Rube Goldberg was here!!

OK, maybe it isn't worthy of a Rube Goldberg title, but I rigged up my own home made "hit-it" board. They sell for lots of money if you buy the electronic ones. I borrowed one once. It is fancy and kind of a pain. It makes a crazy electronic beep and you have to set it up each time. Carefully putting it away with it's holders so it doesn't lose it's potency? PITA!!! What I made is from a simple thin board I painted yellow like the contact zone. I hinged it to the first slat. Put two squeakers from some toys between it and the dog walk and there you have it, my very own "hit-it" board!! I can even bungee it to the other end. I made two. So the bungee one I can take with me to class!! How's that for handy???? I just bungee it at the top part, put the squeakers under it and it's good to go. Spur caught on quickly. Now I can REALLY push him to race the dog walk and risk leaping the contact. Then if he does, I say........"Nice try, buddy".......and have him then do a couple Amanda Shyne "show me it" work where he jumps on from the side and I give a couple cheerios. Then I will have him do the whole thing and if he hits it he gets STEAK!!!!!! I have done a couple reps already and it seems SO clear!

I'll get a video of it when I can grab a videographer. It's so clear and easy for me to know when he hits the contact zone. Before I might guess at times if he was going really fast and I was running, too. This way I KNOW! It squeaks regardless of where he hits it. Pretty cool, really!!!

For you non-agility friends, this is important work. Contact zones can make or break a run. They must have at least one toe in the yellow or NQ (No Qualifying, flunk, zip, zero, nada, failure!!!). It's a safety issue. They don't want the dogs leaping off and hurting themselves. Must hit the contact, damnit!!!