Table Time

Considering that Secret will be running her first Standard runs in less than two weeks, I figured it was time to revisit another obstacle we rarely train -- the table! I've been so focused on the teeter lately that I tend to forget the other basic parts of the course we will see in USDAA.

We played shaping games with the table in the basement this winter and all of the dogs had fun with that, but I figured it was time to put some speed back in to the approaches. So that's what we did last night after I schlepped the table up from the basement. Now if only I'd pull up the jumps and 2x2 weave poles that are still down there....

Our set-up for the night was pretty straight forward. I set a line of three jumps spaced at about 15' leading into the table. The table was also set adjacent to the teeter, with another jump placed perpendicular to that so that it, too, could lead back to the table.

As pictured in the photos, the table was set at Kaiser's height of 12". I do need to swap out legs and have Secret work the higher table at least once before the trial, but for our purposes last night I figured the lower table would work fine.

The first time I sent her down the line Secret was totally oblivious to the table. She spun and barked at me -- table? What table? Once she figured out what I wanted, though, the rest of the night was just peachy. The only concerning part was that she started with an auto down and progressed to standing there barking at me. We finished the night with rapid fire on/down/off for her beloved Jolly Ball and that seemed to help a lot.

What I am pleased as punch about is her jumping! All jumps were set at 22" and as I mentioned, spaced at about 15' feet or so. She was really extending nicely and actually BOUNCED the sequence several times! There were a few times when her striding was off and she brought down bars (which is a rarity for her), but that's fine by me as she's figuring this out.

I brought Secret out for a second session and this time I skewed the jumps at odd angles to give her something to think about. I saw a bit less extension from her in that session, but still very nice drive. In both sessions we mixed up extension & collection work with wraps and sends -- Secret was a very good baby dog.

Kaiser did great in his session, too! The table has always plagued us, going back to his Teacup days when we couldn't Q a Standard run to save our life because he used the table as a trampoline. Bounce! He's come a long way and in our sessions last night there were times that he hit the table with such speed that he went skittering across it but still managed to hold on. He's even coming along with his auto down. Good job, Kaiser!

Then there is Luke who always views the table as a broad jump the first time out. lol Oh Luke... That said, he has the most impressive auto down of the three once he starts to actually get on the table. ;o) Too bad USDAA is just not his thing and he won't get to show it off at a trial.