Clean Run - September 2013 - 59

If you have worked on independent obstacle performance, you can eventually drop the obstacle name
from your Out! command. When you cue the dog with Out! and the correct body motion and language,
the dog will perform the obstacle without the verbal obstacle cue.

Bait the target again, get the dog excited about the reward, and use his collar
to move him to a position in front of
the second jump as shown by position
B in Figure 14. As before, release the
dog’s collar, take one step forward, and
use your verbal cue for the jump plus
a second cue that will mean “keep going forward.” I use Go On! Don’t forget
to maintain forward body language until
the dog reaches the target.
When the dog is performing the two
jumps consistently with drive and motivation, move back to the takeoff side
of the first jump (position C in the
diagram). Release the dog’s collar, take
one step forward, use your verbal cues,
Jump, Go On! At this stage, it becomes
extremely important to maintain your
forward body language until the dog
reaches the target. Most dogs will turn
or stop if the handler rocks back because we have taught them that standing
upright is a collection or turning cue.
Exercise 2
If your team has worked through the exercises in my independent obstacle performance articles, your dog should be
able to perform the contacts and weaves
while you remain at the beginning of the
obstacle. However, moving forward at
a distance after the contact obstacle or
weave poles is difficult for the dog because he has less forward momentum,
especially if he has a stop behavior on
the contact. The following exercises will
assist you in developing this skill.
Set up a contact obstacle, a jump, and
a target as shown in Figure 16. Use
the dog’s collar to bring him to the beginning of the contact. Release the dog

17
T

Go On, Jump!
Pause

Sending the dog ahead after a contact is
more difficult than sending him ahead after
a jump because he has less momentum.

and move forward to the middle of the
contact obstacle. Support the contact
with forward body language, maintaining
it until the dog reaches the contact zone.
If he has a stopped contact, release him,
take one step forward, and cue him with
Go On, Jump! Maintain your position until
he reaches the target and mark his success. Be sure to work the exercise from
both sides.
Repeat the exercise, but move only
one-third of the way down the contact
obstacle, allowing the dog to complete
both it and the jump on his own. The
additional step after the dog completes
the contact is crucial to ensure he understands to move forward. Without
motion the dog will naturally collect and
turn back toward you. As your dog gains
confidence and is successfully completing the jump, stop earlier and earlier until he is completing the contact obstacle
and the jump while you maintain your
position at the beginning of the contact.

Sending the dog after the weave poles
requires a well-timed step as the dog exits
the poles.

Exercise 3
Set up the weave poles, a jump, and a
target as shown in Figure 17. Repeat the steps from the previous exercise until the dog can successfully drive
forward over the jump while you stay
at the beginning of the weave poles. Do
not forget to step forward when the
dog completes the weaves so that your
motion will indicate that he should continue moving forward. Be sure to work
the exercise from both sides.

whaT’s nexT
Next month’s article provides methods for teaching the dog how to determine which of two obstacles in close
proximity he should perform. Discriminations are found in every venue
and it benefits your team to be able to
handle them at a distance so that you
can get ahead and prepare for the next
section of the course. D

Lorrie Reynolds has been involved with agility since 2002. She and her mixed breed NATCH-9, Versatility-NATCH-6, Gold-C-MEX, PDCH Maxx have qualified for national
championships every year in multiple venues, and have competed at the NADAC or DOCNA championships for the past nine years, never placing lower than 8th. Lorrie
is well known in Colorado for her distance work with mixed-breed rescues Maxx, C-MEX Storm (retired), and her newest dog, Pixie. Lorrie has been teaching her distance
seminar, “Gambling is Addictive,” in Colorado since 2006 and also offers private lessons. Contact her at coagilityinfo@yahoo.com.
September 13

Clean Run

Clean Run - September 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - September 2013