The Basic Challenge

Today the fire drill works out of a pinwheel. You’ll note in the discussion that follows that the dog’s path is unchanging. The handler is charged with coming up with a basic handling plan that conducts the dog upon the path. But the handler’s path might have considerable variety and still accomplish the same basic mission.

Obvious

The handling that we’ll see the most often in the pinwheel is truly a statement of the obvious. The handler will bring the dog around on Post through the pinwheel, looking for a Front Cross on the landing side of jump #5. You’ll note that the handler’s path is considerably smaller than the dog’s path during the conduct of the pinwheel. So this lazy and low energy approach might serve to suck the energy and sense of urgency out of a number of dogs.

A faster dog that has a built-in sense of urgency without regard to the handler’s contribution will finish off the pinwheel nicely. However, the handler of this dog might very well get himself in a bit of a predicament just getting into position for the Cross on the landing side of jump #5 having to pull the change of direction out of the proverbial. Don’t get me wrong here. Anything that actually works is right.

Accelerating

I’m a big advocate for movement as a tool for motivation. Movement is direction… movement is motive. So I’d like to slice & dice this sequence trying different handling strategies to see how a change of strategy for movement impacts the dog. In this handling plan the handler will sprint forward of the dog after jump #3 for a Blind Cross. Now, having the dog on left for the approach to jump #4 the handler will use a Tandem Turn (crossing behind the dog on the landing side of jump #4) to accelerate the dog back into the pinwheel. The handler will use another Tandem at jump #6 to turn the dog back to the weave poles.

Let’s go back to the Blind to Tandem transition between jumps #3 and #4 (we call this a BLT). This is a movement that constitutes a speed change. The handler is changing from slow dog (forward and pulling) to fast dog (behind and pushing). The timing of events is important. In order to get a good Tandem at jump #4 the handler must endeavor to arrive at the jump at precisely the same instant as the dog. It is a devilish bit of timing. 

Accelerating and Obvious

I personally love the opportunity to enter a pinwheel from the Tandem side. You’ll note that this handler sets up the dog for a dog-on-left performance of the first two jumps so that the only approach to the pinwheel is from the Tandem position. Note that the length of the handler’s path more approximates the length of the dog’s path in the performance of the pinwheel so that the handler is giving real movement to support the dog. The initial Tandem also creates for the handler an advantage in real estate after accelerating the dog away over jump #3 so that the handler can slip back easily to have a position forward of the dog for the conduct of a Front Cross after jump #5.  

Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Bud Houston: dogwoodbud1@earthlink.net. And Checkout my new publication the Idea Book – Agility Training for a Small Universe available at www.dogagility.org/store.