Handler Movement in Dog Agility

In the old school dog agility training systems, handlers said something like "when the handler stops, the dog stops." Handlers were urged to keep moving to keep their dogs going. But many expert handlers are now questioning these methods and advocating that handlers sometimes stop and offer a positional cue to their dogs. 


This can work well if the dog has been trained to have strong obstacle focus. 60% obstacle focus with 40% handler focus is good because then the handler can send a dog to an obstacle without necessarily running all the way to it. 


Here you can see Jaakko (of One Mind Dogs) at Crufts stopping on the landing side of a jump so he can lead his dog "Sirius Black" to take a backside-ish jump after the Weave Pols.


Stop, Then Run After Dog's Commitment.

After the dog commits to the jump, Jakko turns and runs toward the next obstacle. Before this, though, Jaakko had stopped, but Sirius Black continued to scamper to the backside of the jump because he has strong obstacle focus. 

Tunnel
Brake in Dog Agility

In the photo with the "Tunnel Brake" you can see jaakko putting on the brakes of his run to stop sharply. Notice how his body is angled to the left.. 

His dog, Sirius Black, is behind him but will pass him and scamper quickly into the tunnel. Sirius does not stop when Jaakko stops!

In the meantime, Jaakko will turn and run to the next obstacle to stay ahead of Sirius. This makes it easier for Jaakko to lead Sirius to the following obstacle after he exits the tunnel. 

Sirius Black enters Tunnel While
Jaakko runs in Opposite Direction

In the photo showing Sirius Black entering the tunnel, notice how Jaakko is already reversing direction. Sirius is running one way while Jaakko heads in the opposite direction. 

Stop and Then 
Run Backwards

In the photo where Jaakko is leading the dog to go forward over a jumpwith his left hand -- notice that he stops and then runs backwards.

Again, notice that the stopping action helps to cue the dog -- in this case to take the jump and make a sharp turn to the right. 

A Jaakko Turn by the legendary Jaakko himself.

In the Jaakko Turn photo notice how Jaakko has stopped by the wing of the jump and is still able to lead Sirius Black over the jump for a sharp right turn.

As Sirius comes around the jump, Jakko will do a "false turn" gambit to lead Sirius over the jump to the right. 

Canine Arrow Stop

Here is Yours Truly at an AKC Premier Trial, where Momo is running straight toward me like a "canine arrow.". I am stopped behind the jump.

This position enables me to encourage Momo to make a sharp turn to the right. Just before Momo springs into the air I move quickly out of her way and run to Momo's right (my left). 

This was one of the gambits that helped us qualify for AKC Nationals in 2018.

Stop and Cue a Sharp Turn from Behind the Dog

In the "I stop and give a verbal cue," notice how my body is almost upright but leaning back. The Stopping and clapping action did cause Momo to stop or drop the bar. But that along with a verbal "jump turn left verbal cue" helped Momo to turn sharply as shown by the red arrows and garner a clean run in an AKC Premier. Trial.

Video Showing
Dog Agility Stopping Gambits

In the video with a cover photo of Momo sailing over a triple bar jump, you can see how Momo does not stop when the handler stops.

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