I orginally posted this to Lesson 8 rather late (like over a month after lesson 8 was introduced). I decided I should have posted it here instead, since it is really a question.

After listening to your introduction, I want to do running contacts to get better times. Right now, I usually stop Chip with 2 feet on and 2 feet off (at least in practice and at agility classes, the show is a different matter sometimes).

When I first started showing him, his contacts were very good (actually, I used them to catch my breath). But when I started doing well, I liked winning so I started using a quick release at the shows (only). By the time we were in Excellant "A", he had started to miss the downside contacts. He, also, started to miss the up side contact especially coming off a table. I finally stopped showing him to work on it.

Even then he rarely made a mistake on contacts in class. He always got very hyped at shows (at least when the weather was not too hot). Right now he is not jumping off at shows, but does come off the A-frame after stopping and waits for me to release him from there instead of with 2 on and 2 off.

As I said before, I want to do running contact to improve our time. I think a quick release is best for me, so that I can stop him if he gets to far ahead of me. However, I worry about the previous problems, I have had with contacts. I still can't let him see the A-frame to soon or he misses the upside as he takes a flying leap at it. I do think that some of my previous problem were cause by leaving a mini make-shift dog walk (about 2 1/2 feet high) up in my back yard. He used it to scout out critters in the back yard, and then would jump off to chase one irregardless of his location on the dog walk. I took this toy away from him and it seems to have helped. I, also, have to block each entrance of the A-frame with wire to keep him from using it to search out critters in the yard as he would jump off from the top of it if he saw something to chase. He is trying to learn how to fly, he doesn't seem to realize it is impossible for a dog (lol).

Olga, do you think than I am asking for trouble to try and teach him a quick release considering my previous problems with contacts? If I do go to a quick release, I still want to be able to stop him when I have to to catch up. The other option is a running contact. If I do a running contact all times, he may start making the mistakes in practice which would be easier to correct.

I don't have a video camera, but hope to be at your class this Thursday. You can see him then, but I figured you wouldn't have time for this long winded question then (lol).

Thanks, Barbara