I have run starts with my Border Collie for about 3 years, Fay has been running him for the last year or so, and once you have found the right place on the floor after running a few heats, that you only need to make very small adjustments i.e. inches. As your dog tires over the weekend, you only need to move up closer to the start line inches at a time. If you have good timing I have found that I only need to move within a 6 inch range forward or backward and get consistently good starts. Fay consistently gets .0n starts and has had a few .000 starts.

I think we have beaten this one into the ground. I think the point of all of this is that after you have found the right position on the floor for your timing and dog speed you only need to make very small adjustments (inches). After a while, you can just tell whether you are going to be late or early by the feel of the release. I have seen people running start dogs that are very inconsistent and they fall into the trap of making too much of an adjustment on the floor when the problem is their release and timing. Timing and cadence is the key.

I and my dog would find backing up 18 inches is way too much. As I said before, “inches on the floor are feet at the line.” So backing up six inches will probably give my dog two feet at the line. I wouldn’t want it to be further out than two feet. If I false start a second time, well, it is unlikely I would run him a third time. I would take the “no finish” because the heat is probably already lost.

It has a little game that will give you an idea of your reaction time. The important number is the variation in your reaction time, and even that will be several hundredths of a second. As you said, what you really go on is a feeling that you nailed your release. If you feel you hesitated even slightly, then expect a bad start and don’t move up on the next one to compensate.

The other number I question is where you recommend moving back 3 to 6 inches on a .100 bad start. I suppose you can try it if you’re extremely aggressive, but I’d back up 18 inches. I’d rather start late by a foot than make my dog run an extra 102 feet.

Another point to consider when starting is that the lights aren’t really accurate to .001. Remember that the time is taken when part of the dog breaks the light beam and the light beams are almost a foot apart (depends on the lights being used) The time will be accurate if the dog’s nose is perfectly aligned with the light beam, but if the dogs nose is between the beams, the time won’t be taken until the dog’s head or neck breaks the beam.

Worst case scenario, the time can be out by almost .02, so I agree that a starter should be happy with .05 or better starts, just to compensate for reaction time and clock variations.

One final point. I can sure relate to the ”50+ arthritic knees” comment. While initial acceleration is better off laps or feet, the important thing is that the dog be at peak velocity when it hits the start line.

Human Body and Mind – Sheep Dash