Practice Standard Course Built Around A Jump Chute
30 Nov 2006
Now that I finally have all my contact equipment and Meeker is confident running over all of it at full height I decided to set up some “courses” to work on longer sequences and to give me a feeling for where our training is lacking. The course layout below may look a little strange, since I’m still working Meeker on various JumpChutes I left those jumps in place and built the course around the five jumps of the chute. I came up with four sequences for this equipment setup.
I’m not a judge and I can’t say that these sequences are legal under any organizing body, but I though others might want to take a look at them.
Course Setup With Obstacle Coordinates
Course Sequences 1 and 2
White Sequence
The white circle numbers in the first diagram open with a slice of the tire into an on side weave entrance. Then into the tunnel followed by three curving jumps to the A Frame. Another slice over jump 10 for an oblique approach to the teeter. Then it is a Serpentine Serpentine Handling TechniquesSerpentine Sequence back into the tunnel. From the tunnel you bring the dog to an Over Come jump and back to the dog walk (with a dog walk tunnel discrimination).
The handler should give the dog a good line and work signalling the dog correctly for the discrimination. From the dog walk it is on to the table and into the near side of the other tunnel. A run, run, run moment to pick up the dog coming out of the tunnel and direct it to the beginning of the jump chute. Then it is run, run, run again over the five jumps of the chute.
Some thoughts on how I handled this sequence:
- Picked up Meeker on my right arm coming out of the tunnel and over the tire.
- Hung back a little on the weaves so he wouldn't be pushed passed the entrance. I was able to either Front Cross Learning the Front Cross - VideoFront Cross or Rear Cross Learning the Rear CrossRear Cross between the weaves and the tunnel.
- Once he was in the tunnel I just moved from the tunnel entrance toward a point between jump 7 and jump 8 and kept my arm up to Support His Line to jump 6.
- Once he took jump 6 I Front Crossed when he was in position to turn over jump 7. Then it was a Post Turn Learning the Post TurnPost Turn/Shoulder Pull/Pivot Turn through jump 8 and the A Frame with him on my right arm.
- The teeter through the Serpentine and tunnel can be handled all on the handler's right if you are fast enough for the push to the tunnel after jump 14. Otherwise a Front Cross between 13 and 14 let's you pull the dog into the tunnel.
- Out of the tunnel I used a Rear Cross (more like an Across The Feet to turn Meeker to his left and put him on my right side back to the Dog Walk.
- It is just run, run, run and a send to the last two jumps of the jump chute to finish.
Black Sequence
The black circle numbers slice the tire the opposite direction to give the dog a weave entrance wrapping the first pole. It is a tight turn to a jump, A Frame and the same slice over a jump to the teeter. This time from the teeter it is a jump into a three jump Pin Wheel. Coming out of the Pin Wheel it is two jumps into an easy Serpentine with the tunnel part of the Dog Walk-tunnel discrimination as the third obstacle of the Serpentine. From the tunnel it is a two jump Threadle Mary Ellen Barry on Threadle HandlingThe Connection Between Threadles and Back SidesTraditional Threadle HandlingSingle Sided Threadle HandlingThreadle Sequence and another jump back to the Dog Walk-Tunnel discrimination this time taking the Dog Walk. The final obstacle is the table.
Some thoughts on how I handled this sequence:
- I was at the black number 2 when I picked up Meeker on my left arm coming out of the tunnel, over the tire and through the weaves. This let me Post Turn from the weaves to the jump.
- Handling the A Frame with Meeker on my left was fine, but he doesn't like the sharp push on his line to the jump as much as he likes me to pull. Something to work on, a Rear Cross before the A Frame could have avoided the push.
- Meeker stayed with me through the 8-9-10-11-12-13 sequence all on my right arm.
- For the Serpentine ending in the tunnel, I Front Crossed over jump 13 and then Rear Crossed just before the tunnel. By keeping him focused on me and on my left arm a little longer when I turned him back to the tunnel with his verbal "tunnel" he read it nicely and his line pointed him right into the tunnel.
- The Threadle coming out of the tunnel worked fine by just calling Meeker to my right arm which I had extended back (with my shoulder rotation slightly back also. It is a pretty wide gap to pull the dog through so it was easy for him.
- The rest of the course was straightforward.
Course Sequences 3 and 4
White Sequence
The white circle sequence opens with two jumps, bypassing the next obvious obstacle, and a weave entry wrapping the first pole. Leaving the weaves the dog takes the back side of the tire before the table. From the table it is a straight approach to the dog walk. A 180 degree turn to the tunnel away from the handler brings the dog back into the center of the course. An easy Serpentine precedes two jumps inline to a more than 180 degree turn to the teeter. A sharp turn off the teeter brings the dog back over the two inline jumps. Then it is a run to the far side tunnel entrance. Coming out of the tunnel is a push to the A Frame followed by a Pin Wheel. The Pin Wheel ends with a near 270 and curving jump sequence back to the first jump.
With the rain coming down today and tomorrow Meeker and I would just turn the back yard into a mud puddle if we try these sequence out so I’ll just give you my thoughts on handling:
- Start with Meeker on my left and take a lead out to half way to jump 2.
- Once Meeker is past the plan of jump 2 I will be past the far right standard of the jump on the 40 foot line. I'll Front Cross while he is on the take off side of jump 2.
- He is on my right as we pass the off course jump and he'll wrap the first pole.
- I'll pull Meeker toward me after the weaves and Rear Cross to turn him before the tire.
- There is no real option but to handle the dog walk on the handler's left. A Rear Cross to turn him into the tunnel.
- Coming out of the tunnel I don't think I can get into position to pick him up on my left arm (which would allow me to handle the Serpentine on my left and Post Turn to the two inline jumps). So I'll handle the Serpentine with him on my right and Rear Cross before jump 10 to turn him.
- Then another Rear Cross to turn him to the teeter.
- I really want to get ahead of him for the run to the tunnel so I'll turn him from the teeter to the jump with a Front Cross.
- Meeker has a good send to jumps so I can send him to 12 and start running toward the tunnel as he is taking the jump.
- I'll stay pretty close to the tire with Meeker on my left so I can Rear Cross him into the far side of the tunnel.
- Pickup him up on my right coming out of the tunnel and over the A Frame.
- The Pin Wheel to 270 is the interesting part of the course. Right now I'm letting Meeker run his contacts so I can't Front Cross at the end of the A Frame. So I'm thinking I'll Rear Cross on take off side of jump 18 so I can move into the pocket of the Pin Wheel.
- As Meeker commits to jump 19 I'll Front Cross on the take off of jump 20 in order to Post Turn from 20 to 21.
- Then it is just running with him on my right for the rest of the course.
Black Sequence
The black circle sequence opens with a Serpentine into three inline jumps. The inline jumps end with a tight turn to the teeter. From the teeter it is a two jump turn to the A Frame. A 90 degree turn from the A Frame and then tire and table. Then it is over the Dog Walk with the same turn away from the handler and into the tunnel. This time out of the tunnel the dog goes to the weaves followed by the reverse direction tire slice into the tunnel. Then the close of the course is a run to the jump chute with an 70 foot run through the chute. Put your running shoes on…
Again I haven’t run this sequence with Meeker yet, I’ve only run parts of it, so here is my plan:
- I'll use a Lateral Lead Out to about where the black 2 circle is on the course and pick up Meeker on my right hand. I'll have to be patient and wait until he clears the plane of second jump before moving on.
- I'd really like to Front Cross from jump 3 to jump 4 so I can stay on his left through the inline jumps 4-5-6. The Rear Cross on the take off side of 6 will set him up nicely for the teeter. But if I can't get the Front Cross I'll just have to run faster to catch up to him.
- Again since he is still running his contacts I won't be able to just push him from the A Frame to the tire; it is just too sharp a turn and he'll be ahead of me. So instead of the simple Post Turn I'd use for Milo, I will Front Cross over jump 9 so the A Frame will be on my left as Meeker takes it. This lets me pull/Post Turn him to the tire and on to the table.
- The same handling for the dog walk to tunnel as in the above sequence.
- I want to handle the weaves with Meeker on my left since it will be easier for me to push him out to the tire and into the tunnel instead of having him "around" the tire and jump in to me (although that will be good to practice). So I'll either Front Cross the exit of the tunnel or Rear Cross the weave entrance depending on which of us get to the tunnel exit first.
- The push out through the tire and on to the tunnel will be a bit of a challenge, we'll see how it works.
- Then it is a matter of my running toward jump 18 and calling him as he comes out of the tunnel. Then the foot race is on once we've made the turn over jump 18.
I’d really like to hear if you give any of these sequences a try. Please post a comment or send me an email.
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