be	considered	good	
as	long	as	the	dog	goes	through	
the	uprights.	After	the	three	reds	
are	attempted	during	the	opening	
period,	the	team	may	commence	
the	closing	period	by	engaging	the	
non-red	obstacles	(#2-#7)	in	order	
as	numbered.	
The	teams	will	have	50	seconds	to	
work	both	the	opening	and	the	closing	periods.	The	dog	must	cross	the	
S-F	line	to	start	and	stop	the	time.	
Refusals	and	obstacle	performance	
failures	in	the	opening	must	be	corrected	(including	redoing	the	teeter	
to	correct	a	missed	contact	or	early	
dismount)	but	only	cost	the	team	
time.	In	the	closing,	they	will	result	
in	game	over	(the	dog	must	still	
cross	the	S-F	line	to	stop	the	time	
and	to	keep	any	points	earned	to	
that	point).	Point	accumulation	ends	
at	50	seconds,	but	the	dog	must	
stop	the	time	by	crossing	the	fi	nish	
line	to	have	a	valid	score.
23
Clean Run - July 2019

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