Saved.

Walking a course with Janita Leinonen - Part 1

Have you ever wondered why some handlers constantly run clean, while for others a clean run is more of an exception than a habit? In this 2-part series we’ll focus on the secrets of a good handling plan!


Dog’s perspective in a walkthrough

Leading OneMind Dogs Coach Janita Leinonen is one of the handlers whose percentage of running clean in both training and competitions has been about 90 % for several years, no matter which of her dogs she has been handling.

Janita says that “your performance can be only as good as your plan”. She has been watching hundreds and hundreds of students run courses in her training classes, and has witnessed first hand that “if your walkthrough is more of a sketch than a plan, also the results you get will be approximate.”

On this video you’ll have a rare chance to see how Janita creates a handling plan! Janita is walking a course that has been planned by Leading OneMind Dogs Coach Mikko Aaltonen.

Janita’s tips to creating a handling plan:

  • See each sequence from your dog’s perspective.
    • What does your dog see when she’s landing / exiting the previous obstacle?
    • Where would your dog want you to be positioned so that reading the course would be as easy as possible for her?
    • How can you do course reading easy for your dog?
  • Learn to understand how your dog moves on the course. When you know where your dog takes off and where she lands and how the dogs choose their leading leg and how this affects their turning, for example, you will be able to create a more realistic handling plan. The more your plan is based on reality than fantasy, the easier it will be for you to predict what your dog does in each situation.
  • Bring your virtual dog with you to the walkthrough.
    • When you create your plan, imagine seeing your dog: to be able to connect with your dog, you’ll need to know where you are or where you want to be when your dog exits the previous obstacle.
    • If you run the course with your virtual dog in the walkthrough, it’s like getting the opportunity to practice running the course without the actual run!
  • Connect, commit and cue between each two obstacles. When creating a handling plan, bring the three Cs as a part of your walkthrough. After each obstacle, ask yourself three questions:
    • “Do I have a connection with my dog?”
    • “How my dog is committing to the next obstacle?”
    • Before my dog arrives to the takeoff or enters an obstacle: “Have I given my dog a cue about what happens after the obstacle?”

Find printable version of the course map here:

In part 2 episode of Walking a course with Janita Leinonen, you’ll see the difference between handling lines vs handling obstacles. You’ll also see Janita run this course with her Border Collie Fu!

Our mission is to give a happy life to dogs by helping people become amazing dog owners. We are passionate about increasing the mutual understanding between the dog and the owner, making a life together more enjoyable for both.