Briefing

You have 35 seconds to gather points.

• Jumps are worth 1 point;

• tunnels, tire and weave poles are 3 points; and

• contacts are 5 points

You can do each obstacle twice for points. If you perform the same type of obstacle back to back, called “copycatting” (for example, two one-pointers, two three-pointers; or two five-pointers) you lose 5 points.

A faulted obstacle earns to points. So the dog is subject to a Copycat fault if the value of the obstacle after the faulted obstacle is the same value as the obstacle faulted before the faulted obstacle.

The table is the time stopper! Every second over 35 seconds that it takes your dog to get to the table to stop time subtracts 2 points from your score.

Strategy

The crux of the game is that the value of every obstacle being performed must be different from the value of the last obstacle performed so a course should be plotted that constantly alternates the value of obstacles being performed.

Here’s the tough part. It’s important to understand that you’ll lose points for going over time. So part of the strategy is to understand how fast your dog works and calculating a path that leads to the table in a timely manner.

On the course map above I drew a line that will earn no Copycat faults and turned on the path length to see how many yards the strategy encompasses. This might be a very realistic path for a small dog in the TDAA coming in a little over 2.6 YPS for the overall course.

It is important to understand that the technical obstacle draw from the dog’s overall working speed. In the big dog venues the time to perform a technical obstacle (contact or the weave poles) is made up on the flat. In the TDAA there is less flat to make up the time. So a dog that moves at 3.5 YPS in say the USDAA or AKC will more likely perform at 2.6 YPS in the TDAA. The dog isn’t actually performing more slowly.

As in any dog’s choice game if your dog has problems with a certain obstacle, like the teeter or the weave poles. You should avoid that obstacle in this game. There’s no sense in sacrificing a decent score for an obstacle that will ruin the run.

On Error – The real difficulty in this game is having the composure to change your strategy on the fly if your dog commits a fault. The judge should be diligent in this game to call “Fault” in a timely manner if the dog misses a down contact… so that the handler knows that he’s subject to a Copycat fault for the next obstacle performed.

What’s interesting about the sequence that I pulled (out of the air) is that there’s not much danger of Copycatting on a faulted obstacle. I studied the line and find one obvious place I could get in trouble.

In the closing if the dog drops the bar between the weave poles and the tire… then the dog is subject to a Copycat fault at the tire. Not only doesn’t he earn the 3 points for the tire… but he loses 5 points for the Copycat fault. The handler will have to spot this moment during the walkthrough. If the dog drops the bar then the tire should be avoided at all cost. Maybe it would be better to swing the dog to the jump to the left of the tire and then either head back to the table, or swing around to pick off the tire on the way to the table.

* * *

I hope your TDAA enthusiasts are reading up on the games we’ll be playing at the Petit Prix! Questions, comments, and impassioned speeches to: Bud Houston dogwoodbud1@earthlink.net.