It took the United States a long time to admit to the clear science of the dangers of global warming. It’s not that anybody with a brain didn’t know or believe in the ecological disaster. The real problem is that our leadership has been bought and paid for by big business and it’s not good business to have to clean up after yourselves. The short-term profit motive outweighs responsible conduct of business.

The next big challenge will be the oceans which are being over-fished and over-polluted. And anyone with half a brain will know that when the ocean dies… we all die. I reckon it will happen a long time after I’m gone, maybe a hundred years or two. Maybe I shouldn’t really care.

I’ve seen some speculation that perhaps a catastrophic event could bring us to an end… you know, the same kind of thing that happened to the dinosaurs. However it is increasingly clear that the catastrophic force that will kill us is our own stupidity.

Jacks

Briefing

Jacks is played like the children’s game of jacks. The performance of a pipe tunnel represents the bounce of the ball. All other obstacles on the course are jacks and have specific point values.

After the “bounce” (doing any one of the three pipe tunnels), the team must “pick up” the appropriate number of jacks by scoring an equivalent number of points. The handler and dog team will bounce “onesies,” bounce “twosies,” bounce “threesies,” and so forth until either they reach bounce and “sevensies” or time expires.

The dog’s time begins when he fist makes an entry into a tunnel. A reasonable course time, usually sixty seconds, shall be established by the judge for scoring. The end-of-time whistle ends scoring only; the clock continues to run until the dog crosses the finish line or goes to the table. After the time whistle, there will be no fault and no points for the dog taking additional obstacles on the way to the table or finish line to stop time.

The dog must pick up points equaling the number for which the team is shooting after the bounce. For instance, if the team is shooting for 6, they could do a jump and the teeter or they could do a tunnel and the tire.

Obstacles valued at 3 or more points may be taken only once for points during the run. One-point obstacles may be taken as many times as the handler or dog chooses. No obstacle may be taken twice on the same pick up.

Scoring

Jacks is scored points then time. The dog’s score will be the number of his last complete pick-up. The winner is the dog with the highest points and with least time in the case of a tie. The maximum points that can be earned are 7.

The following point values are assigned to obstacles:

•         Jumps, 1 point

•         Tire and short set of weave poles, 3 points

•         Teeter and A-frame, 5 points

•         Dogwalk and long set of weave poles, 7 points

If a dog faults during a pick-up, the dog must again bounce (do a tunnel) and retry that same number. Faults include the following:

•         Any of the usual performance faults (missed contact, knocked pole and so on)

•         Picking up a number greater than the number for which the team is shooting

•         Entering a pipe tunnel with incomplete points in the pick up

•         Performing a 3+ valued obstacle more than once (an optional rule, not often used)

•         Repeating an obstacle in the same pick up

What Do You Make of This

Typically if I design a game for class, I also must find sequencing and training objectives in the set of the floor. It makes sense that the lesson plan is nested with the game. Consequently I typically design the game first and then find the sequencing and training opportunities in the set-up. Often I’ll go back and tweak the game to accommodate lesson planning. The fun thing about dog’s choice games is that moving equipment around doesn’t typically have much impact on the play of the game.  

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.