Teaching Collection or not?

agilityaddict's picture
Submitted by agilityaddict on Wed, 2006-12-13 08:57.
Hi Olga, I tend to agree with you but I'm having a heck of a time with my B.C.. She is fairly good at scoping and getting over two jumps close together but preparing for a turn is another matter. She tends to want to jump a straight line rather than bend around a turn and it not only adds huge yardage but makes tight sequences very difficult - especially out of tunnels. This weekend we had two courses that started out with a pinwheel with the 2nd obstacle being a tire. I lead out to the far side of the third jump (using lateral distance) and was already facing my feet in the new direction as the course was then turning the other direction. Both times she took a path that was a straigt line betwen the first jump and the tire and did not make any attempt to either add a stride and/or bend around the turn. My other dog would have already been taking off in the new direction. The new direction was obvious from where I was standing. I'm not sure what to do as I have been spending a lot of time working on bending over one jump and she does this great. Add in the speed and adrenaline and she jumps everything in a straight line. Help! We did do the 2nd steeplechase in the fastest time at the trial though - 29 seconds but with a bar down! Wendy
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Olga Chaiko's picture

clear direction = collection

Submitted by Olga Chaiko on Tue, 2006-11-28 13:25.
Hi Wendy, 

I hear you, ;-).. but please take heart. Your young dog did manage to post the fastest time in the Steeplechase class you mention, and I bet, she did it with the same "collection? what collection? just go straight!" style.

Just a word on the "one jump" bending exercises: no matter how proficient your dog may get at turning into a pretzel over one jump from a stand still, it will never fully translate into a turn at speed on an open/straight approach. It simply can't. The dog needs to know the turn is coming and decelerate before the turn, rating himself to his best ability to take the jump in a new direction. Whether or not the dog would choose to collect (most dogs do with time), is up to the dog. 

If my dog goes into a turn with faster speed but with the full clarity that he needs to turn, he just will have a wider turn at a faster rate of speed which may not nessesarily be slower as far as his course time, then the time of a "pretzel" dog who collected for the turn and thus dropped speed.

Now onto the pinwheel openings you say your dog misread..

Though I can pretty much see what happened in the opening sequences you describe, ;-).. could you please post a map so everyone can be on the same page.

Apparently, your youngster doesn't read your lateral lead out position past the third jump of the pinwheel the way you intend, regardless of where your feet are facing, ;-).. She sees it as an invitation to take the first jump and the tire and doesn't know or care how to get to #3.. 

Your youngster may need "pinwheel 101" refresher. I find that pinwheels are frequently overlooked in the jumping compulsories' foundation and I will address this issue in the upcoming lessons.

Meanwhile, if you encounter a similar coarse opening, consider executing the pinwheel inline, meaning leading out between #1 and #2 jumps of the pinwheel and thus assisting the dog's turn.

P.S.: This discussion brought to my memory a really funny video Eric took of Gina last summer, where Tim leads straight out, faces the dog and attempts to recall her over 2 jumps into a tunnel and Gina... well.. you'll see once Eric posts the video. This video is as funny as it is educational.. Please stand by...

Olga.
agilityaddict's picture

Thanks!

Submitted by agilityaddict on Tue, 2006-11-28 22:27.

Thanks for your answer.  It is kind of a relief to hear that the one jump work doesn't always translate to creating that elusive "pretzel dog".  Everyone keeps telling me I need to teach her to bend but it's not translating to running sequences.  I will have to look for the course map - I may have thrown it out already.  I do remember though that there weren't any obstacles past the tire in line with the straight line she took so not sure what was drawing her attention in that direction - I was inviting her to a tunnel! ;)

 Wendy