# Cleanrun Agility videos showing footwork on crosses



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Clean Run: Footwork for Agility, CR July & August 2012

I'm just super jealous how *early* he can signal one jump but be moving off and away to be in place for his crosses!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I know what I saw there- I saw him NOT cross the handler line. I believe that a major reason we are late on our crosses is because we extend well past the handler line causing our dog to jump wide. Then we have to take the time to bring them back into our side through shadow handling. This is precisely the thing I learned (for front crosses anyway) at the handling seminar. I think at least one _critical_ key to not being late in your cross is knowing _where_ to cross. This guy clearly knows that. You could draw a line from the outside upright, through him, and to the next jump's outside upright. He is directly on the line which is exactly where he should be.

MRL- if you've never tried this before (I don't know if you have or not) you really should give it a shot! It's magical how well you can get your front crosses in when you mind the line. Read up here if you haven't already.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> I'm just super jealous how *early* he can signal one jump but be moving off and away to be in place for his crosses!


Opps- I misread this. Yeah, his dog does have a really early commitment point.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Willy, you are right that where you cross, the line between the jumps, is important and I work on that.

But my ability to trust my dogs in a front cross to really cue a jump, know they will continue ahead to jump it AND KEEP THE BAR UP while I'm running off and away to my front cross position tends to be a problem. My dogs tend to both be extremely handler focused and they want to keep an eye on me when I'm running around so they will jump tighter/flatter/hit the uprights even to make sure they don't lose track of me. 

Hey, it's not that I've ever abandoned them on the course or anything!!!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I see. Well, in rewatching the video- yes, his dog is definitely very much in "obstacle focus" mode. I have not read this pdf, but I hear that Stewart Mah is an _expert_ in switching the dog between obstacle focus and handler focus. Maybe this article could get you some pointers: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...IOIgTNS8w&sig2=yrviC9MgsegZ1nZLXE1PHg&cad=rja


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Thanks Willy, that's a great article.

Love the first page and diagrams and how he says you need give information about the upcoming turn between jump 1 and 2, even though the turn itself is between 2 and 3.

This is DEFINITELY something I always work at, giving the info as early as possible. That said, the line is fine between giving the info but not in such a way that my dogs take their attention off the job at hand and SO into me that my poor dogs are running around the course with their head constantly bent towards me instead of ahead!


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