Ian and the weave poles

Well, I finally got tired of this weave issue that has been hanging over my head with Ian since February. My solution: train the problem away! Ian and I have been doing the World Class Weave protocol from Joe Canova. For the last 10 days we’ve headed to the back training yard and done weave poles every day for about 10 minutes. I put wires back on the entrance and exit to give him confidence while we were working his skills. The difference in his performance is amazing!

His style has really evolved. Ian only occasionally single tracks in competition, even though that’s probably his most comfortable weave position. He’s now single tracking all the time, but his head and shoulders are dropped low and he looks really comfortable; there’s way more forward motion in his style than side to side motion as in the past when he’s single tracked. I think he now has a rhythm and footwork and a comfort level that he’s never had before.

I also see a focus and drive in his face in the poles that I’ve never seen before. He’s driving to the end of those poles and he’s only looking straight ahead! This could easily shave 3-5 seconds off our course times if he can keep it up. Oh, and he loves the toy being thrown as his reward! I throw a “Bad Cuz” ball and I can have the toy in my hand as I send him and run, and he never looks at anything else until he’s done and I throw the toy. He’s always loved the weaves up until this winter, so maybe all this just got him to love them again. I could live with that!