So, I’m writing a blog about a newly purchased pink jump? Yes, I am. Because it’s pretty? No. Because it’s new? No. Because I needed another wingless jump? Definitely no. I’m writing about my new pink jump because it represents an approach that Jason Selk, author of “10-Minute Toughness” calls a “relentless solution focus”.  

Here is the history. Tai has a great education in jumping and is a lovely jumper. Ok, so sometimes he knocks a bar. Nearly always that is due to late information from his handler (that would be me). On the other hand, if he knows where he is going, he makes good decisions about what to do on the ground prior to takeoff. By that I mean he puts in an appropriate number and length of stride to both execute the current jump and prepare for what is coming next while moving very fast!

That is where the pink jump comes in…based on my record keeping and videos, I noticed a trend. Sometimes but not always Tai was knocking a pink wingless jump like that shown in the picture. Coming out of a tunnel or collapsed chute, just after a panel jump; after a release from the table, times where he had to quickly pick up the new line. But it was a different kind of knocked bar…not the late handler, slightly mis-timed information information kind that causes a rear leg to drop.  Rather the video reveals an early or late takeoff on approach to the pink wingless; or unnecessary stride before the pink wingless jump that affected the striding on the following jump.

Why would that be? I’m speculating here but I think it has to do with dog vision.  For a dog, the pink jump is harder to see than a white wingless. Colors in the red and green spectrum look brownish yellow to a dog. Magenta look gray.  So, whether the pink jump is set on a dirt floor as seen in the photo or on grass or turf, it may not stand out as much as a white jump.   Under poor lighting conditions, it’s probably worse.  The legs and the bar are white and should stand out, but what part of the jump has Tai learned to use — the bar or the uprights? Don’t know.

All of Tai’s jumping education has been using white jumps. Not really deliberate, but simply because most of my jumps are homemade and I bought the PVC at Home Depot. So, his experience with this type of colored jump is limited to trials.

Getting back to “solution focus”. At a recent trial, where Tai struggled a bit with these pink jumps a couple of times — not necessarily knocking a bar – but looking less comfortable than usual, I asked myself….What is one thing I could do to make this better? Natural answer…Purchase a pink jump and give him more experience with it! It’s too soon to know whether that will totally fix the problem, but it can’t hurt!

The more general theme here is the value of record keeping, identifying weaknesses and developing solutions.  What is one thing I can do to make this better?  What is another thing I can do?  And so on.  No time for whining…just get on it! 

Happy record keeping!

 

You can view a short article on dog vision here:

• http://www4.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/la/davis2.htm