Translate

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Lisa Potts' Blue Ridge TC Courses

AKC Judge Lisa Potts is returning to teach a class for our Spring Competition agility class. And once again she's given us a very nice challenge.

The course immediately below was adapted from a course she designed for the recent Blue Ridge Dog Training Club trial in Winchester, VA. It's been adapted to fit the space in our training building. The course way below that is the original course, as it was run at the trial.

What I like about these courses is what I like about a lot of courses I've been seeing at AKC trials recently. Judges seem to have escaped the "if it's tight and technical, it must be good" type of course you used to see a lot of a few years ago.

You know, those courses that really never let the dog really run, and tested the handler's ability to keep the dog pushing through a lot of really technical, controlled turns.

Course trends of the moment seem to be trending more to trust that a course's challenges can be set out more subtly. The dog has room to stretch out and move, and yet, must also responsive to light, yet continuous contact with the handler.

They are courses that invite and reward speed, yet require a full, versatile skill set on board in order to be successful.

Ok, so enough talk? Here are the courses:



Blue Ridge Course adapted for class space.



Original Blue Ridge Trial course.

1 comment:

afinstrom said...

This was an AKC course, yes? Lisa did a trial for ASCA here last year. I LOVED her courses. When I first saw the course map on your blog I had to do a double take, I thought it might be an ASCA course. The subtle challenges are ASCA all over. It makes the courses a lot of fun to run.

I like your description about letting the dog move but maintaining light contact. So apt!