The difference between just Qualifying and Placing can be measured in tenths of a second. So everyrime we can pick up time we should take advantage of the opportunity. One of the most common way we lose time is when are dogs take extra strides after they jump and before they make a turn toward the next obstacle. Teaching your dog to shorten its stride before a jump when a tight turn is coming up can save you valuable seconds.
Stuart Mah gave me a great analogy. Suppose you were driving down a two lane country road at 45 MPH looking for the drive way to someones house you had never been to before. Your friend in the back seat is giving you directions. All of a sudden your friends yells turn left. What happens? You can't just turn left because you will probably flip the car. You have to slow down pass the drive way and then turn around and come back to it. If only your friend had told you to slow down before you got to the drive way you then could have made the turn into the drive way with out having to come back.
Here is the exercise: Set two jumps in a line about 20 feet apart. Set a third jump at a right angel to one end of the line either to the right or left of the line jump and about ten feet ahead. The line should look "L" shaped. This exercise works best when your dog already knows directional verbal commands.
Put your dog on a sit at the long end of the "L" and walk to a position about half way between the two jumps on the side the dog is going to turn.
Call your dog, as he get about three strides from the second jump, in a soft tone, ask him to slow up. I use the word "easy". Again, before he takes the second jump I'll tell him either left or right depending on the direction he is to turn.
As your dog learns to shorten his stride to make a tight turn you can then start shorting the turn even more buy bring the third jumps closer to the second jump. Make sure you practice going both left and right.
Now, like the passanger in the back seat you're telling your dog to slow up first before making the sharp turn.
Here is the exercise: Set two jumps in a line about 20 feet apart. Set a third jump at a right angel to one end of the line either to the right or left of the line jump and about ten feet ahead. The line should look "L" shaped. This exercise works best when your dog already knows directional verbal commands. 
Put your dog on a sit at the long end of the "L" and walk to a position about half way between the two jumps on the side the dog is going to turn. 
Call your dog, as he get about three strides from the second jump, in a soft tone, ask him to slow up. I use the word "easy". Again, before he takes the second jump I'll tell him either left or right depending on the direction he is to turn. 
As your dog learns to shorten his stride to make a tight turn you can then start shorting the turn even more buy bring the third jumps closer to the second jump. Make sure you practice going both left and right.
Now, like the passanger in the back seat you're telling your dog to slow up first before making the sharp turn.