I've been reviewing for the past few days the Jenny Damm handling DVDs available from www.agilityinmotion.com. I am now refreshed and inspired and fully intend to incorporate some of her exercises into my classes.

I was fully ready to be skeptical. I am no fan of programs of compensatory training; teaching the dog to take responsibility for every ill of the handler. But I was stunned to discover that Jenny Damm in unaffected by the American disease. She seems to be the consummate dog trainer. She is full of praise, and quick to reward. And from this simple system of relationship has won many of the top competitions in Europe.

I don't want to rewrite any of Jenny's teaching. But I will say this... her basic message is that the handler/dog trainer must develop a consistent handling system. Her approach is fairly straightforward and based upon a foundation of fitness and mental sharpness for the dog in a relationship that fosters motivation. She believes in teaching basic skills on the flat before incorporating those skills with equipment and coursework.

The fun part is that she presents her teaching in a series of exercises in building-block fashion, starting with basic skills and increasing complexity. She has a focus on basic handler movements including the Front Cross, the Rear Cross, and the Blind Cross.

If there is a thing she does that is foreign to me it is the application of a "Pull Hand" using the counter-arm and counter-rotation to wrap the dog tightly. I am not really a skeptic on this matter at all... indeed, I intend to test the concept.

I will probably feature a number of her exercises in some of my upcoming weblog posts. I'm a big believer in testing a thing with the many people who train with me in different forums. I really shouldn't get in trouble for this with Jenny Damm or her publisher (www.agilityinmotion.com)... because all of her advanced exercises are freely published on the website (albeit, in .pdf format).

Take this as a glowing endorsement from me. The order page for Jenny Damm's "Handling Foundation" and "Advanced Handling" DVDs is at http://www.agilityinmotion.com/jenny.html. These are relatively inexpensive compared to the wealth of information they deliver. And I figure they are a must have for any training center that wants to keep up with the evolution of our sport.

The following exercises were inspired by the Jenny Damm "Advanced Handling" DVD. I've made some modifications and drawn some of my own sequences... once I set equipment for the week, I don't want to waste class time moving it around.

Damm #1

The key feature of this sequence is the turn at jump #3. The handler has a choice of which direction to turn the dog. And of course the matter is complicated by the presence of the wrong-course pipe tunnel. We will practice turning the dogs in both directions. To the left creates a sweeter approach to the A-frame. To the right might be the shorter over-all path and will be influenced less by the lure of the pipe tunnel.

Damm #2

It might be a key objective of this exercise to create as efficient a path as possible through the first three jumps and then sell the turn at jump #3 so that the dog wraps tightly. Some handlers will be tempted to lead out with dog on right and bop the dog through the performance of the serpentine. A better handling strategy might be to lead out with dog on left holding the first two jumps on a straight line, setting up for a Back Cross at jump #3. Another option might be to lead out with dog on left, using a quick Front Cross on the landing side of jump #2. This is probably not a good place for a Blind Cross as the Blind is a bit of a weak signal and the dog might give too much focus to the pipe tunnel after jump #2.

Out of the pipe tunnel the handler should be able to finish nicely with the dog on left perhaps showing a change of speeds at jump #3 to cue the dog into an efficient turn to the tire.

Damm #3

This sequence features an interesting threadle between jumps #2 and #3. I'd like to experiment with the Damm Pull Hand here to draw the dog tightly through the 'S' shaped transition. It might be a good idea to do some Pull Hand conditioning on the flat before using it in this sequence.

The serpentine after the pipe tunnel at #4 mightn't be as simple as it looks. I'd recommend a Front Cross after jump #5 holding the dog on Post through jumps #6 and #7. In this kind of deep post I often have to remind my students... don't do the turn... do your job. The handler's job in this Post Turn is to draw the dog around and out enough to create the approach to the final jump.