Why is my Agility Dog Turning Wide? - Part 1

The sport of agility continues to evolve with larger course designs, complex jumping sequences, challenging weave entries and faster speeds. With every millisecond counting, movement efficiency is critical for a successful run. One common area where speed is lost in agility is the ability of the dog to execute a tight turn when required. The results from a recent MCR survey show that over 40% of dog agility handlers struggle with their dogs turning wide. Given how common this issue is, I thought a blog on this topic was warranted.

There are many elements to achieving a successful tight turn - it is not black and white! In the first part of this blog, we will highlight the problem with wide turns and where they commonly occur.  The second part will be dedicated to discussing 3 KEY factors that impact wide turns and dive into a solution that will help to convert your dog’s tight turn struggles into tight turn mastery!  ​

My dog Shades demonstrating a tight turn

Wide turns in agility can result in:
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❌ More strides taken by the dog = slower course times
❌ Increased chances of your dog going off course by not being on the correct line
❌The need for additional handling maneuvers (e.g. front cross, K turn, reverse spin)
❌ Increased standing around (by the handler) = you get caught flat-footed
❌ Physical compensation issues resulting in increasing risk of strain or injury 

​In the sport of agility, tight turns are primarily needed on jumps, tunnel exits or weave pole entry/exits. In this blog, we will focus on tight turns on jumps, as this accounts for 75% of the obstacles on an agility course. Similar to canine physio, before treating a specific condition or injury, a diagnosis and the root of the problem has to first be identified. Only at that point can you provide an effective treatment to resolve the issue. Similarly, when attempting to improve a dog’s tight turning ability, it is important to tease out the cause of the problem and to establish in what scenario your dog commonly turns wide.  

There are three common situations where dogs tend to turn wide when asked for a tight turn:

Situation A:

​The dog fully extends over the jump (blue dot) and does not decelerate and/or add in a collection stride prior to taking off. The dog jumps forward into extension instead of weight shifting back and powering up and over the jump, which is required for a tight turn. If a dog jumps in extension over a jump, a tight turn will never be created. 

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Situation B:

​In this situation, the dog collects appropriately, prior to the jump, adding in an extra stride before take off, starts to turn/wrap around the wing but physically can’t hold the turn (blue dot) and therefore goes wide as they travel around the wing. Many of these dogs lack the stability, strength and balance to hold the turn at the speed they are coming from, which creates a wide turn and causes the dog to take extra strides to get back on the desired line. Importantly, this issue doesn’t commonly occur when there is no speed into the tight turn. 

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Situation C:

​The dog does not drive towards the wing they are about to wrap. Instead, they drift wide towards the opposite wing to then slice/V set over the jump to complete the tight turn. Although they achieve a tight turn at the wing, because their approach to the jump is wide it is inefficient, wasting time.  This situation is often a reflection of a lack of jump training or an inability or avoidance to bend the spine while completing the tight turn. 

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​I want you to think about which situation(s) might reflect your own dog? Although this isn’t black and white and hard to assess in one specific situation, patterns will emerge over time indicating where your dog might commonly go wide.  
 
Try the following exercise to help identify which situation might represent your own dog. 📹Videoing the exercise is a useful tool that will allow you to fully review your dog’s performance and really unpick the challenges your dog has with tight turns. 

For this exercise, you will need:
✅ One cone (or some object for your dog to wrap) plus
✅ One winged jump

➡️ Set out the cone 10-12 feet back from the winged jump. Send your dog towards the jump and ask for a tight turn back towards you.

➡️ Ideally, you (the handler) should stay as far removed as possible for this exercise to avoid over handling. We want to see what the dog naturally does. 

➡️ You can use your verbal tight turn cue if you have one. If your dog is completing this exercise well, start to add more speed into the jump and re evaluate. 

​This exercise is meant to help identify:
🅰️Your dog’s understanding of a tight turn and
🅱️Where your dog might be turning wide (e.g. landing side, around the wing, or take off side).

When evaluating your dog’s performance during this exercise, consider the following: 

🤔How good is your tight turning verbal cue?
🤔Does your dog properly collect and place an extra stride before their take off?
🤔Does your dog collect, turn and then go wide?
🤔Does your dog display a side preference?
🤔Does your dog change their line/approach to the jump and jump more on a slice/ V set prior to wrapping the wing?

Click here to read Part 2 of this blog series we will review the 3️⃣ TOP reasons why agility dog’s turn wide and provide you with a solution to how to fix your dog's wide turns!

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