Dearlove Intermediate Mini-Course - Front Cross Drills

13 Aug 2004Steve Schwarz

I designed this practice course so Dearlove’s intermediate handlers could work on their Front Crosses Learning the Front Cross - Video Front Cross. I know from personal experience that focusing on more complicated handling without continuing to invest time in foundation exercises only serves to erode the fundamentals. So I wanted to have them run this course specifically using front crosses.

The arrangement of the first four obstacles is based on part of a course from a Stacy Peardot-Goudy seminar I audited at Stone City Kennel Club. I liked the challenge she presented with this part of the course; but by “dictating” the handling for the intermediate handlers the off-course tunnel wasn’t much of a challenge for most of them.

For jumps 1-4 I asked the handlers to run the course using two Front Crosses. In this section I asked that they start and end with the dogs on their right to keep the dogs out of the tunnel. I have the paths drawn exageratedly (word?) away from the jumps to emphasize the handler’s turning so as to clear the jump uprights as they move to the next cross location.

Course With Dog and Handler Paths for Front Cross

I asked them to pick up their dogs on their right side coming out of the tunnel. Then finish the sequence with two more Front Crosses through jumps 7-9.

This turned out to be a good drill for most students. In addition to the physical practice of doing the course, we got to talk about where to setup a dog on the start line, if and how to lead out, where to Cross, committing to a Front Cross, and “fixing” a dog wrapping behind the handler on the cross.

For a more aggressive handling approach please see my other article

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Dearlove Intermediate Mini-Course - Front Cross Drills

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