How Should You Visualize? – Bad Dog Agility Academy

How Should You Visualize?

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  • Nhall0663 says:

    I seem to do better with the shadow handling. The movement helps to stick things in my brain.

    • Sarah Fernandezlopez says:

      This reminds me of Montessori preschool for my kids. They have various ways of teaching and one of them is tactile. Like tracing letters that have texture (like sandpaper). The idea is the movement and the touch activates different parts of the brain than just looking at letters.

      So I’m sure that there is benefit to adding physical movement. And I’m sure that some people favor one way over another. Like being an auditory vs visual learner.

  • MaryTurcintrio says:

    I have learned my lesson to only use the course map as a guideline for my visualization before the walk-through, because some obstacles may not be exactly as shown which affects your handling.

    • Sarah Fernandezlopez says:

      Absolutely. You can make a plan, but be willing to throw it away and definitely pay attention during your first few walks to the spacing and angles and what the dog can see at each point.

  • loisronis@gmail.com says:

    I tend to not watch how others are running the course As I said I have to close my eyes and verbalize to myself how I am going to handle the course especially now with my vision loss I also make use of my maps and draw my dogs path and my path in 2 colors and find the best line Of course when I actually walk the course my plans are often changed due to different angles spacing etc not evident on the maps

    • Sarah Fernandezlopez says:

      This is an important point that we always discuss when doing map analysis and “before and after” courses. You don’t run the map. You have to spend a little effort discarding what you think you know for the map and validating that it still makes sense on the field. Inches matter. Degrees on angles matter.

      So yes, use the map to it’s fullest, but be ready to reconfirm on the field.

      • Bob Daigle says:

        Do you find it difficult to “discord” your preconceived idea of how a course will handle, your dog will run and the lines from obstacle to obstacle when planning from the course map prior to the walkthrough and then performing the walkthrough and seeing that the course build is different?
        Often handlers refuse to make a plan before the walkthrough saying they will get “locked in” to the map.

        • Esteban Fernandezlopez says:

          I think that with experience, you learn to rely on the course as it is laid out physically. The map gives me the general plan and the order of obstacles so I can start memorization, but the fine details are always worked out during the actual walk through. We run the course, not the map.


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