Handling - A precise set of direction cues given to the dog
through body, motion, and verbal commands.
That is a text book definition. Handling isn't so much about
directing the dog as speaking to them. A great handler speaks a foreign language
only their dog can understand; it is the exact dialect of their cues and the
dog’s accurate translation that makes the pair so in sync with each other. I always like to think of flawless runs being
more like a conversation between handler and dog, no arguing, no screaming, no miscommunication just a beautiful duet of action and reaction. Great handlers
don’t speak at their dogs, they speak to them. So many use vernacular handling,
common, simplistic, something everyone can speak. It is those handlers that
push for an intimate language full of jargon and secret slang, specific enough
for only a few to understand, who speak agility best.
This weekend's runs, Blaze, Jenna, Whimzy, and Nikki. Great dogs <3
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