Session Recap | Epic Flatwork Jam 06.08.2020
Front
Front is a stable position directly in front of the handler. Front is an traditional obedience skill. Usually your dog sits in this position, but standing is often acceptable as well, especially in... More Crosses, Foot Brushes, and Weightless throws were the focus of this flatwork jam. Getting a handle on delivering these creative tosses to a dog moving on the flank has been a tough prospect. Today’s session was mainly about getting a handle on the clock and counter nature of each throw and getting them warmed up for putting them into effect in flatwork and flow.
The Foot Brush
The set up and delivery of the Foot Brush is not the problem. It’s easy to set up and deliver, whether we’re going clock or counter. The problem with the Foot Brush is actually making the throw.
Most of the time that I work this skill I’m trying to cram it into a Zig Zag
A Zig Zag is a series of catches in smooth succession that forces the dog to move back and forth across the field. Usually performed at a distance of 8-20 yards, the Zig... More or deliver it on the Working Flank
The Working Flank is a moving position. On a Working Flank the dog is out to your side some distance and holds position, moving with you as you move around the field. The... More. These additional requirements on making the throw take up a lot of attention and focus as a thrower and a handler. I get overwhelmed and wind up whiffing on the throw.
Whiffing on a Foot Brush is always a possibility, but that doesn’t make it any less embarrassing or frustrating.
I initially thought we’d work the Front Cross
On a Front Cross, your dog switches Flanks in with you in front of them. From Clock to Counter Clockwise Flank or vice versa. Taken directly from the canine agility world, the Front... More from Counter Clock to Clock and I’d deliver the Foot Brush to a flanking Epic. I scrapped that idea pretty much right off the bat, deciding to work on the throw itself from a simple Clockwise AroundAn Around, or a Go Around is the traditional disc dog set up move. The dog goes around the handler’s body in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion allowing dog and handler to... More. This worked out quite well as we caught nearly all of them and I didn’t whiff once.
The retrieve was used to launch into the Front Cross
A Cross is an canine agility term that describes a change of working sides. Your dog moves from your left to your right (Heel to Side) or from Clock to Counter. Crosses are... More to Weightless Throw on the Counter Clock Flank
Out to the side of the handler is the Flank. If the dog is out to the handler's right or left the dog is on Flank. If the dog is moving with the... More.
The Weightless Throw
I bailed on putting this one in flow as well. Instead focusing on working the Counter Clock Around to a nicely placed and well timed Weightless throw and a few flips using the toss.
This worked out quite well. Lots of well placed and effective throws and plenty of mental throughput and attention on setting up and delivering the throw to a moving Eppie. I used the retrieve to set up the Front Cross to get it all warmed up and prepped for putting these two throws in flow.
Putting Them In Flow Tomorrow
In our next Flatwork
Flatwork is the stuff that happens between the catches. How the team moves and transitions, often without the disc, is flatwork. Flatwork concepts in disc dog are taken from the agility and herding... More Jam I’m going to try to make these throws in flow from the Front Cross. I put some focus on imagining the throws after the Front Cross, so I got practical throwing experience and confidence in successfully executing these throws and delivering them to a flanking dog and put some imagination into our flatwork to tie things together.
We’ll put it all together tomorrow and see what happens.
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