I really enjoyed all the “Fancy” classes this weekend presented by judge Leslie Bickel. Casa de Canine offered both the MC Biathlon and individual classes over the last 3 days, so there were challenges a’plenty! Today’s MC Standard course had a fun opening that led to multiple handling options:
The initial decision the handler had to make was what path they wanted the dog to take from 1-4. As I stepped out both paths and looked at the natural line my dog would take (she was jumping 26″, so make your own individual conclusions with your dogs and their natural tendencies), I personally felt one was the best choice to have a very fast, efficient line from 1-3, but did not result in a great approach to the #4 A-frame. The other choice did require a full 360-degree turn for the dog, but did allow the dog to land #2 and immediately transition into a straighter (safer), and faster approach to #4. While I normally will always choose the more flowing path for my 26″ jumping dog, in this instance I felt it would be both faster and safer to go with the latter option. Here are the paths I drew out in my mind and the differences in distance:
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