Bad Advice
Speeding up the Slow Dog
From Emily Venator
Venham Bearded Collies & Border Collies
<venham@barint.on.ca>
Mon Jul 14 09:11:55 1997
Hi Gretchen & Allie
From two who have been there and done that ... Currently we run Denia (Beardie)
and Jake (Border) in AKC Excellent, and have two Novice dog's that are completely
different. We are also starting two Beardie boys who are 2 1/2 and have
tons of enthusiasm, the task with them is to master the accuracy. We also
compete in Flyball, another sport that requires speed.
First, what level are you competing at, and what height division? The 100's
are great, but you will likely find that you will need to count on some
extra speed as well as Allie's accuracy on the obstacles.
For dogs that lack enthusiasm, we found that adding a "chase"
game into the sport helps to speed them up. Our one Beardie "Hope",
was a velcro dog, very accurate, and dependable but not a speed demon. These
are some exercises that we used to help successfully speed her up.
Don't leave Allie at the line, make it more exciting for her by running
with her to the obstacles. You may have to start far back from the line,
so that you can get a good "rev" going. This game may cause her
to bark, but as long as it doesn't interfere with her performance its not
a problem.
Practice doing restraint recalls over a straight line of jumps, (starting
with 2, then 3 etc.) they don't have to be set at competition height. Have
someone hold her as you run away from her, giving verbalm enticement all
the way, if she is motivated by a ball or toy, show that to her, and encourage
her. Have your friend release her as you are between the 1st & 2nd jump.
As your dog is released run away in a straight line, tossing the toy forward
as she approaches you. HEAPS of praise for the speed!
The object of the exercise is for Allie to race so hard that she catches
you. Your "releaser" always has to time their release so that
you can stay a little ahead of her, making her want to try harder to catch
you.
You can add commands to the game, with Allie being held at the start you
don't have to worry about her breaking a stay. As you are leaving say "Ready",
when your at the first jump "SET", and when she is released
"GO", it won't take her long to key in to the chase.
This can be transfered to the ring, hold her gently at the line, and give
the commands "Ready, Set, Go" as you start your run, she'll know
the game is on! We use "GO" in the tunnels as well to increase
the speed.
In practice, we rarely run a course. Instead, we run a number of sequences,
adding more to the exercise as the dog shows increased speed, and accuracy.
This keeps our dogs "wanting more", and not getting bored with
repetitive stuff. A training session may be 10 minutes long, and involve
a short sequence with us ending the session before the dog with a game of
ball or frisbee. We have equipment set up in the yard, making our "short
& sweet" training sessions easy.
Do you have someone videotape your runs, and practice? Does she only walk
the broad jump at a trial, or in practice as well? Does she only walk the
Broad Jump when the landing is in a corner of the course, or the landing
requires a tight turn to the next obstacle?
When we analyzed our runs after a walked broad jump, or a knocked bar, we
usually found that we had changed our pace. Jake, one of our Border Collies
often knocked the last bar on course, after checking tape we found that
the handler changed their speed as they approached the finish line, throwing
the dog's stride off, and causing the dog to flatten out over the jump.
A conscious effort to maintain a "balanced" pace the entire course
has kept the bars up this year!
For us the walked broad jump has turned out to be the same problem, when
approaching the broad, or a spread, the handler increased their stride hoping
that our added speed would help the dog get over the jump, instead we were
causing our dog's to change their stride, and often tick the last board.
If you don't already try using a different command for the Broad Jump, giving
Allie a que that its different from a bar. Practice with the boards close
together and a non-winged jump between the boards, helping Allie to arc
over the jump, with success, gradually increase the distance of the jump.
Use her toy in this exercise as well, tossing it forward when she is in
mid-air.
Hope some of these ideas help, looking forward to seeing the BAD T-shirts
you're designing!
Emily Venator
Glenn Hamilton
