# Running Contacts Progress (non-GSD)



## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Some of you may remember that back in the spring I started training my PyrShep savvy to do Running Contacts with Silvia Trkman's method. Thought I'd post a short video of his progress so far. First clips are on the training DW at class, 12' planks but lower than what he's been doing. Second clips are on our shorter DW at home, set at full height (for the size DW it is). I really, really love everything about RCs and don't think I will ever want anything else now


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

nice job!!! she's a fast little sucker)


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## KristiM (Oct 18, 2011)

Looks good! Just curious, would you use the same method with a long strided GSD?


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

KristiM said:


> Looks good! Just curious, would you use the same method with a long strided GSD?


Absolutely! I plan to train Roust the big, long legged Mal boy with this method if he ends up staying.


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## KristiM (Oct 18, 2011)

Cool! Make sure you post videos


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Looking really great! I'm curious what your contact zone criteria is. It seems Savvy mostly hits the zone with his REAR feet rather than front feet. Is that your intent? I had to rewatch it a couple times because I thought he kept missing, haha! Then I realized he was hitting with his rear.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Nice contacts! I love how fast he runs across the DW. I started the Trkman method a little while back too. I haven't practiced nearly as much as I should, but in class on the full height DW, his contacts are great. He is always more excited at a trial and two weeks ago at his first trial since using this method, he blew the first couple, but I used the Gamblers class to practice them and after that they were perfect. But I'm jealous about how fast Savvy runs the DW!


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

KristiM said:


> Cool! Make sure you post videos


 Yep! I will be starting soon with him but will probably start on carpet rather than the board. He's very young and clumsy LOL

Here's how Savvy started (and I started Whim but never retrained her...probably going to retrain her as well), his first session ever!








wildo said:


> Looking really great! I'm curious what your contact zone criteria is. It seems Savvy mostly hits the zone with his REAR feet rather than front feet. Is that your intent? I had to rewatch it a couple times because I thought he kept missing, haha! Then I realized he was hitting with his rear.


 The criteria is to run the board  He can hit with front or rear feet and can alter his stride as he sees fit to meet the running criteria. With ST's method, you don't aim for front vs rear hits but for the running/leg separation and no leaping. Some dogs start off with front foot hits and switch to rear once they get on bigger DWs. At a point, you jackpot for "deep" hits, so that narrows the criteria to having to run to the bottom of the board. I'm pretty sure La was trained for specifically for front foot hits though but her more recent dogs are...I think, all rear foot hitters. She discourages selecting for front vs. rear now. In this video, Savvy is figuring out his striding on this DW, which he's rarely practiced on. At home, we've mostly practiced on a short plank DW recently (the end of the video), so his striding is a bit different than on that. 

Here's a video showing her very fast long, strided Bi doing the DW with different stride patterns:

Running Contacts - YouTube


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Oh my gosh Bi is soooooooooooooooo fast!!!!


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

wildo said:


> Oh my gosh Bi is soooooooooooooooo fast!!!!


 That's for sure! Her young PyrShep is crazy fast too. At just 2 years old she won the Individual Medium class at the World Championship.


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## KristiM (Oct 18, 2011)

Those PyrSheps look like cool dogs!

How does the work you are doing on the dog walk transfer to the A frame?


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

KristiM said:


> Those PyrSheps look like cool dogs!



I'm pretty smitten with them  They are really crazy! I have never known a dog that was such a natural at agility as Savvy. He finds leaping onto things, climbing, running super fast and balancing on stuff to be really rewarding in itself. 



KristiM said:


> How does the work you are doing on the dog walk transfer to the A frame?


 With this method you train the DW and basically "get the A frame free". You don't really do much with the Aframe only and start adding it to sequences pretty quickly.


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