Crawling Out From Under Covid

Ever so slowly…. The world is starting to crawl out from under Covid. 2020 was basically a dead year for the sport (for most all activities). But so many people have stuck with it that I think GRC is gonna make it through to the other side. As more folks get vacinated, and the world slowly gets more opened up…. GRC can start happening again. Seminars have slowly started coming back. Clubs will start hosting events again (obviously following best practices for community safety). I just wanted to say how proud I am that you folks didn’t let this little fledgling sport die off during this unbelievably difficult time. And I can’t wait to see everyone’s progress. 2021 is gonna be a good year.

See you in the ring!

AUS Has 2 More Drive SPorts!!!!

The infamous Jas Whiting has become certified to judge two more drive sports. Australia can now have sanctioned official Weight Pull, and Mill Races!!!

Only Wall Climb left to go!

GRC is lucky to have such a dedicated figure in the sport.

Congrats Jas. And congrats AUS!

I cannot wait to see that scene develop and the titles start to be collected.

GRC Still Growing!!!

Even with all the restrictions in place all over the world….. GRC is still finding it’s way.

We have a new US club in Princeton MA. Bay State GRC (check club listings for details)

And we have a new prospect judge out in Sydney Australia. Angelika Kosciolek!

Congrats to these guys making stuff happen even in hard times.

And thank you to ALL the GRC participants. Gameness is in the name.

And it’s that quality that will make sure this is still happening after all the dust settles.

Great work.

Mandatory Club Event Exemption For 2020

Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, and all the worldwide bans on travel, and gatherings…..

We will waive the annual club event requirement for all active clubs in 2020.

No one should lose their charter over this terrible situation we find ourselves in.

Unless we announce otherwise….. 2021 will go back to the normal standards of mandatory annual events to maintain your club’s charter.

Stay safe everyone.

2021 Weight Pull Rule Change Heads Up

There’s a trend of insanely long tracer channels on harnesses. And while I 100% approve of making sure the spreader bar doesn’t hit the leg……. I don’t approve of the if 4 inches is good 4 feet is better.

At first…. I was just thinking of the physics of pulling. And long channels don’t really give an advantage in the pull. Or in any aspect of WP1 competition. So, I left it alone.

But in discussions with some WP folks from other sanctioning bodies, I was reminded that there’s a length rule in IWPA and similar rule sets because the handler may not work the track. The absurdly long channel gets them closer to the handler and gives an unfair advantage. The dog working away from the handler is part of WP 1 & 2 in GRC. So the channel would offer the same “cheat” there.

Considering this…. 2021 rules will include this definition of a properly fitted harness. The harness shall be a heavily padded, X back style, with a spreader bar and an open hip/leg channel. Once the harness has been pulled taught, the spreader bar should not touch, nor be farther than 6 inches from the outstretched leg. The Channel will terminate at a D ring directly after the spreader bar. The judge may request a verification measurement if they are unsure on visual inspection.

This clarification should ensure that the dogs natural stride is unimpeded and not give undue advantage to the the folks running the royal wedding dress style harness.

Since no one is competing at WP2 yet, and this is not a safety issue… It won’t go into effect until the 2021 annual rule book update.

Why Middle?

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I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to actually write this article. I’ve been on a personal campaign to raise awareness of Middle Position for years. I have traveled all over the world advocating for it. And I just thought… Oh… Let me just link to an article about why I use it so much. I went to find this link and realized…. It doesn’t exist. So…… Now I gotta write it.

OK…… Why Middle?

1- It’s the dog’s safe spot.

This is naturally a safe spot for dogs. Puppies will push into this position seeking protection. It works because of our “bubble”. There’s a spatial/social “bubble” that exists around beings. Unless you’re a “close talker” you know what I’m talking about. When a being respects your bubble they go out of their way to show you. There are TONS of calming/appeasement behaviors that both dogs AND people offer to SHOW the other being…. Look….. I’m respecting it. That gives the dog receiving attention the knowledge that they are safe because this being giving the attention will respect your space. But…. what happens when the being doesn’t respect the dogs space? We have problems. That means the dog that is being pestered must either MAKE the dog respect their space through aggression. Or, learn they are powerless and have MORE reason to fear other beings. Neither of these are desirable. Now…. When a dog is in middle….. People respect YOUR autonomy but… not the dogs. How many times have you had your dog in a sit and someone went in to pet them AS you’re saying NO?!?!? They don’t respect the dog’s “bubble”. But that same person is WAAAAY less likely to reach for your crotch to pet the dog. Even if you say yes, they’ll stand there and wait and ask you to send them out. It’s magic. Pushy dogs are much less likely to engage the BOTH of you. It really is naturally functional.

So….. I teach them that Middle is a traveling “safe spot”. A “home base”. I teach them that if you are in middle….. I will not let the world molest you. And just that knowledge can change everything. Now….. The natural “protected” feeling of just BEING in the middle may be enough for some dogs. BUT…. A lot of dogs will need to be TAUGHT that you will protect them. So…. Here’s how I do it.

  • Teach Faith In Handler Drill from the “Place” command. I start this drill from Place because 1- I want them to believe in Place as a safe spot as well. And Place will exist far sooner than the complex chain that will be needed for middle. Also…. It helps isolate the goal. Place is an incompatible behavior to aggression. Making the criteria as easy as possible is a way to set the dog up for success. Place also allows “fidgeting” and can let me observe signs of stress without having to “correct” the position or…. poison the standard of a known cue. Start the FIH concept on place.

  • While you are doing that….. Also teach the more complicated mechanics of the SR Obedience routine. If you wondered where that came from……. It is essentially because of this. I always said…. I made a sport out of the way I train. The SR Obedience routine is essentially the tactical safety procedure. Call the dog to middle. Be able to move if needed and not lose the dog. Down and walk away. Deal with person and a dog. Can you see it? It’s essentially the FIH procedure OFF the place-board. The problem is… That can be a fairly complex chain of specific behaviors that you have to do (and reinforce). And it’s best to isolate each idea and get solid before bringing them back together. So…. Show the FIH concept from Place. And teach the Middle/Down chain under distractions separately.

  • Next…… Combine the two ideas. Show them the safety they had on the place-board exists from middle too.

  • Once they are at that point…. You could call them into middle, and instead of hoping that the reinforcement outweighs the fear, you know the position actually reduced the fear it weighs so little reinforcement is now possible! And, as you saw in the last video…. Once teh dog KNOWS that…. They will often CUE YOU my going to middle to ask for help. Soooooo Much better than biting shit.

2- It’s the best control position

  • In the world of martial arts…. The back position (behind with arms AND legs as torso control) is THE most control you can have of another being. It is such a natural control position it essentially happens whether we planned it or not. If you watch videos of dog emergencies you will see handlers using this tactic more than almost any other. I say….. If you feel like you have a dog that you are trying to control….. Why not practice the interaction. Reduce the “friction” of it. Instead of putting them in a sit next to you….. where IF they jump you have ZERO control. Put them in middle where you have the most control that your structure allows!!! It is used by military, law enforcement, personal protection trainers, and damn near every sport dog trainer from bite sports to agility for this very reason. Hell…… It’s the classic Pit Bull position for this very reason. If there were a position that got embedded in the brain of the bulldog….. This is it. If you need maximum control. This is it.

  • Control without set back. MOST folks that work dogs in drive these days use harnesses to do their restraint work to avoid mixing messages through the collar. The collar is for yielding to and the harness is for driving into and overcoming resistance. That said….. Sometimes you will need to restrain your dog and they aren’t in a harness. Maybe they aren’t solid enough in their obedience for the moment at hand. Maybe you WANT them to be getting would up for the work at hand. Whatever. But…. stepping over the dog (not the obedience version of middle but just holding them there) allows you to use leg control on the hips, and hand control on the chest. You can restrain without inhibiting their breathing (important for sports), or poisoning the collar (important for the REST of life)

- The multi tool of commands

With just one command…. you get the value of a lot of different commands and concepts.

  • Gives you the maximum control possible with the smallest footprint possible. This is amazing in tight social spaces.

  • It gives you physical control in the absence of ALL gear. Super important for gear failure, or adjustment.

  • It gives you a heel type behavior. They have to stay in there if you move.

  • It gives you a recall. They have to GET to you to do it.

  • It gives you a traveling safe spot to protect your dog from the world, or the world from your dog.

  • It gives you both practice and comfort in the position you WILL use when the world goes sideways.

In summary……. In my opinion…… Middle is the most important position in my dogs life. If I could only have one command that would be it. (Close second would be down. And bringing up the rear would be front. Oh look….. That’s the SR routine)

I hope this gave some explanation as to why it’s pushed so hard in GRC.

Feel free to share this to help educate and inspire others to work this valuable skill.

I hope to see the day when there are just as many instructional on Middle/Tactical Heeling as there are in Standard Heeling!!!

Now go play with your dog!

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New SR Judge: Tara Isaacson

Congratulations Tara!

Tara has pursued her SR Judgeship with determination. Flying out from Utah to Maine to work at the 2019 Nationals, and hosting Mock Trials for practice. Her scoring at K9 Lifeline GRC’s latest Mock SR trial was spot on. It’s my pleasure to certify her as the newest GRC Judge. And, more importantly…… the first US Judge that is not located on the East Coast!! I am excited to see her hosting Sanctioned Events in the Midwest.