An ideal game that can be played in a relatively small space is the Minuet. It’s actually a rather simple game and is great for training anything from basic to very advanced handling skills. The sequence is small with only few obstacles. After completing it once the handler and dog will begin anew and do it over and over again until the end of time. Traditionally the game is played in 50 seconds whereupon a whistle sounds so that the handler might direct the dog to the finish obstacle.

The Minuet is scored in Books. Each complete sequence scores 1 Book. And once a Book has been scored, it cannot be taken away. Any portion of the sequence done which the whistle blows is converted to a decimal value appended to the score. For example, if the dog does the sequence 8 times and has just finished jump #2 then his score would be 8.2.

It’s worth noting that in any game with a finite number of possible scores time to the finish obstacle may determine placement.

On Error

It’s important in the Minuet that the handler knows what to do on a fault. In the unlikely event that the dog should go off-course then the book the team was working on is wiped away and the dog must be directed back to obstacle #1 to begin a new book.

In the case of a dropped bar the handler must stop and reset the bar himself and then continue working the book from that jump. The wrong course rule is suspended on a dropped bar. It’s not really fair to penalize the dog for looking for work while the handler is unproductively engaged.

The original Minuet was designed by me as a physical conditioning exercise for my boy Birdie. But I discovered quickly that it was incredibly aerobic for me as well… so I didn’t very much pursue Birdie’s physical conditioning on the Minuet.

The beauty of the Minuet is that it will eventually expose every error of the handler. A handler might get away with a thing once and maybe twice. But he won’t keep getting away with it and will ultimately will be caught out. The presuposes the notion that you believe, as I do, that nearly every error on course is either a handler error or an omisssion in training.

Below are several possible Minuets for a variety of Small Universe spaces.

70 X 20

This is a very straight-forward sequence… well, almost. I’d recommend that the A-frame be set at a low height so that the dog isn’t completely worn out by 10 or a dozen trips over the ramp.

The sequence tests the handler’s skill in turning the dog to the off-side approach to the pipe tunnel. If a dog has a running contact the A-frame tends to be an accelerator and it might take considerable skill to convince the dog into the opposite side. If the dog has a good stick at the bottom of the contact he’ll be considerably easier to turn… but probably won’t get to win this contest.

60 X 20

This sequence is a complete riddle and based on the absurd notion of a 360º turn. The sequence is further complicated by the notion that the handler needs a solution when forward of the dog and equally when behind the dog.

50 X 30

 

This is a somewhat treacherous sequence and certainly a fine test of the master handler. A really good team will do this 5 or 6 times in 50 seconds. The exceptional team will score more.

40 X 40

In this minuet I would likely specify that to stop time the dog must be directed back over jump #1. While the sequence looks rather primitive and easy it is actually somewhat advanced. You’ll note the dotted line. I will specify that the handler must stay exclusively on one side of the line or the other for the entire 50 seconds. Stepping over the line would be considered a wrong course fault.