Layering!

This week's course had an extra tricky option!  I tried it with both dogs but only Gidget succeeded, and she even missed a couple times.  The tricky part was 7-10.  Depending on your dog and their contact behavior, it can be very difficult to get a cross inbetween 6 and 7, but if you post turn it then layering the whole dog walk is an option!  The next obstacles are pretty obvious to the dog (the end of the tunnel is specifically turned toward jump 8), so they just have to be comfortable working at a distance and take them.  Gracie is not yet comfortable with distance so she came out of the tunnel and ran for me, not the jump.  It probably didn't help that I was still trying to figure out how to handle the layering in her class and had a better idea by Gidget's class time.  Gidget succeeded beautifully on our second and third attempts at the black course, but when we ran the red course she found a burr near jump 9, which she got poked in the nose by when she sniffed it, and then she didn't want to go near that area again. 

Black course: 1-3 is a pinwheel, but you have to be careful to keep the dog out of the tunnel which is in a straight line from the tire and jump 2.  You can front cross after 3 or rear cross 4.  Then comes the layering.  Things to remember: keep hands down and use minimal voice cues as these draw your dog's attention to you, a single "jump" as they come out of the tunnel should be enough, aim body and shoulders at and look at jump 8, then use a forward arm and "go jump" for jump 9.  If layering isn't an option, front cross after 6 then meet your dog near the end of the tunnel, rear crossing 9 was easiest then just stay to the right of the dog walk (when layering, you end up on the left).  11-14, get momentum over 12 and send the dog to the tunnel so that you have more time and less distance to get into position for a front cross after the tunnel.  You have to make sure to reconnect with your dog at the front cross so they don't run off to the A-frame.  Some people also just scooped up their dog after the tunnel and stayed on the outside of the curve of the last two jumps.

Red course: Only Gidget ran this course.  I started with her on my right to avoid pulling her off the tunnel, then rear crossed 3.  We had to pinky swear to make sure we set up our dogs for a straight entry onto the dogwalk, which everyone did.  For 7-10 you could do a bit of a front cross flip into the tunnel and layer again, post turning from 10-11.  Or you could rear cross or post turn the flip into the tunnel and not layer.  Or you could front cross after the weaves, flip into the tunnel and not layer.  Not layering would require a rear cross at 10 and making sure the dog doesn't take the dog walk.

Jumping class this week, plus normal class, then Gidget has a trial on Sat.  Maybe, just maybe, she get a title or two this weekend.  We worked on both her chute issues and her contact jumping issues.  We borrowed a strange chute for a week and slowly worked on getting her through it.  She was a pro at it by day 4.  At this last class we realized that I've been racing Gidget on contacts in hopes that I can guide her through the contact zone.  Turns out I need to stay behind her and let her find it.  Me racing her just gets her excited so that she jumps it.  Hopefully these things pay off and we have two awesome runs this Sat.  Happy agility!