Over and Back - TUG!

Yep, it's flyball homework time. I have an ongoing problem with Spoiled One. He's 60lbs of klutz regarding jumps. He's a GSD/Aussie mix, so he bounds over the flyball hurdles like a bunny rabbit, but when doing homework involving over and back over a hurdle, he wiped out all my jumps. "Over" crunch! Ooopsie. I've tried various things. Styrofoam gets destroyed pretty quickly. He wipes out wood. Slippery plastic wrapped toilet paper rolls go flying every which way. My latest attempt involves plastic roof gutters. I have figured out a hacksaw doesn't work well to cut gutter. Those little wire nipper things rather suck at it as well. Oh, well, eventually a section about a yard long was separated from the rest, the longer remainder was slipped behind the couch (causing a very fluffy cat to emerge from the other side) and we set to work.

First was Weasel, to bolster my faith in the potential of this to work. Besides, once I finished with Spoiled One, I would be too frustrated and discouraged to work with her. My little suck up Weasel performed as expected, happily bouncing over and back like a ping pong ball, over the gutter. I quickly moved to the practice box and she did that spiffily as well. My courage thus fortified, I put her up and brought out Spoiled One.

Sigh.

How can one dog be so klutzy? That gutter went flying every which way. It's like he's not even aware of his own feet! I tried showing it too him, and he would slap a paw on it, or try to pick it up. Anytime I tried the over and back though, he landed right on top of it, feet going everywhere, eyes fixed on the tug. I think most of it is handler issues, though. I need to be clearer in my communication, and more patient. It probably would be good to chop up the remainder of the gutter, lay them out in a random pattern, and make him walk back and forth over it, like is done with horses to teach them awareness of their feet. Or, I could do the agility ladder thing. I do own a ladder now. . .

OooooooOOOooooo The LADDER. That's an idea!