Box Classes

Blaze and I had fun tonight at our first Box Class. What is Box Class? Well, it is an agility class designed to focus on the all important crosses..... front crosses, rear crosses, and the handler's successful execution of these crosses. Are we being clear to our dog? The theory is quite simple... but perhaps not so simple for handlers who may have been handling a course to compensate for training weaknesses. We learned some very important foundation work, dissected a sequence with front crosses, and then moved on to some rear crosses.
How shocked I was when I moved to the "rear cross" section, and drew a complete blank..... Wait a minute.... I had been using rear crosses as my cross of choice in the past, so it should have been easy for me, right? Well, as it turns out, my current coaching had given me such a strong background in using front crosses and serpentines that I simply couldn't figure out how to do the rear crosses! I felt so silly!!! So, when I got myself in the correct position, Blaze did the rear crosses flawlessly (He didn't forget!!).
It was a great night, and Blaze worked with enthusiasm and drive. Now we have some homework to do before next week...