Question About Contacts, Please Help!

[Justicemom]

FOr small dogs I would never teach 2020 for a teeter. Ember got hit in the abdomen when she was 2 yrs old due to 2o2o and she hated the evil teeter her whole. Ember only weights 14 lbs. My girl Diva got flipped off the end of the teeter with a 4o stop and she flew into the air and hit the ground with all 4 feet. Diva was 19lbs and not very sensitive, she hit the ground like WHoa! However the board never hit her and she had no issues.

I tried to teach Birch 4o but he is a bull in a china closest with contacts. 27-29lbs and he has learned to push the teeter down with all his might, then he steps off. I have seen him fight it to the ground and his weight keeps it there. The smaller dogs would not havethe strengh IMHO.

the push-
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.p...34937908.45885.100001978188328&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.p...34937908.45885.100001978188328&type=3&theater

the stop:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.p...34937908.45885.100001978188328&type=3&theater
It happens so fast you don't realized it is not one motion.

What happens when the board hits you in the abdomen:
DO I have to?
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.p...34937908.45885.100001978188328&type=3&theater

 

[Hurtseverywhere]

I have trained 2o2o when they started out but both of mine have short strides and hitting the contacts has never or very rarely been an issue so we now do running contacts only. the biggest problem with this is as you found out you need to train the dogs to come straight off the contact always even if you might be peeling off to the side, this can be pretty hard to ingrain especially when you are heading off in another direction and they natural want to pull off the side to follow but with consistent practice and reward they do get it and will come straight down off the end and even take an extra step inline before turning to follow, but it takes practice practice practice , eventually they will come down straight off almost every time mine rarely jump off the side of a contact now Storm will occasionally but Cosmo never, we still practice straight off at every practice though, the biggest disadvantage especially if you have a fast dog, is that with 2o2o you can use this to get caught up to your dog if you are falling behind or sometimes to gather up a run that's not going quite as you wanted by slowing down an over energetic dog for just a few seconds, with running contacts you don't get that luxury because they are off to the next obstacle, there are sometimes when I certainly do wish I had a stopped contact especially with the Brat. Having said that though Storm did manage to get face planted spectacularly by the teter at the last trial as it tipped back fast and just caught her back legs before she had cleared it, I didn't even see it as I had turned my head as soon as I saw her hit the contact & was moving away on to the next obstacle but I sure caught hell for it by my trainer and my wife after the run for missing it, Storm just bounced back up off the dirt and kept on going I didn't even Know anything had happened till after the run was over, not the best situation as she could have been hurt and it was 100% my fault for taking my eyes off her even for a second.

Unless you plan to compete on a national or international level training 2o2o is the preferred training method and will serve you well, if you think you might compete at an advanced level then you will want to have running contacts or near running contacts just to be competitive.