Free Lesson: The importance of teaching your dog to drive the line you set
One of the most important lessons my agility dog can learn is to drive the line that I have set, whether I am ahead or behind. This skill helps me get in position for lead outs, set lines for rear crosses, send my dogs to backsides or simply drive a straight line of jumps.
A line is defined by two points in space. My dog’s position is one point of the line and my position is the second point of the line…with obstacles in between. Take a look at this video for examples.
Notice in the video that when I’m ahead, my dog is driving the line I have set to get to me (while taking obstacles on the line) and when I’m behind he drives the line I’ve set taking obstacles along the way until another handling cue is given.
To teach your dog to drive the line you set all you need is some space and a high value reward that can be thrown. The basic steps are shown in this video.
If this is a skill your dog doesn’t have, give it a try. It will pay off in many ways! I would love to hear from you…use the comments below to let me know what you think.
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Anne, when you move “drive the line” to the set of 3 wing jumps, how far apart have you set your jumps?
Hi Pam…18-20 feet for Jack’s size. Can be as close as 15 ft for small dogs.