Agility flatwork (also known as shadow handling or circle work) is a skill that is a critical part of every agility dog's foundation training. In a very large nutshell, flatwork teaches your budding agility dog to run along side of you and to follow your directional and speed cues. I didn't realize until recently with my own dogs how little weight I put on Flatwork in the beginning stages of their agility careers. The foundation classes I took with Lars years ago just touched on flatwork in one class for about 15 minutes. I thought to myself in my newbie agility handler mind "How important can that be?" and it wasn't really ever discussed again in class. Ocean had done a lot of foundation training at home before he got into an advanced beginners class. Again, I didn't spend much time on flatwork like I spent on obstacles and teaching "fun stuff" to him. It was this summer that I started to see some early Lars like behaviors (running past me, not staying with me, etc.) pop up in Ocean while running agility. After some serious thought and mulling over the issues of how the same problem popped up in two different dogs...I decided the problem lay with me and what I had or hadn't taught them. What I hadn't done was putting in the time and mileage with flatwork.
When teaching a dog flatwork, you are more or less teaching them a lot
of the handling moves they will see you make in agility without the
distractions of the obstacles. If you really think about the sport of
agility, your dog spends the majority of its time on a course running to
each obstacle than actually performing those obstacles. What happens on
the ground from obstacle to obstacle is as important as what your dog
does with those obstacles. When one does think about that, it becomes
very clear that teaching your dog to focus on you, your body
language/movements, and your changes of pace needs to be in your
training tool box. This is where you teach your dog deceleration and to
accelerate based on your body language and your speed. Flatwork (as I
found with my guys) can help an obstacle focused dog become much better
balanced out with handler focus at the times when you need your dog to
check in.
Flatwork is truly the backbone of agility teams. While it teaches your dog how to read handling movements without distracting obstacles, it also develops a communication line between you and your dog. When we as handlers are working flatwork, we become more aware of what you're telling your dog through your movements. Before I work some flatwork with Lars or Ocean I make sure that I have a clear picture in my head about what my cues will be for each dog. I've lucked out with my boys because they both run in a similar manner and I don't have to completely change out my handling methods when running one or the other. Handlers with dogs who run as polar opposites may have to do a dry run of flatwork without their dogs to get in the frame of handling each dog needs.
Some basic flatwork exercises are:
- Large circles in both directions - This helps teach the dogs to work rounded distances to the right and the left as well as lateral distance.
- Front and Rear Crosses on the flat - This helps the dog learn lead changes and direction changes.
- Serpentines - This is a must have for higher level courses. Dogs will learn how to change their pace and turn in tight areas.
- Small circles/Figure 8's - These teach dogs how to negotiate tight obstacle sequences like 180's in higher level courses.
Flatwork is truly the backbone of agility teams. While it teaches your dog how to read handling movements without distracting obstacles, it also develops a communication line between you and your dog. When we as handlers are working flatwork, we become more aware of what you're telling your dog through your movements. Before I work some flatwork with Lars or Ocean I make sure that I have a clear picture in my head about what my cues will be for each dog. I've lucked out with my boys because they both run in a similar manner and I don't have to completely change out my handling methods when running one or the other. Handlers with dogs who run as polar opposites may have to do a dry run of flatwork without their dogs to get in the frame of handling each dog needs.
Some basic flatwork exercises are:
- Large circles in both directions - This helps teach the dogs to work rounded distances to the right and the left as well as lateral distance.
- Front and Rear Crosses on the flat - This helps the dog learn lead changes and direction changes.
- Serpentines - This is a must have for higher level courses. Dogs will learn how to change their pace and turn in tight areas.
- Small circles/Figure 8's - These teach dogs how to negotiate tight obstacle sequences like 180's in higher level courses.
I find that Lars can run both directions easily with small
circles. Ocean has a hard time on the inside of the these circles and
he doesn't yield well to me turning left and towards me.
- Straight Lines - A lot of handlers take straight lines of obstacles for granted and that their dogs will do them easily. But it's best to work that into your flatwork program as well.
Now that I have been playing in agility with my dogs for a while now, I am continuously going back to it throughout Lars and Ocean's career. I will keep going back to it because it helps maintain the definitions of my handling to the boys as well as letting me reinforce them when they respond correctly. Sometimes you can even use flatwork as a type of game to play with your dogs because there's no pressure of obstacle performance. It's just a game of follow me and that can be a load of fun for both handler and dog.
If you want to learn more about how to teach your dog about Flatwork, (there's a lot to know on how to do it correctly) look for Barb Levenson's book Flatwork: Foundation for Agility. I picked it up from Clean Run earlier this summer and found it absolutely wonderful. It explained things well and thoroughly. So, pick it up for your agility reference library! It's a book you will refer back to every time you get a new agility partner.
- Straight Lines - A lot of handlers take straight lines of obstacles for granted and that their dogs will do them easily. But it's best to work that into your flatwork program as well.
Now that I have been playing in agility with my dogs for a while now, I am continuously going back to it throughout Lars and Ocean's career. I will keep going back to it because it helps maintain the definitions of my handling to the boys as well as letting me reinforce them when they respond correctly. Sometimes you can even use flatwork as a type of game to play with your dogs because there's no pressure of obstacle performance. It's just a game of follow me and that can be a load of fun for both handler and dog.
If you want to learn more about how to teach your dog about Flatwork, (there's a lot to know on how to do it correctly) look for Barb Levenson's book Flatwork: Foundation for Agility. I picked it up from Clean Run earlier this summer and found it absolutely wonderful. It explained things well and thoroughly. So, pick it up for your agility reference library! It's a book you will refer back to every time you get a new agility partner.
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