The road from starting to learn a new handling technique to actually applying the technique on course might feel a bit long and tricky sometimes. Follow these steps and you’ll be using the technique on a course in no time!

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Technique Training - From One Jump To A Full Course

• Watch the technique training video of the technique you want to practice. You can find the list of all handling techniques here.
• Start by practicing the mechanical performance of the technique by yourself first. Think about how each handling element works and focus on your footwork.
• It is very useful to practice the execution of the technique first with a "human dog": ask your friend to be your dog, and see if your handling makes sense. Switch roles to see what the handling looks like for your dog.
• Next you can practice the teaching phases with your dog by following the instructions on the video. Pay close attention to the way the dog should be rewarded at each stage.
• Practice the technique equally on both sides.
• If you run into problems, watch the troubleshooting section at the end of the video.
• Once you and your dog can do the technique on one obstacle, add an obstacle before and after the obstacle where you are performing the technique. Adding speed and distance will give you a more realistic idea of how it will feel to perform the technique on course. Start by adding some speed for your dog, and when that works ok, add your own motion to the exercise. The easiest way to add more speed is to put a tunnel before the jump that you want to practice your technique performance on. How to increase speed in a technique exercise? Watch this video!
• To give you an idea of what kind of situations are suitable to apply each technique in, we are adding a couple of simple sequences to all technique video pages. Check these out:
  • Front Cross
  • Blind Cross
  • False Turn
  • Forced Front Cross
  • Tandem Turn
  • Running On The Dog's Line
  • and more to follow soon!
• Check out the Next Level series for more exercises on each technique!
• You can find links to related videos and articles below each technique video.
• Didn’t find an answer to your question? Write a comment on the video page or start a discussion on the topic on the discussion forum!

Have fun training!