We saw some of these turns on display at the 2011 AKC National Agility Championships this year, particularly in the ISC rounds. I was intrigued and wanted to see how difficult it might be to train. I've looked into it a bit and tonight did a few lead ins to it with Samurai. We haven't gotten quite to it yet, but started by working with some blind wraps this evening. Samurai picked this up turning to the right immediately. Turning to the left was more of a challenge, and he kept turning right at first.
We got that straightened out and once we caught onto it, he loved it! There's something about facing away from the dog rather than into them, as in a front cross, that speeds them up, or at least that was my initial experience.
It makes sense though when you think of turning into the dog as being a deceleration cue. Something to mull over and consider anyway. As with all "new" techniques, this one carries its share of risk and it demands a lot of clarity in cuing to the appropriate side.
I love the gracefulness of it and lack of herky-jerky-in-a-circle that you so often see handling transitions off of wraps and 180's. Gracefulness in agility is something I strive for, even though I am not very graceful as an individual. I do love movement that flows, and I believe my dogs appreciate that, too.
I hope to continue to work with this a bit just to learn and to see how it fits with our "handling kit."
Take a moment to view the video above to appreciate the beauty of the move in a competition context.
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