Running Contacts

[corbinam]

My memory sucks. It was an a-frame contact that was called. It's the 4th run on this video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SlickRockyCalvin#p/u/91/T0br5VlVVpA

Your comment about old-school judges is interesting. Are you saying that judges should change their course designs to better accommodate [more modern] running contacts? It seems to me that if you're going to be successful with running contacts, you also need to have great distance skills on your dog, and those distance skills should include reliable left/right directionals that would allow you to give verbal cues for the next obstacle while the dog is still completing the contact obstacle.

Thanks for the video--very interesting.

What I meant about old school judges was this (because you are spot on about training):

Many old school agility people don't really like running contacts (it is a relatively new fad). So, they'll purposefully put something in the way of a contact in order to make people with running contacts put their skills to the test. Margaret, you are absolutely right that anyone teaching a running contact should train for these sorts of challenges. But, judges are trying to make people with running contacts make a mistake (not necessarily what they would call it). They are just trying to challenge a new trend, and those that have running contacts have to train harder to avoid those pitfalls.

It's the same type of scenario that Bud Houston described on his blog after being at our trial. He set up a tunnel under the a-frame that sort of "poked out" to the side. So, when taking the a-frame, handlers couldn't be right next to the obstacle (the tunnel was in the way). There were many, many missed contacts (in Masters) because people were not able to be there to "manage" the contact. It's not that Bud was trying to purposefully "get" this people...but he wanted to display that there are certain independent skills that dogs should have. And he wanted to challenge masters handlers and dogs to see who had those skills, and who didn't.

The same is true for judges who put obstacles "in the way" of running contacts. They want to push handlers to train correctly, and push dogs to truly understand the behavior.

 

[corbinam]

Here's something I found interesting, in training, where the contacts are NOT rubber, Koji likes sliding to the bottom, he doesn't mind and comes to a crashing halt (not always, but sometimes). It seems he can keep up his speed AND stop easier. When we work on rubberized contacts, he inches to the bottom, he can't seem to slow down as well, etc.

I'm wondering how rubberized contacts are going to affect those dogs that like to slide (I've seen a lot of fast dogs use the sliding into home plate effect). They now have to learn how to slow down properly (something I can't do myself).

I honestly think that's why I have issues at trials. Koji hasn't learned to slow down and so he just jumps off. I need to work on his contacts on rubber surfaces. I wonder if/when my training facility will rubberize them, I should ask.

Ashley, in USDAA, do they use rubber contacts? Do you know if they're going that direction? I know in AKC it's been club dependent (since it's their equipment) and in NADAC its required.

Either way, good luck to all of you doing running contacts. Ashley, I know your reasoning for Bentley, and I think it's a good decision. He did like to inch his way down the A-frame. I figure, I'll never be at Nationals or anything like that, so 2o2o for Koji it is, since he likes to JUMP! Well, okay, mine is a 4-on for the DW and teeter, and running for the A-frame.

Cheryl, rubberized contacts in USDAA are optional/club dependent. Our club does not have them. I haven't even been to a trial where there are rubberized contacts.

I don't think they would phase Bentley, but Lexi has a similar behavior to Koji's. On the a-frame, 90% she slides into position. I like that she is able to do that because I think it reinforces the behavior (it is easier for her to "find" the spot).

On the other hand, I know a couple dogs that prefer rubberized contacts because they are "softer". On the teeter, for instance, the bang is not as obvious/jarring.

 

[DogIsMyMantra]

I think I have given up on RDWs with Bella again....for like the 12th time. I just think I needed to do it right from the start (which I didn't have a hope of doing as a green handler) and retraining is a real problem when you can only get out to practice about 2 times a week due to work/weather.

After our last session I stopped by Lowes on the way home and got a 12" wide, 6' long plank and a strip of industrial carpet. I'm going to work on 2o2o at home with it and hope this ends my misery when it comes to the dogwalk.

Cheryl, rubberized contacts in USDAA are optional/club dependent. Our club does not have them. I haven't even been to a trial where there are rubberized contacts.

Yes you have! LOL I guess you didn't even notice it. All the contacts at MadCo are rubberized. Even the tables are.

 

[Calliesmom]

I know someone who doesn't like to compete in NADAC because of the rubber contacts. we haven't encountered those yet since our club's stuff is older

 

[corbinam]

I think I have given up on RDWs with Bella again....for like the 12th time. I just think I needed to do it right from the start (which I didn't have a hope of doing as a green handler)

I hear ya!

Yes you have! LOL I guess you didn't even notice it. All the contacts at MadCo are rubberized. Even the tables are.

Wow! Who knew? Haha! Well, I guess that answers the "did it change your performance" question!

 

[HopeShelties]

I LOVE the rubberized contacts. Mine have had no problems on them, and it has helped my 12"ers who can just run onto the table since they dont have to jump to get there to keep from sliding off the sides.
As far as running contacts, I've never had one called yet when it shouldn't have been. Perhaps I'm just lucky, or it's that they are truly striding through to the end so it's pretty clear they're in the contact zone.
As far as them adding more challenging courses around the contacts to challenge the running contact people, I say bring it. If I haven't trained my contacts well enough to handle whatever they can dish out, then I havent done my job training my dogs as well as I should. Mine don't need me there to micromanage. In fact, if I'm there hovering, I WILL cause them to bail. Mine don't like the pressure of having me there with them.