Clean Run - August 2017 - 58

PRACTICALLY TRAINING:

Don't
Cross Me
Drill

The next drill in the One Jump Two Program that we are following is the "Don't Cross Me Drill." The drill is all about, and
only about, teaching your dog not to make side change
choices on his own accord. Training your dog not to change
sides without being told to do so might be lesson numero
uno if we are ranking agility lessons in order. The lesson is important because if our dog ends up on the wrong side of us
while we're handling a course, it is super hard-if not impossible-to save the day.
Our dogs cut behind us or in front of us for basically two reasons. One, there is something they want on the other side of
us and they go for it. This article will cover that, teaching the
dog not to "steal" toys, food, or obstacles by cutting in front of
us or behind us while we are handling.
The second reason dogs will change sides on us when we
don't want them too is because they mistakenly think we
cued it. We do "something" that we always do just before
we cue the side change and the dog is incorrectly anticipating what is coming. A classic example of this is when we
are watching our dog over our shoulder as we handle from
ahead and then we move our head to look straight ahead,
resulting in the dog assuming our head is going to keep
rotating to the other shoulder when it isn't. In this case, the
dog may anticipate a blind cross and cut behind us. This
miscommunication is common and is a good reason to do
blind crosses well ahead of the dog. It is also a good argument for always showing your dog one side of your face or
the other when you are handling from ahead. Yes, running
ahead of your dog while keeping one eye on him is a challenge, but swiveling your head back and forth too much
can cause misunderstandings. You can make a project out
of teaching your dog not to change sides when you rotate
your head in your spare time; so many things to do to help
our dogs understand what we mean!

58

© Matt allison PhotograPhy

By Sandy Rogers

Real World and Agility World Training
I like it when I can apply the same rules for my dog in our
agility world as in our real world. For example, my dogs have
rules about their feet (paws) in both worlds. The rules in agility apply to the two-on/two-off off position on the contact
obstacles and the start line. My dogs also have rules about
their feet in real life. For example, when they are crated (door
open) they must keep their feet inside the crate. It is easy to
maintain all "foot jobs" in and out of agility. The same holds
true for my release command. I can apply the same rules for
my formal release command in agility as I do in real life (I want
my dog to move on a single command and do so with enthusiasm). In these cases I can be strengthening behaviors during
the course of everyday life that will serve me well in agility.
This is not so with the "don't cross me" rules. In agility, it is
critical that the dog never be confused about what side of my
body I want him on, and it is also very important that he not
guess when a side change is coming or not coming. But I can't
make that a real-life rule. In real life my dogs cross in front and
behind me whenever they see something they want, and it
happens all day long. I only mean that throughout the day my
dog can go to his toys, his bed, the door, a water bowl, anywhere and everywhere without regard to what side of me he
happened to be on last. The exception is when we are walking on leash, and you can bet I do hold him accountable for
staying on one side or the other when he is on the leash.
Do I think my dog moving freely about our world is actually
undermining my agility training? No, I don't, I just know that it
would be impossible to live with the type of rules in everyday
life that would strengthen that concept in agility. It all just
ends up meaning that I will have to be even more mindful of
this important lesson all the time in my agility training.
I have two specific ways to make this point strong in my dog's
mind. First, I always make sure my dog knows what side of my
body he should be on when I am in any agility environment.
Clean Run | August 17



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - August 2017

Contents
Clean Run - August 2017 - Cover1
Clean Run - August 2017 - Cover2
Clean Run - August 2017 - Contents
Clean Run - August 2017 - 4
Clean Run - August 2017 - 5
Clean Run - August 2017 - 6
Clean Run - August 2017 - 7
Clean Run - August 2017 - 8
Clean Run - August 2017 - 9
Clean Run - August 2017 - 10
Clean Run - August 2017 - 11
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Clean Run - August 2017 - 15
Clean Run - August 2017 - 16
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Clean Run - August 2017 - 18
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Clean Run - August 2017 - 20
Clean Run - August 2017 - 21
Clean Run - August 2017 - 22
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Clean Run - August 2017 - 25
Clean Run - August 2017 - 26
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Clean Run - August 2017 - 28
Clean Run - August 2017 - 29
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Clean Run - August 2017 - Cover3
Clean Run - August 2017 - Cover4
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