by Craig Green

Tally-Ho: January/February 1994

Last time, I covered the purpose of handling, its limits and a simple exercise to practice dog/handler communication through the lead. In this column, I will cover the different aspects of handling on turns, obstacles and finishing the track.

As I discussed last time, developing a smooth lead-handling style without jerking the dog is extremely important. By practicing your technique without the dog as described in the previous article, you will minimize the problems that handlers often inadvertently cause their dogs. Remember, the overall theme of this series of articles is DON'T MESS UP YOUR DOG! Your dog has enough trouble without you pulling him off the track or accidentally jerking the lead so he thinks it's a correction.

TURNS

One of the most important aspects of lead handling is how to behave at a turn. Depending on your dog and how well you can read him, you may or may not know your dog has stopped tracking, or otherwise indicated a turn. If your dog is a liar (common among hounds), then perhaps the best handler in the world won't help. But if you know how good handlers act at turns, at least you can improve your chances.

The first thing to know about turns is how your dog indicates loss of track. This must be learned on tracks that are not blind. That is, a track where you know exactly where the turns are. By knowing your track, you will know exactly when the dog has overshot the turn, and only then can you begin to learn how to read his loss of track behavior.

Most dogs indicate loss of track by moving from side-to-side, lifting their head, or both. Some dogs don't indicate loss of track until they have overshot the turn by 10 or 20 yards. This is especially true for fast-moving dogs (usually not Bassets). Once you have observed your dog's typical behavior at a turn, you are ready to adjust your handling on blind tracks.

Once you have noticed your dog's loss of track indication, the first thing to do is to limit the dog's movement away from the track by putting tension on the lead. Just like the beginning lead work, this should not be jerky or severe, but should be a gradual restriction. As the dog gets farther away from the track, the tension should be increased. It's as if you're asking the dog, "Are you sure?" Doing this at first on tracks where you know the turns amounts to training guidance. This technique, if it works for your dog, can then be used on blind tracks when the dog indicates loss of track.

Most Bassets I have trained indicate loss of track, and sometimes immediately indicate the proper direction of the turn. Then, they usually check out all the wrong directions before committing to the proper direction. I prefer to let them go ahead and do this, but at a distance of no more than about half the 40 foot lead (preferably less). So, I stand at the spot where I was when the dog lost the track, and let him work it out. When he commits, I go with him. But I don't make him pull me, unless he is an unusually strong, fast and high energy dog. By taking up slack and dropping the excess lead on the ground next to me, and letting it slide through my hands when the dog is going away, I can usually avoid a tangled lead.

OBSTACLES

In TDX, obstacles can present unique problems for handlers. Part of this is because of the rules against guiding, but allowing the handler to help the dog over barriers. A good rule of thumb is: if in doubt, turn around and ask the judge if you can do what you are contemplating.

I have never had to help one of my dogs over a physical obstacle in a test, but I have judged people who have. This is often a matter of the individual judge's opinion; that's why I recommend asking the judge about rule interpretations. But here is the way I would do it:

If my dog couldn't make it over an obstacle, I would first ask the judge, and if the judge permits it, I would pick up my dog and help him over the obstacle. The only obstacle I have ever seen that would cause me much concern as a judge is when I saw a deep marsh in Houston that lasted for 50 to 70 yards on a single leg. Obviously, carrying a dog for 50 or more yards down the leg of a track might be a bit too much for most judges. However, by asking the judge for clarification, you can find out how far you can go.

One tip about both turns and obstacles: When your dog appears to be stuck, consider backing up a few steps, in case the dog has gone too far. But don't overdo this - the idea is to go back to the position where you were when the dog was clearly tracking. It's not to back up forever, as some handlers seem to do.

FINDING THE ARTICLE

When you see an article, ALWAYS PICK IT UP AND WAVE IT OVER YOUR HEAD! Why? Because the rules require the dog to clearly indicate or retrieve it. The quicker you pick it up and show it, the less time the judges will have to debate whether your dog clearly indicated it. Since the dog is usually on the other side of the handler from the judges, they sometimes don't see the dog's indication. The quicker you pick up the article, the less likely you will have a problem.