Advanced Class: Speedy Serpy Solution? - With Video
10 Jul 2011
My intention in this week’s class course at For Your K9 was to open things up a little and get the teams moving with good challenges thrown in: Jump Wraps Jump Wrap Handling - With VideoJump Wrap Handling TipsJump Wrap/Wrap, Threadle Mary Ellen Barry on Threadle HandlingThe Connection Between Threadles and Back SidesTraditional Threadle HandlingSingle Sided Threadle HandlingThreadle Sequence and a number of Serpentine Serpentine Handling TechniquesSerpentine Sequence opportunities. So before you read my handling notes below, if you were able to get ahead of your dog on course how few crosses would you need on this course?
If you don’t have a dog walk you can substitute a jump (as shown in green) - but the challenge of handling the dog walk stop/running greatly influenced the handling of 7-11. Set jump 6 to give a safe straight on approach to the dog walk.
Course Setup
Here are some quick notes on how you might handle it:
- Dog on handler's left 1-2 Front Cross Learning the Front Cross - VideoFront Cross Jump Wrap 2.
- As soon as your dog is committed to the tunnel get moving so you are on the landing side of jump 4 so you can set a good line for the dog's approach to the weaves. Don't "spectate" :^)
- Dog on handler's right 4-7.
- A multitude of ways to handle 8-11. Some thoughts:
- If the handler has to be at the end of the dog walk with the dog it reduces the options and makes getting from 9-10 harder for the fast dog/slower handler.
- Handler staying on landing side of 8, push to back side of 8 and Pull to 10 and Rear Cross on the take off of 10 (push forward to get to 11).
- Crossing between 8 and 9 was awkward.
- Even though it is a Threadle backy uppy threadle handling wasn't a good solution - better off thinking of it as a Single Sided Serpentine.
- With a cross at the end of the dog walk (or a fade to the gap between 8 and 9 and a cross) the fast handler can run with the dog on their left for 8-9-10-11.
- The wings on 12 are in the way - don't get stuck on the take off side or you'll never get to 13. Again, as soon as your dog is committed to the tunnel get around that jump. At least four ways to handle 12-15:
- Dog on right as a Single Sided Serpentine - get ahead and run!
- Dog on right and Front or Rear Cross on the take off side of 14
- Dog on left and Rear Cross take off side of 13 and again on the take off side of 14.
- Front Cross Jump Wrap Jump Wrap Handling - With VideoJump Wrap Handling TipsJump Wrap/Wrap 16 and get moving to set a good line to 17-18.
- Two more Front Cross Jump Wraps 19-20 and 20-21.
So by my count, and my wonderful student’s handling, the “super serpy” handling solutions used only 6 (Front) crosses. That isn’t the best handling solution for every team, but was very smooth for some teams. There were a lot of other nice handling solutions.
In spite of the heat and humidity I set up the non dog walk version of the course in the backyard and shot some video of some of the handling options:
Give it a whirl!
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