Like Clockwork

With the totally wild weather this week, we are forced to work indoors. That means some one-jump exercises. So I'm back to basics and doing clockwork exercises with Cosi.

If you think of the jump bar as a horizontal connector between 9 and 3 o'clock on a clock, you set the dog up at 6. The handler now moves around the clock and calls the dog over the jump. It helps with start line stays, with tight(er) turns, and with lead outs.

I usually put four treats in my hand and call Cosi to the right side (e.g., 2, 3, 5 o'clock), then put four treats in my hand again and call Cosi to the left side. You don't have to do a lot of reps; they "get" it. It's a fun mental game for Cosi and well as a way to build that glorious kinetic memory.

You can take the game to the next level by taking the jump bar higher or by setting the dog back farther from the jump so they get some speed into the turn.