7 A false turn stalls the dog and can often inadvertently cue an incorrect next direction. 8 Note the dog’s path mimics the handler’s path but is after the jump and, therefore, much later. jump #3 so the dog knows where he is going while still performing the contact; obviously you need to have independent obstacle performance in this situation. A false turn is always going to stall the dog since the handler is not showing any direction for the dog to drive in. Notice also in Figure 7 that a false turn inadvertently makes the handler’s shoulder direction face the off-course tunnel entry, which often actually puts the dog in the wrong end of the tunnel. Nowhere on course should it be necessary to face the dog. A red light will excessively slow the dog down because he doesn’t know where he is going next while the handler is facing him.This is especially true with smaller striding or slightly less motivated dogs— once the dog has slowed it takes longer for him to get back up to full speed again. Shoulder Cues Shoulder direction is the number one handling tool for cueing acceleration. The handler path also makes a big difference. For example, let’s look at pinwheels. Note in Figure 8 that the dog’s path is the same as the handler’s, but necessarily later than the handler’s since the dog needs time to react to the turn—it’s very hard for a dog to turn once he has taken off for a jump since he MOVE-iT ! ® Tired of dragging your A-frame to move it while simultaneously ruining your turf? Can’t move it by yourself? The Move It! is a revolutionary device that allows one person to move an A-frame without any lifting. Roll one home TODAY! See the full line of NoseTouch.com innovative products: www.nosetouch.com 888-711-PETS (7387) Also available at: www.cleanrun.com • 800-311-6503 42 Clean Run | September 13http://www.NoseTouch.com http://www.nosetouch.com http://www.cleanrun.com