A continuation of the investigation of shaping a dogs path. Here is an example from Sunday’s Excellent Standard course at Van Nuys January 22, 06. The course map, shown below shows the course (it set up differently than on paper).

The videos are from the teeter, #5 to the tunnel, #8. People handled it differently; a few front crossed, a few rear crossed, a few shaped the rear cross. Compare where the dog lands and the angle they take to the tunnel with how it was handled. Some of the dogs landed so far from jump #7 they were almost in the off course side of the tunnel.

When I ran this course I tried super hard to shape the rear cross before I actually crossed. I pulled my dogs head to the right after jump #6 using my shoulders and my left arm and then turned my shoulders to the right and used my right arm to turn his head back to the left so that he would know to jump #7 at an extreme angle and take the tunnel. It worked brilliantly.

Watch the video.

Shaping tells the dog very early where they are going next, the dog lands softer and doesn’t have to crank their body around to get to the next obstacle.

“It's over, Grandma” – The Champion in ‘Triplets of Belleville’.