Clean Run - September 2017 - 55

40
5

3
6

10
10

Practice blind crosses on #2 and #6.
20

obstacle. Blind crossing too early may
cause your dog to miss the correct obstacles or cause confusion for your dog
with regards to taking obstacles that you
do not want him to take.
When training alone, it is important to
analyze your dog's reaction to your cue
and decide what to change:
* If your dog knocks the bar, ask
yourself, "Was I in my dog's way?"

Practice blind crosses on #2, #5, and #7.

ily the dog reacts to the change of their
eye contact and how quickly they must
reconnect with their dog so that the dog
comes to the correct side.
This playful practice is the first step to
training a blind cross. When the handler
is comfortable with the timing of the
head turn, it is time to try a formal blind
cross. Be sure to train blind crosses from
right to left and from left to right.

Training the Blind Cross

1. Leave the dog in a stay, or being held
by a training assistant, and lead out
about 20 feet away. Keep looking
over your right shoulder, and release
your dog to you. As the dog takes
one stride toward you, change your
connection to your left shoulder and
reconnect with the dog. Reward your
dog at your left side. Be sure to keep
your chest and feet facing forward,
and only turn your head. Turning your
chest and feet would cue a bigger
change in direction to the dog.

Many handlers struggle with the feeling
of not seeing their dog for a moment. I
encourage those handlers to practice
the blind cross away from obstacles,
while they are playing in the yard with
their dog. This demonstrates how eas-

2. Next, add movement to your blind
cross. Start your dog in the same position, with you 20 feet away. While
looking over your right shoulder, start
walking, and release your dog. As
the dog takes one stride toward you,

* If your dog comes to the wrong
side of your body, ask yourself,
"Where was I looking when he
took off?"
* If your dog misses the jump, ask
yourself, "What is the parallel line
that I am running?"
Your dog is the best coach you could ask
for. They are always providing instructive and honest feedback to our cues!

change your connection to your left
shoulder and reconnect with the dog.
Reward your dog at your left side.
3. Now, add one jump. Start 20 feet
away from your dog, with a jump between you and the dog. Start walking and release your dog. As the dog
takes one stride toward you, change
your connection to your left side
and reconnect with the dog. Reward
your dog at your left side.
4. It is time to increase your speed. Repeat the third step at a jog and at a
run with your dog.
5. Finally, it is time to work multiple
obstacles and blind crosses in short
sequences.
Here are two short training sequences to
practice your blind crosses at speed. In
Figure 9, you can complete a blind cross
for #2 and #6. In Figure 10, you can complete a blind cross for #2, #5, and #7.
Blind crosses are fast, exciting, and very
useful on many courses. Adding this
tool to your toolbox is sure to come in
handy at your next trial! Have a great
time training and remember to always
listen to your #1 coach-your dog! D

Megan has been actively training and competing in agility for nearly 20 years. She currently lives in Stanwood, Washington, with her two Border Collies, Smack and Shock,
and Parson Russell Terrier, Shrek, She works full-time as an agility coach for her training school Synergy Dog Sports. Megan's passion for the sport led her to OneMind
Dogs, and she became an Assistant Coach in 2016. Megan can be contacted at megan@synergydogsports.com. Her website is www.synergydogsports.com, and she
can be found on social media at https://www.facebook.com/synergydogs and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwEZHBhG_gQCAaUznRcUpHA.
September 17 | Clean Run

http://www.synergydogsports.com https://www.facebook.com/synergydogs https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwEZHBhG_gQCAaUznRcUpHA

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