Dog Agility Distance Handling – What is CLAWS?

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Dog Agility Distance Handling – What is CLAWS?

Written by Lorrie Reynolds

Lorrie has been an agility enthusiast since 2002 and has taught tricks, family obedience, agility, and canine conditioning since 2005. When she's not writing articles, developing courses, or training dogs, you can find her curled up with a book in her hands and a dog warming her feet.

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Why You Need Independent Obstacle Performance

Independent obstacle performance is one of the most important skills your agility dog can have. What does that actually mean though? After you direct your dog to an obstacle, your dog should be able to perform it and maintain criteria no matter what you are doing or where you are in relation to them.

Many years ago, I was at a USDAA trial, and the sequence in Gamblers caught at least 1/3 of the teams. It consisted of a jump, teeter, and two additional jumps. What tripped up so many teams was the teeter. It was going almost directly away from the line. The dogs got to it, started across, and realized that their partners weren’t coming with them, so they turned around and came back, jumped off the side above the contact zone, or wouldn’t even move forward on it.

Agility Distance Challenge Example with Teeter

Dog Agility Distance Challenge with A-Frame

There was another Gamblers course at DOCNA Nationals one year, where the gamble line was at the start of the A-frame, and dogs had to move forward off the contact and take a tunnel, while avoiding the off-course jump next to it. Many teams were unable to either have the dog complete the obstacle without the handler right next to them on the A-frame, or have the dog move forward after the contact zone without assistance.

There are numerous stories I could tell about courses that tripped teams up because the dogs couldn’t complete obstacles independently.

What is CLAWS for Agility?

I created a mnemonic to help people remember the skills to practice for independent obstacle performance. It is CLAWS and it stands for Call, Lateral Away, With, and Send.

You should be able to Call your dog over or through an obstacle when you are ahead of him and have him stay in the weave poles, keep the bar up, or hit the contact zone.

You need to be able to move Laterally Away from your dog after you indicate the correct obstacle, to get into position and direct your dog through the next section of the course.

Dog agility handler moving away from a jump

Your dog should be able to run With you on a parallel line and maintain the distance between the two of you while taking obstacles without coming in.

Dog taking the tire while handler runs with them

Finally, you should have the ability to Send the dog ahead of you over or through an obstacle without the dog turning around and coming back to you.

All four of these skills are required if your dog is going to have truly independent obstacle performance. The good news is that they are teachable and your dog can master them as long as you build confidence in your dog and handle with clarity and consistency.

The bad news is that you have to avoid making yourself part of the environmental cues that help tell your dog where to go. No more standing at the bottom of the contact obstacle pointing the way, or doing the “weave pole dance” to keep your dog weaving.

Today’s Tip

Build obstacle independence skills in your team to give you advantages on “non-distance” courses, and to allow you to qualify on courses with distance like Gamblers, Chances, and FAST. The best time to do that is when you are initially teaching the obstacles. The second best time, if you have already trained the obstacles, is now!

Part one of Agility FUNdamentals for Distance is called “Foundations and Independent Obstacle Performance”. Once you understand the underlying principles behind distance handling, you can start building those independence skills and increasing your success!

The course is now open for enrollment. Click here for more information.

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