# Teeter-Whip...



## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Those teeters look very unsafe  I would want to reduce whip--now I need to go check my old homemade one and compare!


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Same here, that is by far the most flimsy-looking competition teeter I've ever seen. I would definitely not enter Dusty in that club's trials until they fixed that. Also, of course teeters should be safe for all dogs going over them, but I saw these videos as mostly a lesson on why it's important to train for an ideal teeter performance. The poor little guy getting hit in the mouth (ouch!) wouldn't happen if he had a bit faster and more confident performance. And the dog trying to hold 2o2o with his butt a foot in the air (in the video he linked to in the article) is a weight shift issue that would happen to some extent on any teeter. Like he said toward the end, train don't complain


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

And neither the chin whack nor the lifting (torque) would have happened with a sit on the teeter contact. My teeter at home is a wood board - moderate amount of whip. I've found that the JJDog and Max 200 (aluminum w/plyywood skin) have very little whip - but I'd rather my dogs are "surprised" by lack of whip than surprised by an extreme whip.
Erica


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Very intersting article/video! Wowzer does that teeter look unsafe! 

The teeters that we typically have at our AKC trials do not seem to have much whip but you can see a little bounce on the base. All around they look pretty steady. Mine at home has a little more whip, so I guess like you said better to be surprised with lack of whip!

I am glad that one from the video is not going to be used again until it is made stiffer...


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

I have to agree with Jessica! That is a really interesting video! I've never heard of this topic but it sure seems interesting! I definetly would NOT enter any of my dogs if that teeter was there. I think that would scare her sooo much that she would never want to do the teeter again! And she even has problems with it now! And the poor dog from the trial who got whipped in the face by it--that dog was taken aback by it as well. Even though he didn't make a huge fuss about it I know somewhere in there was an OUCH!


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

MaddieMagoo said:


> I have to agree with Jessica! That is a really interesting video! I've never heard of this topic but it sure seems interesting! I definetly would NOT enter any of my dogs if that teeter was there. I think that would scare her sooo much that she would never want to do the teeter again! And she even has problems with it now! And the poor dog from the trial who got whipped in the face by it--that dog was taken aback by it as well. Even though he didn't make a huge fuss about it I know somewhere in there was an OUCH!


I think it highlights teaching a safe performance of the teeter - that teeter in the video was a competition grade teeter - meeting all of the specifications of the venue. How many of you feel out the contact equipment during walk-throughs? Don't rely on the judges to find all the potential safety issues. Feel the dog-walk - is it stable? Are the supports actually touching the up and down ramps? I once pointed out such a safety issue to the judge during the 24" walk through after the 4", 8", 12", 16" and 20" dogs had all ran the course with both a missing DW ramp support and one of the legs not on the ground - the feel under them on that DW must have been shakey - a lot of dogs were bailing - not a one of the competitors looked at the equipment on their walk-throughs. The same thing goes with the teeter - feel it - are there sandbags under it? Is there a teeter stabilizer bar? I'd prefer not to have the teeter weighted - have for years - this season it seems like more and more trials are heavily weighting down the teeter - it changes the performance.

What about holes - there was one trial recently where the weaves were on uneven turf, there was space under the weaves for a dog to slip a paw...no one noticed it until a dog got his paw caught while weaving...

I'm not one to grouse about every course imperfection - outdoors is what it is, uneven ground and lumps and bumps happen and I'm grateful to have places for clubs to put on trials...but you have to be your dog's advocate and walk the course for safety as well. 

Personally whip doesn't bother me - mostly because I've trained a safe teeter performance - and my dogs know how to cope with board movement without bailing...

Erica


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