Jo Sermon

Jo Sermon:
TRAIN FOR SPEED

I disagree that the way to *fix* speed is to use a move that is designed to "drag" a dog around a course.

I've never gone in for *quick fixes*, preferring to look at the root of the problem - the lack of motivation.

A lack of motivation will rear its head in other places, so why not sit down and work out a way of making agility fun for your dog? Fix the cause, don't treat symptoms.

I have a highly motivated dog. I don't do many FC's for the simple reason that he wouldn't stay highly motivated if I did. Each dog is an individual and some things inspire some dogs that will stop others in their tracks.

However, that being said, the advice that many are given with slow dogs, "keep going", doesn't work with the vast majority. Handlers feel better because they are moving - it doesn't help the dog. This is *not* repeat *not* to suggest that you should never FC. Nor is it a suggestion that there is in anyway anything wrong with FC's - at the right time and with the right dog.

If you sit down and say "my dog is slow therefore I have to do FC's to speed him up" you are managing a situation and forever limiting your dog to your speed. Absolutely fine if you are worried about getting it wrong and prefer a steady dog and/or are very fast on your feet.

TEACH your dog to do what you want him to do.
If he won't drive on ahead of you TEACH him.
If he won't turn, TEACH him.

I strongly disagree with regard to RC's slowing a dog and FC's speeding them up - in my experience the reverse is true. If you've taught your dog to drive on
ahead of you and you've mistimed a FC, you will end either by facing your dog (where will he drive to?) or by being in his landing space. Either scenario is likely to teach a dog to check or pause to see if you will twiddle across their path again. A poorly timed RC will simply put you in the wrong place, it won't affect the dog at all - how can it? The dog's already gone.....

Correctly timed the various crosses are just tools to get a handler around a course, perhaps making communication clearer.

Teach a dog to speed up, don't try and drag him around a course.

With regard to pinwheels in particular,
try back-chaining them. Do just one jump
and onto a target and gradually build to
all 4.

Make sure that you are facing the
right way :)) get your shoulders into the
turns and really try and get right into each wing.

Personally I like my dog to do all the work,
he's got 4 legs to my 2 and is *much* faster than I am!!

Jo Sermon and Beardies from Surrey in the UK