Mini Jumpers Course

23 Mar 2010Steve Schwarz

Here’s a fun jumpers mini course that I set up for my students last week. It works handling at speed, Jump Wraps Jump Wrap Handling - With Video Jump Wrap Handling Tips Jump Wrap/Wrap, a 270 Mr Peabody in UKC Bloodlines Magazine Handling 270 Degree Jump Sequences Back Side Entry to 270/Training Opportunity - Video 270 Degree Jump Sequence, independent obstacle performance and allows you to use any type of cross depending on how aggressive you want your handling to be.

Obstacle Setup

Depending on your equipment you can replace the teeter with any obstacle for which you’d like to work on independent obstacle performances. I’ve shown some weaves, but you can use an A Frame, a broad jump, a tunnel or even another jump.

Handling Obstacles 1-7

IMHO how you handle 1 and 2 depends on how you are going to handle 3-4.

Handing Options 1-7

Some thoughts:

There is no start line! So start your dog so you can be in position for the rest of the opening. The black handler icon in the diagram shows a common start location.
Are you faster than your dog? Then as soon as your dog commits to the tunnel can you get to the green handler icon position? Then you can Scoop your dog to wrap them around the jump and avoid the off course tunnel. A common failure mode was to be in the dog's way as shown in red. Make sure you make eye contact with your dog coming out of the tunnel so you don't push them past jump 2 (or 3).
Not that fast? Then you can Front Cross Learning the Front Cross - Video Front Cross, Blind Cross or Rear Cross Learning the Rear Cross Rear Cross the take off of 2 as shown by the blue X. A key is to not stick your left arm out or have motion toward the off course tunnel.
Continuing with the blue handling. For me the challenging handling is to use Deceleration just prior to jump 3 and Shoulder Pull Learning the Post Turn Post Turn/Shoulder Pull/Pivot Turn to 4. These situations have been hard for Meeker and me, but I was able to handle it very nicely this way.
Make eye contact with your dog coming out of the tunnel to avoid the off course jump. Then just pull toward jump 5.
Depending on your dog's distance skills you can take either blue or green paths to the teeter.
IMO you don't want to be behind when you go to the tunnel again, so I'm all for picking your dog up on a left arm coming over jump 7.

Handling Obstacles 8-12

Handing Options 8-12

From jump 7 then a Front Cross Jump Wrap to put your dog on your right arm (with you ahead) going into the tunnel. Waiting for a Shoulder Pull then Rear Crossing the tunnel entrance only makes you stationary and puts you behind.
Just like the opening sequence, you can handle jump 10 on either side depending on your speed relative to your dog.
Taking the green path the handler can use any kind of cross (as shown by the green X) to turn their dog toward jump 11.
The blue path is for the faster handler, you have to be past the red handler and then the turn toward jump 11 is just a Scoop.
The green path can use a Rear Cross to turn the dog toward 12 and away from the off course tunnel.
On the blue path, it is deceleration and a Shoulder Pull to turn to 12.

Extra Credit

How about changing the side of jump 8 to make 7-8 a Threadle Mary Ellen Barry on Threadle Handling The Connection Between Threadles and Back Sides Traditional Threadle Handling Single Sided Threadle Handling Threadle Sequence?

What different handling challenges do you encounter if you run the course in reverse order (after turning the teeter)? 12-11-10-9 is a little easier. But I’d want to be ahead of my dog coming out of the tunnel to push him to (what is now the) back side of jump 8. Again pushing to the back side of 3 requires getting in position, but you shouldn’t have to hurry. Looks like it might be fun…

As usual I’d really love to hear how this course went when you ran it!

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