129 Posts Tagged With "Serpentine"
Workshop Skills Training Sequences
09 Jun 2025
Here are six short sequences working on basic to advanced skills at AKC-ish obstacle spacings from a recent workshop.
Smaller Space Training Sequence
31 Jan 2025
I created a 50' x 80' (15m x 24m) jumping version of a fun and challenging Dana Pike agility training course I recently shared. Lots of good challenges with some longer lines even in a smaller space.
Dana Pike Masters Training Sequence - Video
24 Feb 2024
I enjoyed running this Dana Pike training course and I think you will too! It has a little bit of everything and is a great way to work on your handling skills.
Masters/Premier Workshop Sequences
26 Oct 2023
Here are two masters/premier sequences that I've used at a recent evening workshop. They had some good challenges!
Novice Optional Weave Workshop Sequences
25 Oct 2023
Here are two novice sequences that can be used with and without weaves that I've used at a recent evening workshop.
AKC-like JWW/Premier Novice through Masters Practice Courses
12 Nov 2022
Three of each AKC-like Jumpers/Premier sequences for novice/advanced and excellent/masters teams from a recent seminar of mine.
Fun AKC-like JWW Novice/Advanced Practice Courses
07 Nov 2022
Five fun and challenging AKC-like Jumpers sequences for novice/intermediate teams from a recent seminar.
Four Jumps, Two Tunnels, Eight Sequences to Train All the Things - Video
18 Sep 2022
Here are eight sequences for a long narrow space using four jumps and two tunnels that let you work on a lot of different handling skills!
"Jumperified" Dana Pike Advanced/Masters Sequences
15 May 2022
I've removed the contact obstacles from the Dana Pike Advanced/Masters class courses, that I posted recently, for folks who have a slightly narrower space or who don't have contacts. These sequences will test your skills!
Challenging Dana Pike Advanced/Masters Sequences
06 May 2022
Two challenging Dana Pike Advanced/Masters class courses that will test all your skills!
Practice Sequences Based on Stefanie Semkat's 2022 Polish Open Large Agility
06 Feb 2022
Stefanie Semkat's 2022 Polish Open Large Agility course had some challenging handling sequences! I created a smaller layout, with the same spacing/alignment of her three middle jumps, and came up with three sequences so we could practice her challenges at home.
Fun/Challenging Medium Sized Practice Courses
01 Jan 2022
Three fun and challenging sequences for working on weave entries/exits and lots of handling challenges! I had a great time practicing on this layout!
Small Space Jump Slice Sequences
01 Aug 2021
I was working on slice approaches to the front and back sides of jumps. I created six small space sequences so you can work on them too!
Handling the 2021 AKC NAC Finals Closing Sequence
28 May 2021
I set up the closing sequence of the 2021 AKC NAC Finals course and handled it all the ways I could imagine and video taped them. See what worked best for Snap! and me and some handling options you can practice at home.
Backyard Mastery - All the Crosses
28 Feb 2021
My August 2020 Clean Run magazine Backyard Mastery article with sequences that fit in your backyard or garden. This month shows using all the crosses on the same sequence to increase the challenges of any sequence.
Backyard Mastery - Move It!
25 Oct 2020
My April 2020 Clean Run magazine Backyard Mastery article with sequences that fit in your backyard or garden. This month covers moving obstacles to increase the challenges of ANY SEQUENCE.
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2019 May
18 Apr 2020
My May 2019 Clean Run magazine Backyard Dogs courses for small spaces requires a wide range of handling skills! There are setups with and without weaves and also a slightly larger setup using 12 weave poles.
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2019 Mar
21 Mar 2020
My March 2019 Clean Run magazine Backyard Dogs courses for small spaces require a wide range of handling skill and have some of my most challenging sequences yet! Also includes a setup using 12 weave poles.
Landing Side, Non-Obvious, Off-Flow Obstacle Approaches
01 Mar 2020
I explain why trainers use these terms for when they need to direct their dogs to take the side or end of an obstacle that is not directly in their path. There are more than just "Threadle" and "Back Side" elements.
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2019 Jan
26 Feb 2020
This is an expanded version of my Backyard Dogs article originally published in the January 2019 issue of CleanRun. These sequences contain a full range of handling challenges including some interesting tunnel to weave and weave to tunnel entrances.
Dan Butcher PSCA Premier Std - Cool Bidirectional/BackSide
27 Jan 2020
Dan Butcher's Pyrenean Shepherd Club of America Sep 21 2019 Premier Standard course with video of Flyer and I trying it out. A fun and flowing Premier course with a great bidirectional jump to back side challenge!
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2018 Nov
20 Dec 2019
This is an expanded version of my Backyard Dogs article originally published in the November 2018 issue of CleanRun
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2018 Sep
22 Nov 2019
This is an expanded version of my Backyard Dogs article originally published in the September 2018 issue of Clean Run magazine.
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2018 July
07 Mar 2019
This is an expanded version of my Backyard Dogs article originally published in the July 2018 issue of CleanRun . For this month's Backyard…
Backyard Dogs Practice Sequences - 2018 March
19 Sep 2018
This is an expanded version of my Backyard Dogs article originally published in the March 2018 issue of CleanRun . For my first Backyard…
Small Space Masters Handling Seminar Sequences
27 Apr 2017
Here are my small space masters handling "Steeplechase-ish" courses from my fun weekend of seminars with Talcott Moutain Agility Club in…
2017 Feb Wisconsin Agility Cup: Courses and Video
23 Feb 2017
This past weekend Flyer , Snap ! and I got up at "o-dark-thirty" in the morning to drive the two and a half hours to Canine Sports Zone…
NDAL 2016 March 50x50 Int'l Course Analysis/Video
06 Mar 2016
Here's the layout and sequence for my March 2016 National Dog Agility League 50 x 50 "International-style" course - this time I've…
Starters/Advanced/Masters Challenge Small Space Courses
21 Feb 2016
Here are eight practice courses based on the layout for my March 2016 National Dog Agility League 50 x 50 "International-style" course. I…
NDAL Feb 2016 Course With Handling Analysis
02 Feb 2016
As promised here's the competition 2016 February National Dog Agility League 50 x 50 "International-style" course I designed and, since…
Moving Towards Mastery: Move Obstacles to Challenge Your Handling
28 Jan 2016
In this second in a series of articles I'll show you another way to improve the quality of your training; even in a small space with a few…
NDAL October 2015 Competition Course
05 Oct 2015
As promised here's the Steeplechase course I designed for the October 2015 National Dog Agility League . I ran it with Flyer to "debug…
Handling a Two Jump 360 - Video
28 Aug 2015
Updated 2015-Aug-28 with more handling options/video . I don't recall seeing this course element on a physical course myself; but a handler…
Private Lessons Course/Sequence with Video
06 Apr 2015
When I give private lessons during a Seminar weekend I like to set up a course with elements that let me work common challenges…
Some Fun Challenges to Practice
21 Jan 2015
Here's a full size and small space version of last night's class course containing: Serpentines , Back Sides , Jump Wraps and…
Big, Fast, Fun Masters Course
15 Oct 2014
Until I arrived to set up a course last night I forgotten that I would have access to the whole training space for my course. With all the…
More Handling Fun!
24 Sep 2014
Last night's class had a number of skills packed into a single course; I put in: a 90 degree weave entry, a Pin Wheel , back side tunnel…
The Connection Between Threadles and Back Sides
09 Sep 2014
Near the end of a recent International Handling In Action seminar I threw together a quick exercise to work on Threadles and…
Serpentines, Threadles, and Back Sides
13 Aug 2014
In last night's course I put together Serpentines , Threadles , and optional Back Sides in this fast, flowing class course. The Advanced…
Medium Space Courses: Serps, Threadles, and Back Sides
15 Jul 2014
In last night's course I had Serpentines , Threadles , and Back Sides in quick succession and I created a "medium space" non-contact…
Course for a Discriminating Team! Video
10 Jul 2014
I really like this fast moving course from class last week - it obviously has tunnel/A Frame discriminations but it has more: Serpentines…
Small Space Courses for a Fun Fourth!
04 Jul 2014
For the Fourth of July I took a small section from one of my class course working on tunnel/A Frame discriminations and came up with three…
Rafael Quiñones "Minions" Practice Course - Video
25 May 2014
Rafael Quiñones was one of the judges at the USDAA North Central Regionals this year and prior to the trial he posted a fun exercise…
Dog Agility Coaching: Front Cross Execution and Convergence
11 Mar 2014
Here's my latest video coaching session with Susan and Moon where we concentrate on front cross execution and discuss converging on the…
I Almost Felt Bad About This Course!
06 Feb 2014
I setup this course for my Intermediate and Masters students this week and almost felt bad about working all the moving past tunnels; almost…
Shoulder Pull to Blind Cross - Video
25 Dec 2013
Here's another "specialty" dog agility handling combination that I found interesting and wanted to share with you. As usual Dana Pike had…
Can You Handle It? Seminar Chalk Talk Video
27 Aug 2013
I recently gave a 1/2 day "Can You Handle It?" Seminar and enjoyed the challenges in the course so much I thought I'd share it and my…
More Gabi Steppan Inspired Backyard Sequences - Video
18 Aug 2013
I really enjoyed playing around with my Gabi Steppan Inspired Course and left it set up in my yard all week. I came up with some more…
Challenging Big & Small Courses
26 Apr 2013
My class course this week was inspired by the two jump, A Frame, tunnel discrimination in one of Eduard Bonet's European Open qualifier…
All In One Courses - Big & Small Spaces
11 Feb 2013
Here's my "action packed" class course from last week at FYK9 from which I also created a small space sequence. These courses contain a…
Seventy Two Backyard Courses!
05 Dec 2012
For today's Dog Agility Bloggers' event on the subject of Backyard Training I put together seventy two training sequences that should…
DcH Aalborg - Kurt Jensen Jumpers - Video
17 May 2012
Meeker and I traveled to Aalborg, Denmark to run a Jumpers course with an interesting layout. Well maybe we didn't actually go to…
Four Small Space International Exercises
15 Apr 2012
I've created four small space exercises based on the opening jump layout of my International Flair! Seminar Course from a couple weekends…
Challenging Full Course & Exercises
29 Feb 2012
Here are the two Masters level full size sequences from my class at For Your K-9 and I've created four small space exercises based on them…
Small Spaces: Weave Entries & Fun Handling
08 Dec 2011
Thought I'd pull out a fun sequence from my class course at For Your K-9 and turn it into a mini course for smaller spaces. These three…
Advanced Class Course: Attentive Handling - 09-Nov-2011
10 Nov 2011
My Advanced class course at For Your K-9 incorporated an interesting challenge from a Silas Boogk handling seminar I attended at Ann…
Our 2011 USDAA Cynosport Experience - With Videos
25 Oct 2011
I was glad to have visited Cynosport last year so I was familiar with the expo center layout and the general flow of events. We left Chicago…
Class Course: Wrap Your Head Around This
03 Aug 2011
My course from last night at For Your K-9 is on the more technical side featuring Serpentines , Threadles and a generous helping of…
Advanced Class Course: Where Did This Come From?
25 Jul 2011
Sometimes my students will ask me things like this when they come to class. I tell them I have about 15-30 minutes and whatever equipment is…
Advanced Class: Speedy Serpy Solution? - With Video
10 Jul 2011
My intention in this week's class course at For Your K9 was to open things up a little and get the teams moving with good challenges…
Advanced Class: A Little Piece of Evil - 01-Jun-2011
04 Jun 2011
Thanks to a Linda Mecklenburg International Handling Seminar I attended last week, I was inspired to add a double Back Side handling…
Advanced Class: Balancing Cues and Choosing Sides - 25-May-2011
25 May 2011
Here's the course from my classes last week at For Your Canine where you can work on 270s , Jump Wraps , and end on a Threadle or a…
Skill Based & DIY Double Box, Star Box and Box Training Sequences
16 May 2011
Over the weekend I added a great new feature for creating training sequences to Agility Courses.com . You could always choose the skills…
Advanced Class: Meat and Potatoes - 09-Mar-2011
10 Mar 2011
Here's a course setup with two different sequences containing 270s , Jump Wraps , Serpentines , a Threadles , and general handling from…
Dana Pike - Awesome Course with Video
17 Jan 2011
I've said it before, but you have to set up this Dana Pike course. If you don't have room for the whole thing at least set up 5-10, that's…
Fun Course - Sorry That Page Doesn't Exist
15 Jan 2011
Here's a course where probably only web developers and other technology nerds into agility will see the joke. If you want to try running it…
Dana Pike - Another Class Course w/Video
01 Jan 2011
In the diagram below there are two ending options, Dana had me run the second closing in the second run in the video. My "take away lesson…
Octagon Serpentine/Threadle Handling Drills
30 Dec 2010
We had a few minutes at the end of class and I converted part of a Double Box in the middle of a course into another classic jump layout…
Advanced Class: Serpentines and Threadles - 24-Nov-2010
05 Dec 2010
Here's a course for working on Serpentines , Jump Wraps and a Threadles from this week's classes at For Your Canine . A lot of…
Dana Pike - Super Serpentine Course
25 Nov 2010
In the opening there are at least three ways to handle the 3-4-5-6 Serpentine : What to do 17-18-19-20? There was some "gnashing of teeth…
Advanced Class: Just Ugly! - 17-Nov-2010
17 Nov 2010
Here's a challenging, dare I say ugly, sequence for working on Serpentines , Jump Wraps and a Threadles from this week's classes at…
Advanced Class: Pin Wheel, Wraps, Serpentine and a Threadle - 11-Nov-2010
15 Nov 2010
Here are a couple fun, fast, and challenging sequences for working on Pin Wheels , Serpentines , Jump Wraps and a Threadles from this…
Jumpers with Weaves, Serpentines, Wraps and a Threadle - 13-Oct-2010
14 Oct 2010
Here are a couple sequences for working on Serpentines , Jump Wraps a Threadles and general handling I threw together for my classes at…
Jump Wraps, Threadles and More - 6-Oct-2010
06 Oct 2010
Here are a couple interesting sequences for working on Jump Wraps , Threadles and general handling I threw together for my classes at…
More Weave Entrance/Exit Handling - 29-Sep-2010
30 Sep 2010
Here are a couple interesting sequences for working on weave entrance and exit courses I threw together for my classes at For Your Canine…
Advanced Class Mini Course
12 Aug 2010
Here's this week's class course from For Your Canine with a number of different handling possibilities; if there is a message to go with…
Backyard Course Based on Masters Pairs Jumping Sequence - Annotated Video
03 Jun 2010
I enjoyed a recent Carol Voelkner USDAA Masters Pairs Course, it had a surprisingly tricky jumping sequence for the second dog, which I…
RACE USDAA Trial - 2010-Apr - Meeker is MAD!
05 Apr 2010
Well there is nothing more tedious than a blog post describing every run of a 3 day weekend; the executive summary is it was one of our best…
3 Titles in 1 Weekend - Smack Dab's AKC Trial
11 Mar 2010
I'm thrilled with how well Meeker and I did at the Smack Dab's AKC trial in Naperville, IL this past weekend. It was a big trial with…
Think Pawsitive USDAA Trial - Almost MAD
02 Mar 2010
The executive summary was we were 3 for 4 and now Meeker only needs a Relay Q for his MAD. Here is the video of our Standard and Jumpers…
Susan Garrett $5 Certainty Challenges
07 Jan 2010
Two weeks ago Susan Garrett posted a $5 Certainty Challenge , where she challenges handlers to get to the crux of their dog's stress…
Four Backyard Sequences with Video - Clean Run Sourcebook
20 Dec 2009
Occasionally Anne Riba uses variations on courses from the Clean Run Course Sourcebook and they have been really interesting to handle…
Snippet: Rear Cross to On Side Weave Entrance
10 Nov 2009
The sequence above can be handled a couple ways with the dog on the handler's right or left going in to the weaves. When Meeker was on my…
Four Backyard Sequences - Serpentines, Threadles and 180s
30 Oct 2009
A couple weeks ago Meeker and I were at to For Your Canine for a CPE trial and the Jumpers course had a section that I thought would…
Backyard Practice Course/Video - Jumps and Weaves
13 Sep 2009
Earlier this week I threw together a Jumpers With Weaves backyard sized layout with five sequences to play with and thought some folks might…
Intermediate Class - 2009-Jun-17
21 Jun 2009
It has been a while since I posted any of my class courses, I usually just dream up a sequence based on the equipment locations when I walk…
Snippet: Rear Cross Into Contact/Tunnel Discrimination
30 Mar 2009
There was a Fun Run at For Your Canine today and it uncovered another "snippet" that Meeker and I need to work on. Lisa B had set out…
Post Run Note Taking
14 Feb 2009
At a recent trial I was talking with agility pal and local trainer Ashlee Trotter after her run and was intrigued by her after run note…
USDAA Steeplechase - Six Sequences
01 Nov 2008
I was taking a look at the USDAA Cynosport Games courses and decided to come up with sequences based the Steeplechase Semi-Finals course…
Contact Sports Agility Trial
11 Oct 2008
Before I get to the details here is what I recorded in Agility Record Book : The Gamblers NQ was all my doing. Here's part of the gamble…
Dana Pike Advanced Class Sequence - Weave Entries
06 Mar 2008
Don't pay strict attention to the dimensions in the diagram, they are rough estimates from my memory. Here's how you should set it up. The…
Minuet - Two Jump Drill - Again
15 Jan 2008
Two weeks ago I posted two handling approaches for Bud Houston's two jump Minuet setup. After my post I got some good handling…
Practice Course - Obstacle Discriminations
07 May 2007
An open and fast sequence. Begins with a Serpentine to the Dog Walk. I tried handling from both sides; for me handling with the jumps on…
Practice Course - Serpentines, Threadles, Weave Entries and Contacts
03 Apr 2007
For the first backyard course of the year I wanted to setup a course that I could run as a whole and that I could leave set up for a while…
Practice Standard Course Built Around A Jump Chute
30 Nov 2006
Now that I finally have all my contact equipment and Meeker is confident running over all of it at full height I decided to set up some…
Fall Maintenance Camp: Barry, Carter, Moureaux, Pinder, and Sanders
10 Nov 2006
Wow! Phew! That's how I felt after attending a five day camp at Dana Pike's facility in Wilmington, IL. I was happy and exhausted by the…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Oct 12 and Oct 19 2006
11 Oct 2006
These are my final Dearlove Agility class courses of the season. I hope you've enjoyed running them as much as I have. I greatly enjoyed…
Let's Make a Deal!
29 Sep 2006
I was fooling around with a tunnel and three jumps in the backyard with Meeker and came up with this obvious setup that I found was useful…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Sep 28 and Oct 5 2006
26 Sep 2006
This week's sequences have a little of everything in them: There are two Intermediate team sequences. The first opens with a three jump Pin…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Sep 14 and 21 2006
12 Sep 2006
This week's sequences focus on choosing crosses and There are two Intermediate team sequences. The first opens with a jump-tunnel-jump…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Aug 31 and Sep 7 2006
29 Aug 2006
This week's sequences focus on choosing crosses and There are two Intermediate team sequences. The first opens with a jump-tunnel-jump…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Aug 17 and 24 2006
15 Aug 2006
This week's sequences all contain 270s within Serpentines . You have Anne Riba to "thank" for planting this idea in my head. I've been…
Long Serpentine Course Opening
11 Jul 2006
I started writing this post back at the end of March and got distracted without finishing it (if I recall I was trying to fit it into my…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - July 6 and 13 2006
05 Jul 2006
There are two Intermediate team sequences. The first opens with a couple jumps to a Serpentine (it is almost two back to back Serpentines…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - June 22 and 29 2006
20 Jun 2006
There are two Intermediate team sequences. The first opens with an awkward entry to a Pin Wheel into a an Over Come Jump Wrap . Then a…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - May 25 & June 1 2006
22 May 2006
The Intermediate teams work a sequence opening with a Serpentine where the third obstacle is the tunnel. Then a long curving, jumping…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Apr 20 & 27 2006
17 Apr 2006
A pretty straightforward course for warming up at the beginning of the season. The layout is a Chinese Boot Lace together with a Jump…
Dana Pike Advanced Class Course - Mar 2 2006
18 Mar 2006
We had guest instructor Anne Riba coaching us through the course. I've trained with Anne since Mr Peabody and I first started in agility…
One Jump Drills
08 Mar 2006
I've been asked by fellow agility enthusiasts for handling drills that don't need a whole backyard of agility equipment. So I put together…
Dana Pike Advanced Class Course - Feb 16 2006
24 Feb 2006
The opening four obstacles are the tire into a non-traditional Serpentine, non-traditional in the sense that the third obstacle in the…
The Jump Box in Course Design
14 Dec 2005
The Jump Box is a very versatile course element for practice and competition courses. One reason is that its jumps can be used for a…
Dana Pike Advanced Class Course - Nov 17, 2005
27 Nov 2005
Dana also had multiple handling options for other areas of the course as well. Here's her course: The opening four obstacles are a jump into…
Dana Pike, Mary Ellen Barry and Rachel Sanders Fall Maintenance Camp
09 Nov 2005
I attended the "Fall Maintenance Camp" Dana Pike held at her place in Wilmington, IL at the end of September. I missed this camp last…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Oct 17 & Oct 24 2005
16 Oct 2005
This course works Beginners on running with their dogs on both sides, over a short "course"; with opportunities for two crosses…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Aug 08 & Aug 15 2005
07 Aug 2005
This course works Beginners on Rear Crosses into the tunnel, a four jump PinWheel and introduces Front Crosses out of the tunnel and…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - Jul 25 & Aug 1 2005
23 Jul 2005
This course works Beginners on Rear Crosses into the tunnel and after a jump (Rear Cross on the Flat). Intermediate teams work a 270 and…
Dana Pike Seminar Course 1 - May 31 2005
05 Jul 2005
I finally made some time to write up my notes on Dana Pike's courses from her handling seminar over Memorial Day weekend . She had two…
R.A.C.E. Agility Trial - July 03 2005
04 Jul 2005
I had only signed up for one day of this trial since I've been busy with the non-Agility part of my life a lot lately :^) If this trial…
Layering Practice
25 Jun 2005
I got some outdoor ring rental in West Chicago, IL at Candy's Starstream 200 this past Saturday. I worked on some of the issues Milo and I…
Car-Dun-Al AKC Trial - Jun 18, 2005
19 Jun 2005
We only signed up for Saturday at Car-Dun-Al so we could try our first USDAA trial on Sunday . I didn't realize until the certificate…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - June 13 & 27 2005
10 Jun 2005
These sequences are inspired by courses I ran at the Memorial Day weekend Dana Pike, Jen Pinder, and Rhonda Carter Camp . They allow…
Dana Pike, Jen Pinder and Rhonda Carter "Spring Maintenance Camp"
04 Jun 2005
I attended the "Spring Maintenance Camp" Dana Pike held at her place in Wilmington, IL this past Memorial Day Weekend. Like last year…
Clean Run Handling Issue
23 May 2005
As I've mentioned before , Here are some highlights: There are even more articles I haven't outlined. You've got to borrow or buy this…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - May 23 & June 6 2005
22 May 2005
This class course presents Rear Crosses on the flat (aka Tandem Turns) to Beginners, is a real Pin Wheel work out for Intermediate teams…
Dearlove Nested Class Course - May 10 & 17 2005
08 May 2005
This class course presents Rear Crosses to the beginners, works on Serpentines and continues 270 handling from last week for the…
DIGS NADAC Trial - Apr 23-24, 2005
26 Apr 2005
Dogs In Great Shape ( DIGS ) hosted a two day NADAC agility trial this past weekend in Homer Glen, IL. This was my first NADAC trial and…
Threadle Sequence
20 Apr 2005
Threadle describes the dog's path through two or more obstacles when the dog performs obstacles in the sequence in the same direction. The…
Dana Pike Advanced Class Course - Mar 03 2005
10 Mar 2005
Here's another challenging Dana Pike Jumpers -style course. Dana always comes up with class courses where there are many valid solutions…
Dana Pike Advanced Class Course - Feb 17 2005
07 Mar 2005
There is a lot going on in this course. So much so that I'll just itemize some of the handling approaches and course challenges: This is…
