Steeplechase Finals at Turlock has an opening sequence that gave many handlers fits. It was a four jump sequence, into the tunnel and up the AFrame.
The interesting thing about this is that, as usual, teams decided to handle it both ways. On the left calling or pulling their dog and on the right trying to do a flip.
Now the more interesting thing is the breakdown on who did what and the results. Almost all the small dogs handlers decided to handle on the right, and it failed miserably. A couple did it on the left, working beautifully. All the 22" dogs, except for one, handled it on the left with success. The 26" dogs were split 50 left / 50 right. With success on the left and problems on the right.
course map - USDAA Steeplechase Rd 2 - June 25, 2006What I read into all this is that the 22" handlers knew they would be behind their dogs. So the only way to get the AFrame was to be on the left, calling their dog out of the tunnel.
The people who handled it on the right, must have figured they were fast enough to meet their dog at the end of the tunnel and flip the dog to the Aframe. But it didn't prove to be as easy as they hoped.
Another interesting question, from a competitors view point, is after watching so many dogs ahead of you ave trouble on the right when do you change your plan?
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This is one of those areas
This is one of those areas where the upfield and downfield consequences play largely into the decision of where to handle. Tunnels are almost always rocket launchers.
Given the presence of the most obvious obstacle (to the dog) as that off-course jump, I would endeavor to put my dog into the tunnel handling dog on left. (You talked about the right and left side of the a-frame, I guess as we are looking AT the video, but this confuses me, so I am writing only speaking to the dog is on my left lead hand or my right lead hand as I am running it.) This way, even though he comes out of the tunnel blind, he will still have a tendency to look for the handler and be curling a bit in the proper direction.
The dog has the entire length of that mostly-straight tunnel to choose his take-off point for that off-course jump! It is really kind of a cruel turn for the dog, because there is no way to give the dog early information that that is NOT where he is going next, yet he has been set up in the entire tunnel length to see it and focus on it. It is not very fair to the dog, but I guess it makes great fun for the handlers!
Anyway, I need every insurance plan I can come up with to turn the dog! Here is where a well-timed front cross and maybe a little "woohoo" with the voice to attract the dog as he exits the tunnel will put him (we hope!) easily and safely up the A-Frame.
It is hard to tell in this sequence what comes right before the tunnel (e.g., where are the dogs coming from and whether it is possible for the handler to create lateral distance as well with dog on left at the tunnel entrance and thus the A-Frame), but since the handler working behind his dog may mean the dog exits the tunnel while the handler is still hidden on the other side of the a-frame, if the handler can be laterally out away from the a-frame, the dog will actually be able to SEE the cross that squares him up for an ascent up the frame.
The handler advantage here is not having to go down too far to the opposite end of the frame, and can in, fact, meet the dog with a technical front cross at the down contact (I saw one handler do this on the video)or, the handler who cannot get there is obligated to a well executed tandem to turn the dog away squarely and toward the jump>weaves. I would not want to to enter the tunnel with dog-on-right, because this requires a technical tandem out of the tunnel, and the dog is bending left (the wrong direction of the turn) AND looking at that off-course jump, and the frame is not even in the picture for the dog at all.
We have to let the dog exit the tunnel far enough, so that when we turn him away, he actually has an approach to mount the frame, and with that off course jump so close, that is pretty risky! There are those very accurate dogs, however, who will absolutely make those last second adjustments when the handler movement is not pristine in places where it needs to be, but there is also the phsyics of trajectory speed, and these types of dogs would be running at a moderate speed such that they do not have to commit to that off-course jump.
Barbara and The Symphony of Hounds
Re: AFrame - which side to handle on?
Unfortunately, I was not able to view the video. However, I was able to look a larger version of the course map. My original inclination would have been to run with the dog on my left and thus be on the right side of the AF. However, looking at what lies ahead after the AF, made me change my mind since I want to handle the double and the weaves with the dog on my left and getting there would be quite a feat if I'm standing at the base of the AF calling my dog out of the tunnel.
Therefore, I'd lead out between 2 and 3 (standing closer to the curved tunnel than to the jumps and as far beyond the left standard of 3 as possible) and call my dog over 1 and 2. I'd handle 3-5 with as much lateral distance as possible and flip my dog to the AF as she exits the tunnel. For good measure I would probably be telling my dog to turn while she was still in the tunnel.
Rose and the Aussies