Archive for Lessons Learned

Dog Trainers and The Cobbler’s Children

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

My hubby and I are entered in an agility trial this weekend over in Yakima. I love this trial and especially love the beautiful fall days that generally accompany these dates as well. Last night as we were headed to dinner, Dan says “I can’t wait to run my dogs this weekend! They’re doing so good!” And you know what? He should be excited because he has two fine working dogs and they’re ready for competition. Me on the other hand…not so much.


As if sensing my thoughts, Dan says “You’re excited too…right?”


Well, the truth is, I’m not excited and I decide to carefully say so (after all, I don’t want to burst his bubble). Being the caring man Dan is, he asks “Why not?” and I truthfully say “Because I’ve been so busy with other things,” (moving into the new building, judging, meeting judging deadlines, working on a few new training projects and more) “that I don’t feel like my dogs have received the training time needed to go in to competition.”


It’s like the old story of the cobbler’s children who have no shoes…isn’t it ironic that the dog trainer’s dogs aren’t trained?


So, the situation is what it is and now I need to decide (ahead of time) how I’m going to handle it. Keeping a sense of humor is important,

  • So first, I’m doing the obvious thing which is to cram all the training I can get in over the next 2 days. While this method NEVER worked in the past, there’s always hope it will work this ONE time.
  • Second (and being serious for just a moment), I have to be prepared, which means I’m not going to blame my dogs for my lack of training.
  • Third, if I’m embarrassed by what happens well, I’ll either plan and train more in the future or
  • I’ll talk myself into…err, um…I mean accept the fact that I’m a human with a full and rich life outside of agility <g>
  • Next, I’ll reassure myself that my dog’s lives are not negatively impacted by this one single event and;
  • Instead realize that it’s only my ego and competitive nature that’s really taking the hit here <g>

Well, now that I’ve talked about ‘worse case scenario’, it has dawned on me that this isn’t such a terrible ‘bad’. I mean even if I have horrific runs with my dogs, I’ll still go back to the RV and love on ‘em and enjoy their company. I’ll still BBQ with my friends, I’ll still camp under the stars (the bonus of having an RV) and of course my dogs will still be tormented with loads and loads of kisses.


After all, winning is nice, but it’s secondary to making and achieving that special moment with your dog. In this case, I’m going to focus on great obstacle performance (minus the weaves where I’m playing around with a few training methods), fun, criteria and playing. Now that’s a goal I can get behind and be excited about.


Happy Handling Everyone!

 

Lisa

 

This blog post continues with the ‘after trial’ recap HERE.

 

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Categories : Daily Life and Agility, Dog Articles, Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Ugh Moments, Yeah Moments

The Power of Dog – Ryder (aka Boo)

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (6)
Monday, September 27th, 2010

Every day is a lesson. Sometimes they are good lessons and sometimes they are heartbreaking.

Today my friend’s, Katie and Andy, lost their young Golden Retriever to a blood-type of disorder. For the average human reading this, some may wonder how the loss of a dog is blog-worthy. For those of us who are into dog sports, they understand without another word. But regardless of which side of the fence you’re from, this blog subject is worth the read because it talks about the power of love and the power of dog.

It’s no surprise that dog folks often equate their 4-legged kids with 2-legged human children. Today it dawned on me why this analogy is so correct!

When people have human babies, they put time, energy and a part of themselves into that little life. They teach them, shape them, impart information, create their world, oversee the life lessons that are a part of growing up and open the deepest parts of their soul to share a vulnerable side reserved only for special individuals. Human parents do all of this with care, thoughtfulness and with a relish for this labor of love.

It may be hard to imagine, but dog parents do the same for their 4-legged youngsters. While we don’t give birth to our chosen young, just like those who adopt, we look into that little sweet face and fall in love. A maternal/paternal instinct kicks in. Maybe it’s the want to care for the innocent or maybe it’s just the need to develop a bond with something warm, interactive and emotionally stimulating. Whatever the reason, the 4-legged surrogate children worm their way into our hearts and become members of the family.

This brings me back to Katie and Andy. Today they lost one of their kids and at the moment there is a place in their heart that is aching, empty and pleading for their beloved Boo to come back to them. While this is the hard side of loving and loosing, we have to remind ourselves to never lose sight of how it felt while our dogs are with us. Forgetting the time together would an injustice to the one who touched our heart and it would negate the love they brought into our lives.

 

In the case of Boo (also known as Ryder), he was amazing. I didn’t get to see him on a daily basis, but what I noticed immediately was that he brought pure joy to Katie and Andy’s life. He made them smile. He worked the two of them by pouring on the puppy love, adding a full-bodied tail wag and a look that said “I love you so much”. They couldn’t help but shower him with kisses, hugs and smiles. From my vantage point, I’m certain these warm feelings poured over into their marriage and that it brought the two of them closer as a couple. They smiled and laughed together over Boo and his antics and those happy feelings overflowed and was shared among their friends.

Boo’s reach was far beyond his immediate family. While judging him in agility, I couldn’t help but smile and root him on. He gave his all in each agility performance and was a force of good that swept through the course. Nobody could resist the happiness watching him brought!

But what I’ll remember most was the whirl of energy Boo and his handler (it didn’t matter if it was Katie or Andy) produced. They were like a micro-burst of fun on the agility course. It started the moment they came to the line and the impact continued even after they were gone. Dan (my hubby) and I would see them hours later and smiles would still be plastered on all of their faces (humans and dogs alike). It was infectious and a feeling that sucked us in. That’s how we became friends with them, in part, thanks to Boo.

So while Katie and Andy work through their grief, I wanted to salute Boo for having touched so many lives in such an amazingly positive way. He did touch many hearts and he brought joy to everyone who watched. He was amazing to see, lovable to all and so very special. I know that we are all better humans for having known that 4-legged little fuzz ball of joy.

Thank you Boo for sharing your gift with all of us and our hearts are with Katie and Andy during this time.

With Love,

Lisa & Dan

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Categories : Agility Reality, Lessons Learned, Ugh Moments
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Test Drive the Dogs!

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (2)
Friday, September 24th, 2010

When I was younger and well before driving age, my parents would let me go out and start the car so it could warm up before they headed off to work. Even though it was 10 below zero, I loved that moment behind the wheel. It was a thrill, a job I had proven I was capable of handling and for just that one moment, a glimpse into my future.

Later, my role evolved and I was allowed to back the car down the driveway and not long after that, my Dad let me drive his truck around the property. All of these skills prepared me for real driving on real roads.

Training a dog in agility is much the same thing. We start our puppies/dogs off by instilling the safety rules of agility skills. Next we let them sit behind the wheel by sharing the keys of handling and soon they’re backing down the driveway of sequencing. Before we know it, they’re driving courses in the safety of our property…all in preparation for real driving on real agility courses.
This analogy came to mind when I recently took Zulu out for a little test drive in agility class. I have to say, it was a thrill! First, his contacts were amazing. As I pushed, he gave me 2on-2off contacts that were fast, confident and accurate. The timing couldn’t have been better as my 2on2off DVD will be available via download next week and soon available for shipping. It was a nice reminder that the training is GREAT and dogs just love it!

 

But back to my Zulu test drive…next, he sequenced with relish and was clearly enjoying himself while working with gusto. I couldn’t help but be proud of his skills and I have to say, it was fun to get a glimpse of our agility future together.
You may remember when a few months ago I took Rouge out for a few test drives on the open road at an agility trial and again at the Stacy Peardot-Goudy seminar. Those times gave me confidence that her visitation days were behind us.

 

It also means that it’s really time to start driving her like the little race car she is and to see exactly what’s under that sporty hood of hers. So I grabbed my best treats and off we went to race around the agility training course. To my surprise, she was just as hyped about the experience as I was. It seems the more I pushed, the more she gave. Pretty soon I was giggling, she had a smile on her face and we both learned how to burn a little rubber!

 

The lesson I’m reminded is that there reaches a point in each dog’s training where it’s time to buckle up, hit the road and see what’s under the hood ’cause it’s time for a real test drive. Relish that moment. You’re sure to have some great moments and if you’re lucky, you’ll walk away with a few specific items to work on.
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Categories : Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Obstacles in Agility
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What Happened to Our Attention?!?!

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Friday, November 20th, 2009

Beyond the Agility Equipment: Rouge, my young Dalmatian, never ceases to astound me. She is an amazing companion, rock solid in all situations and incredibly outgoing and confident.

Physically she was always comfortable in her own body and excelled when training our agility skills. So it was a little disappointing (although expected) when at our first and second agility seminars she was distracted and instead of working on technique and form, we mainly worked on a soft skill…attention.

The irony is that I’ve worked hard to foster her confident, love-of-life attitude and here her zesty character was temporarily biting me in the butt! The good news is that I have drive, the bad news is that the entire package of her agility ability has not yet come together….That’s okay because as I mentioned above, these moments should be expected and are a normal part of the evolution stage.

Remember, we’re our dog’s mentor: In a previous post I brought up the notion that we are our dog’s mentor. To recap, as mentor’s we develop, guide, shape and mold our dogs in all sorts of agility skills. Ultimately the goal is to strike a balance between our dogs natural abilities and to develop those ‘other things’ that will ensure they are well-rounded and prepared to go out on course with confidence. Think of it this way, some days we work on Skill A (contact performance for example) and other days we work on Skill B (perhaps attention) and so on.

Getting back to Ru…and the seminars. Ru wasn’t being belligerent, stubborn or willful at the seminars, but rather her technical abilities were far stronger than her mental ability to stay focused. Unfortunately, without the attention, our technical skills are worthless. And that’s how a training opportunity is born!

The flaw in my training…I’ll own up to my part in Ru’s lack of training. I worked on the hard skills, shaped them and did a terrific job on that. However, I did not put as much work into creating attention once there was three or more obstacles in a row. Honestly, she was doing so good at home, that in my excitement, I rushed to do more course work and skipped a few steps along the way. Sound familiar? Yeah, lots of us do it and I’m human too.

What to do next…At first I was confused as to where our great work had gone astray. I mean it was so amazing! However, when I asked myself “What would you tell your students to do?” the answer hit me like a V-8 moment (you know the commercial where they slap their forehead and shout “I could have had a V-8!).

The answer was to break things down in such a way that I could now work on & reward the attention – I needed Ru to clearly understand what the expectation was BETWEEN the obstacles. So I followed my own advice and shifted my focus from obstacles & handling to shaping/rewarding the in between parts…You know, the places where I needed my dog to look to ME for direction and not elsewhere for an adventure. By doing this, it gave Ru something to do (that I was happy with) and we were able to keep our connection.


How’s it working…GREAT! I recently took her out to a distracted area and was amazed at how much better she was doing in staying focused on the agility task. Was she perfect? Nope, but her recovery period was far shorter and her attention moments were a lot longer. I’ll happily take that progress and continue.

Someday we’ll have it all, but in the meantime we’ll keep working through these normal growing moments and continue moving forward in our growth.

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Categories : Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Our Dogs
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Epiphany on Teamwork w/ My Dogs

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Epiphany(s) Regarding My Doggy Partnerships


A few weeks ago I was running Spot in a trial on a very fast Jumpers course. Ahead was an off-course tunnel and to the right, but not immediately obvious, was the correct weave obstacle.


As Spot and I approached the intersection of obstacles I began my usual weave alert drill which is to say ‘weave’ early, stop my motion, allow him to load and then off I go while he performs the obstacle independently.


As was expected for the course design, Spot didn’t immediately see the weaves (but a glance at his head told me he did see the tunnel), so I held my ground, didn’t move from my well-placed position and just kept saying “weave, weave, weave, weave, weave” until he successfully found and loaded into the poles, just as I had trained him to do.


Epiphany No. 1 Well, I wasn’t surprised IN his abilities, but I was amazed at how much faith & trust I had in him. When I think back on the moment, I knew that he’d be able to accomplish the task (years of repetition had taught me this) and just like in training, I needed to give him room to figure it out for himself and to own that part of our teamwork.


Epiphany No. 2 was that at some point in our Agility Relationship, my role had moved from Mentor to Leader and Spot’s role had moved from Trainee to Right-Hand-Man.


This is interesting because with my young dogs, I’m in the Mentor Role (where successful skill repetitions in varying situations is the goal) and will be for several years. After all, the kind of effortless partnership Spot and I have doesn’t evolve overnight, but it did successfully develop over years, just like it did with Pinky. Our team work is equivalent to that comfortable pair of shoes you automatically reach for and know you can count on for a sense of security, comfort and fit. Sometimes we just forget that those comfy pair of shoes started out a little stiff.


Our Current Training Plan: These days I don’t practice with Spot and coincidentally when Pinky was older, it was the same way. We don’t train at home (at all), we don’t take classes and yes, these days we simply show up at trials. I just want to say one more time that the early years of learning, training & repetition has made this possible. I also knew I’d hit this point when:


Epiphany No. 3 These days, when I enter that ring with Spot, there are several things I am absolutely confident about.


  1. We are a team
  2. I am confident that my dog knows his job
  3. I trust him to perform his part (because I’ve trained it, proofed it, was consistent and thanks to prior repetition, it’s ingrained for both of us)
  4. I clearly understand both of our factual strengths & weaknesses
  5. I know that my job on the team is to have a solid plan the moment we step into the ring
  6. We will be successful, whatever success means at the moment, and
  7. We are a team (yes, I intentionally added this in twice )

Without having the items above, going into the ring is the equivalent to a gambling crap shoot that always favors the house. I wouldn’t take such a high risk using my hard earned cash so why would I gamble my dog’s experience with me, our time AND my entry money with such poor odds?


As I mentioned previously, to get to that final stage that Spot and I are in, there was a period of evolution that lasted years. Some things to keep in mind during this phase are:

  1. You & your dog are going to have periods of time and/or age appropriate skills. For example, a 16 week old puppy isn’t capable of the mental challenges of an Excellent style course and a dog who has been trained in Agility for only 2 weeks isn’t going to have perfect weave poles. These are natural progression phases that cannot be skipped by any team – no exceptions. Right now you’re thinking “Dah!” but what makes this phase such a challenge is that every dog is different and there are no visible mile markers to tell you “Now entering ‘I forgot all you taught me stage’” or “Now leaving puppy zoomey zone”. We enter this phase blindly and we’re continuously surprised by things as both ourselves and our dogs are developing.
  2. You should always be building toward a working relationship with your dog. Let me guess, another “Dah” moment . But remember that my definition of a working relationship is closely tied with the words ‘team’ or ‘partner’ and not words like ‘dictator’. I am a firm believer in creating a thinking dog versus a robot who requires me to make all of the decisions and be in charge of every portion of our interactions. I do this because on an Agility Course and in life, I need my dog to make smart decisions for themselves. I cannot be everything to everyone/dog, so why adopt that falsehood when it comes to my dog? This is where:
  3. Teaching skills creates a common ground for my dog and I to communicate around and it reinforces my expectations and smart decisions.
  4. There are moments when time with my dogs is about the skill and moments when it’s about the relationship, but you can never have one without the other. I’m not trying to speak in riddles here, but the truth is that if you fail to have a relationship with your dog, you’re not going to be successful teaching skills and vice versa, if your dog is lacking in skills, you’re lacking the type of relationship that allows you to reach Epiphany No 3.

There are a lot of deep thoughts here for everyone to digest and it has taken me years to develop and put these philosophical dog training beliefs on paper! I look forward to any questions since this is just the tip of the iceberg : )
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Categories : Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Our Dogs
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The Big SHOCK!!!

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

If you know me, you won’t be surprised that the topic I’m about to engage in is controversial for many dog owners. Wait, let me get my flame suit on….okay the topic is….using an electric shock to train a dog (for example via a collar or an ‘invisible fence’).

Now before you get your hackles up, this conversation is going to be about my own PERSONAL experience with an electric shock. Let me clarify here to be sure you read the last sentence correctly – I’m not going to talk about using an electric shock on a dog or any other animal. I’m going to talk about when I (me, myself) was shocked. It’s a different point of view, but I think it is well worth the discussion.
Let me start off by saying I’m not a fan of shock collars and prefer other training methods. However, as a trainer, I always keep an open mind to different techniques so that I can understand the pros and cons of each method and make an informed decision. In political terms, I’m neither a Liberal or a Conservative.
With that said, here’s what happened to me personally.
First, I was in a familiar place and somewhere I felt at ease and comfortable. I’d gotten there early so I wasn’t feeling stressed from the drive and it was a beautiful sunny day. In other words, I was in a great mood.
As I was walking my usual route, I noted an electric fence along my path (a first). Unfortunately, I had to deal with it to get to my destination and after not being able to get to the power source, I was left to try and figure out if it was ‘hot’. Note for others, using a stick does NOT work as an accurate indicator!! I was doing a great job in removing the fiberglass end post of the fence when the potentially ‘hot’ wire inadvertently touched me.
There was a moment of nothing and so I thought I was safe. Personally, I think the wire was just gearing up to shock the living *@#% out of me because then IT happened. I swear time froze and went into slow motion. I could hear the electricity coming my way, but by then it was too late to avoid the impact. Much to my surprise, there was an INTENSE stab to my thumb that shot rapidly up my arm and through to my lower shower blade. I vaguely remember the loud & painful howl that came from mouth. I also don’t vividly recall the intense instinct that told me to immediately drop the rod and ‘hot’ wire. What I do remember is being very surprised at the incredibly strange sound I made.
More importantly, I distinctly remember my emotion.
I was PISSED. Mad as all hell and definitely not thinking rationally. Mentally I kept coming back to the pain in my thumb and the surprise of how the electricity had traveled through my arm and into my back area. Again, I was PISSED. I kept coming back to that feeling and I’m very glad nobody else was around. Now this is important…I have no doubt that if the owners of the electric fence would have been there, I wouldn’t have been a nice person because logic was out the window. I hurt, it hurt and I was PISSED!
In reality and from the view-point of a trainer, I’m not at all upset with the owners and am actually glad that the situation happened (although I wouldn’t volunteer to relive the event!). It is moments like these that are so educational, you just can’t learn certain lessons from a text book and they define you as the type of trainer you’re going to be.
Bottom line, it better be a life and death situation in order for someone to try and rationalize the use of an electronic shock on ANY living creature. While I would gladly comply with not going near an object that would elicit an electronic shock, it definitely also elicited intense feelings of pain and anger – both of which I view as a negative emotion that could easily fall under the category of intimidation.
The lesson I learned is that I can’t help but wonder, is this how a dog feels when it’s shocked? PISSED! Wouldn’t it naturally blame the owner for putting that darned collar on them? Would or could they potentially turn on their owners…which was my first instinct? These are all interesting questions and I have no doubt the answer is “Depends on the Dog….” Ah, yeah, that’s a little too vague for me to swallow as a trainer since I prefer more black and white answers.
As has been said in many studies, Aggression begets Aggression. As a trainer, I would be a fool to ignore the first impulse I had when I was shocked, which was intense and immediate ANGER. While I may have looked compliant on the surface (in an effort to avoid additional & future pain), the fact is that the underlying emotion was there (as the effects of my previous pain continued to throb) and it was quite strong.
It’s something for all of us to think about, but I know that based on my personal reaction, I would avoid negative training methods if at all possible.
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Categories : Daily Life and Agility, Dog Training, Lessons Learned
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For the Love of the Sport

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

As the Puppies Grow…

The attached picture of Ru was taken almost a year ago, but it’s one of my favorites. She’s not so puppy any more and is now almost 16 months old. While she is technically old enough to compete in AKC Agility, I prefer the 18 months that USDAA uses as their guidelines. 

Ready or not, Ru will compete in the PSLRA Lab Trial that I’m co-chairing in mid-June. I mean hey, why not make her debut in front of friends! : )
I’ve been feeling the pressure a bit since I haven’t been practicing as diligently as some, but I’ve certainly spent daily time bonding with her in non-agility ways – so there is a plus and she certainly isn’t being ignored. On the contrast, she’s a spoiled brat !
This is a hard age because she’s probably ready physically for the challenges Agility has to offer, but I’ve intentionally chosen to be conservative and take it easy on this (as I have been with all of my prior dogs) and that’s why I hadn’t practiced as much as some at this age.
For the record, mentally Ru has an incredible work ethic and LOVES to be with & interact me. I’ve known all along that she enjoys the parts of Agility we have trained, but was concerned when she was a bit slower and more cautious when it came to putting it all together with jumping AND handling. You could definitely see the wheels turning while she worked through the information being tossed at her at a faster and faster speed as she progressed (this is a good thing).
Here’s where training with Stacy P-G and Pinky way back when came in handy – Stacy taught me that as long as they’re thinking, let them finish the thought and see what conclusion they come up with. Far too often handlers step in to make the decision for the dog – not the best way for the dog to learn. It’s amazing how that sound advice from over a decade ago is still very relevant today and has quickly paid off.
Tonight I finally got a full glimpse of what Ru is capable of and I’m thrilled!
  • Tonight she was a little speed demon over the jumps (a first). While I had the speed over contacts, I hadn’t had it during jumps & handling sequences so I was so amazed at the progress and enthusiasm she suddenly showed tonight.
  • Next, she took 3 jumps in a straight line, a very tough sequence for a young dog.
  • On the first approach to the teeter, she did hesitate a bit earlier than I would have preferred. However, I’m proud that she recognized the obstacle and adjusted to fit her comfort level (although ultimately I’d like to heavily reward going to the end of the board & riding it down).  So I was VERY pleased that as the night progressed she ran toward the last 1/3 of the board with confidence and rode it down easily on her own accord. I was very generous for that teeter performance and am encouraged that she offered more on her own accord!
  • Next, Ru loves her contacts and will often pull to those obstacles rather than follow my lead. I continued my work from last week on by-passing contacts and taking a different path. I was so pleased when this week she easily got the concept and again, I rewarded generously for her decision. (Note to self: remember to stop and reward the jumps as much as I had the contacts so that all obstacles have equal value).
  • Next, what stuck out was that I really need to go back to my rear-cross work with her. As she gains speed and confidence, she is not reading (or I’m not executing properly) the rear-cross as it’s been trained or to my criteria expectations. This is normal for the transitional phase and should be some fun homework for us to do over the next week or so.
I believe that one of the things that made us successful tonight was that I made sure to be very generous with my praise and treats over the last few weeks. I worked hard to focus on the positive and to change my attitude to look for those good things vs. the ‘faults’. I also worked hard to break things down into smaller, more managable & successful parts.
As a bit of insight, there was a week in the past where I came to the conclusion that I was expecting Ru (my Dalmatian) to act like a Border Collie (namely like my now deceased BC, Coal, the last dog I trained from a puppy). Imagine my disappointment when she wasn’t Coal and shame on me for inadvertently going in that directions. But, I’m human and since I allow my dogs the luxury of learning by doing, I need to give myself the same space. It was a good reminder on how every dog IS different and that just like when I’m teaching, I need to remember to adjust more liberally to my own personal dogs.
Additionally, I think it’s easy to forget the amount of time and effort we put into our older dogs and that it’s way too easy to expect our younger ones to ‘just know’ those things. Too bad osmosis doesn’t work for dog training since I’d be soooo rich if I could accomplish that.
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Categories : Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Our Dogs
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Emotions and Training

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Thursday, February 26th, 2009

Emotions – we all have ‘em and sometimes they’re a blessing and sometimes a curse.

I’m mentoring someone who, during the course of training their dog, is experiencing a range of emotions. I’ll bet you can relate – they started off with their dog acting brilliantly.  Each week the brilliance increased and the dog & handler were having a great time.  Now as the handler experiences success, they expect their young dog to act brilliantly all of the time and at a moment’s notice. They’ve now gone from a euphoric high to a ground-slamming low of disappointment as their expectations have surpassed the dog’s ability.
Rather than go into the “Why’s” of the situation, I thought it would be good to address the one thing nobody talks about – Training & the accompanying EMOTIONS! 

It’s natural for our emotions to take over at times. Like when you’ve just had an incredible agility run with your dog and you’re certain you just conquered the world…or there was that equally frustrating run where you were less than pleased with either yourself or your dog….I’ll bet you can immediatly blurt out how you felt in those moments.
The first thing I want to say is that emotions are NATURAL!  Like it or not, we live with them in every waking & non-waking moment.  Some of us are more prone to embrace (or be overtaken by) them and some are in denial that their parents passed on the emotion gene (I hate to tell you, but it’s there).
Whatever type you are, I suggest preparing for “emotions” to sneak up on you at some point while training your dog.  It’s going to happen.
Unfortunately most coaches don’t talk about this side of Agility and who could blame them? Emotions can be sticky, icky, uncomfortable, personal and honestly, not many agility coaches have a degree in Wading Through Emotional Sludge.
Let me say upfront that I’ve experienced both euphoric and just plain ugly emotions during my 13 year dog career and I’ll bet you have too.  Some lessons I’ve learned the hard way and some lessons I did just right – life is about learning and you’ll find yourself learning as you go too. Any way, since many of us commit ourselves to our dogs & to our training financially, physically and with our souls it’s natural – and to be expected – that our commitment level comes out in emotions every once in awhile.
Some handlers try to pretend that they’re always positive and this is simply being untrue, unfair and undermining to themselves.  I say recognize & embrace your emotions because it is a part of who you are.  NOW, with that said, that doesn’t mean emotions should necessarily run the show and run your behavior – especially if it highlights the inside ugly monster you swore you’d never let out of it’s cage!
Seriously, be aware of how you’re feeling (happy or not) and if you’re not feeling “balanced”, are overwhelmed, irratated, disappointed, etc. then stop, chose not to train, don’t continue with what was eliciting the negative emotion, concentrate on breathing and resist the urge to replay the bad in your mind and instead chose to focus on things that went well.
Emotions are going to happen and it’s our job to recognize them as they occur and if appropriate, immediately move toward an action that relieves any negative feelings – BEFORE we act upon them.
I share all of this because emotions and training do not necessarily go hand in hand.  Training is about our dog, is more factual based and focuses on a goal.  On the other hand, emotions are about US and they are sporadic and often can be unfair and illogical.
So the next time you go to train your dog, check your emotions at the door (ok, just the negative ones!) and be prepared to focus on your dog and not your emotions.
As always, have fun and enjoy the training!  Oh wait, those are emotions….
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Categories : Dog Training, Handler Training, Lessons Learned, The Mental Challenge
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Beyond Weaves – the other things

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Monday, February 9th, 2009

Well, Ru is just starting to come into season and so I haven’t been diligent on my weave pole work.  She tends to be very needy the first few weeks and requiring a bit of distance & independent work from her during this time period is just too much for her hormonal brain to embrace.  No problem, there’s so many other things to do!

Last week I had planned to start her on the chute (she’s confident on tunnels and has been for a long time) and after setting up the chute up I was talking with another student – there went Ru, through the chute, checking it out as casually as possible.  OK, so much for “teaching” it to her – she’s a natural.  Good dog!
I did some sequencing with her for the first time and she really caught on to that concept quickly.  I started out working 1 obstacle at a time until I could chain 3-4 together.  I’ve learned that she is very quick to head off to the contacts – clearly I’ve made those a worth while obstacle in her mind!  It’s funny to watch her because she recognizes them and runs over as if to say “here it is Mom!”.  I just stop where I’m at and wait for her to come back to my lead hand of course treat and praise – then go on.  It was neat to see Ru piece together the concept of multiple obstacles.
I’ve done quite a bit of ground work for front and rear crosses so adding those in was very easy.  of course I would work it through with her and take the time to reward those steps that were on the path to success.  I’m careful to break down each action into tiny steps to help her be successful throughout the experience.  That keeps it fun for both of us!
I just bought a large (3′ high) construction cone to work on some additional send & turn work with all of our dogs.  I like this cone because it’s tall enough that even the big dogs can’t go over it.
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Categories : Dog Training, Foundation, Lessons Learned
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Young Dog Skills for Life, Obedience & Agility

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

My puppy, Ru (short for Rouge), turned 1 year old on Jan 5th. Although small and petite, she’s still a growing girl and up until now, there wasn’t too much I could directly do in Agility (and I’m fine with that). However, there have been training skills we’ve been working on.

She’s been active in:

  • Conformation
  • Socializing with the world
  • Playing and getting to know all kinds of people and different dog breeds
  • Working on her basic obedience & home skills (sit, down, stand, stay, walking on a loose leash, ignoring distractions, going on car rides, hanging out at dog shows, etc.
  • working a 2 on 2 off position on a flat board in our living room
  • working on Agility Flat Work such as a rear cross on the ground, a front cross, following the lead hand, etc.
  • Trick training such as crawling in a suitcase, playing with cardboard boxes, balance boards, etc.

I think any positive interactions you can create with and for your puppy will add to their experiences and make them a more well-adjusted dog as well as a positive family member.

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Categories : Dog Training, Foundation, Lessons Learned
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