Agility - The Mental Game

L to R:  Pepper, Lucky Lucy, Maxie

This is part of the quarterly Blog Action Day where agility bloggers all write on the same subject.  See what others have to say here.

The mental game has been at least 50% of the challenge for me in this sport, so much so that I can safely say if it wasn't A LOT OF FUN for me and my dogs to over ride the inertia of "comfort", I wouldn't do it at all.  Fortunately, I can afford the financial cost, so that's one problem I don't have.  But I've never been athletic, so making my body get out there and move, and in distinct ways, provides daily resistance.  EXERCISE (leg lifts, stretches, footwork, etc.) has never called my name, except for walking and swimming, both of which I love.  SPORTS have never interested me either -- I don't care to participate, and don't care which team wins!  I'm somewhat uncomfortable chatting with PEOPLE,  mostly because what interests me doesn't seem to interest them and vice versa.  Also, I find I never have enough time to learn enough, so I covet my private time.  So I'm not particularly suited for the bustling agility "scene"!

What does appeal to me is learning to communicate with my dogs and give them a wonderful life, and since they respond to body language that means I have to move my body.  I do agility for them.
For them, I've left the comfort of my home for classes and trials.  I've learned umpteen rules, which, by the way, I might direct you to my essay in the sidebar of this blog, Tips For The Novice Agility Competitor, to refresh you on how much you've had to learn and how far you've had to come to do this sport.  It's an eye-opener, especially for the seasoned agility instructor, reminding them how much their new students  have to learn in order to compete, and this doesn't even count training the dog!  It's intimidating!  One certainly needs a good mental game to endure it.

I've had injuries and illnesses - torn ligaments, twisted ankles, hip bersitis, pneumonia, cat and dog bites, vertigo, etc.  I've run my dogs with a TENS unit in my pocket and wires running under my pants leg to stimulate my sore calf muscle -- the only way I could endure the pain of the run. I've used and given away KT tape and ice packs to help others function at trials.  I see tons of knee braces, back braces, ankle wraps, etc., at trials, so I'm not alone in this.  Not to mention my eye problems -- my depth perception is way off since my cataract surgery 1.5 years ago.  This has been very depressing, like living with a continuous hangover.


Maxie, giving it his all.

Increasingly, I see people lining their dogs up for chiropractic and massage treatments.  It makes one wonder, why put our dogs through this sport if it's going to injure them?  Are we just doing it for ourselves?  One needs a good mental perspective to develop satisfying answers to these questions.  In my case, Maxie has needed some adjustments and isn't running as fast as before, and it turns out Lucky Lucy doesn't like being in arenas.  That is disquieting.  But . . . my dogs are bored to death if I don't do something active with them every single day.  They both enjoy movement, and I need movement.  They beg me to make them do tricks.  Agility seemed a good solution, so I've put 4 years into it, and loved it.   Truth be told, they'd be just as happy walking through the neighborhood, fetching balls, etc.  But that isn't sufficient for me, see.  I need more mental challenge than that.  I need to teach them stuff, and test their understanding, and occasionally it's nice to show them off.

Another significant part of my mental game has been learning how to tune out the critics and the ambilivants . . . . . just focus on my team.  When I'm at a trial, or even in class, I do my best to be friendly, attentive and supportive, but in the final analysis I'm there to be with my dogs and inch forward in our teamwork.  That's where the thrill is, for me.  I don't really enjoy being with people who aren't there for me.  Everyone is basically preoccupied, doing their own thing.  And then there are the rude people that nobody ever talks about.  The mental game helps provide the shield.

I enrolled in John Cullen's online courses via Cognitive Edge, learning a lot about setting up a Pre Competition Routine.  I've read books (reviewed elsewhere on this blog) about developing my mental game.  I've learned to love watching football games, (LSU and the New Orleans Saints in particular), because it amazes me what these "gladiators" go through to develop their physical skills as well as their mental game. What the human body can do, given proper and regular training and right mental attitude, is nothing short of miraculous.  I still don't know the rules of that game.  I just watch the players give their all -- pass and run and tackle and fly through the air, and arise unharmed after 20 guys have just piled up on them.  I want to be that way.  But I'm not.

I've done Susan Garrett's Puppy Peaks, but when I got my puppy (Pepper) 2 years ago, I didn't do many of the exercises.  Partly because I already train 2 dogs, partly because Pepper doesn't catch on as quickly as the other two and I'm not into the "thousands of repetitions" gig some dog trainers say is needed to train our dogs.  Maxie and Lucky Lucy spoiled me.  They learned quickly.  Not that it matters much.  I adore my beautiful Pepper-Tu, too. His manners are pretty good, and his antics are so funny!  He is very PRESENT and WITH ME in the most important ways.

Looking back, this whole blog has been mostly a chronicle about my involvement in this sport, but it also captures the enormous amount of work that goes into agility -- training, packing, travelling, filling out forms, learning the rules, solving training and other problems, building equipment and relationships, keeping up the training yards, setting goals, analyzing runs, developing a healthy mental game, streamlining processes, cutting losses, and carrying on despite the many disappointments and constant struggles.  Not that I'm trying to discourage anyone else, but lately I've been wondering why I continue when I could stay home where everything runs pretty much smoothly and I don't have to struggle so much.  There are a lot easier things to do.

I'm kinda in that mental space right now, wondering if just taking classes once a week and backyard training would satisfy me, without need to trial and compete for ribbons and titles.  Hopefully it's just a phase.  What did John Cullen's recent article call it  -- burn out.  I read the article -- all the ways to prevent burnout -- but I didn't even want to do those.

On top of that, there's my declining FoohFooh, my first dog for whom this FoohMax agility blog is named.  I never did agility with FoohFooh.    He was so smart, but I was not ready to handle his enthusiasm. I did the best I could. We did many tricks. He wowed our visitors with his roll-overs, hand shakes, fay-do-do's (i.e., bang, you're dead's), and such forth, but I had never heard of Agility in 1998. Nor even Obedience!  I was a highly skilled child trainer, but not a bit with dogs.  I made it up daily, but never caught up as he was so smart, I knew I was lagging right away.  But it wasn't until I acquired Maxie in 2008 that, never to make the same mistake, I began to search online for dog training tips.  Fooh is just as smart as Maxie, maybe smarter.  I failed him in so many ways.  He forgives me, and he's now so old, can barely stand.  We are waiting with baited breath for his last day.  Maybe 3 weeks, 3 months, not sure.  I don't want to leave him behind for a weekend of trialing and miss his passing.  That would scar my soul. So I tend to stay home.  His poor backbone sticks out, his paws curl under, he can barely make it down the steps to the yard, he barely responds to the call to go "outside", which used to excite him so.  We are all feeling kinda low around here, though he still loves his food.  Death sucks.  Is that bad?  Is it wrong to linger with a dying loved one and let them know how wonderful their blip of life was for you? Wrong to lose your mo-jo for awhile?  Wrong to feel depressed, sad, wound down?  Wrong to not respond to the enthusiastic urgings of the yet-healthy ones whose main focus is, without doubt, Me, Me, Me?  Gees, if fading away means nothing, why rise?

And then two weeks ago I tripped on a root after a stimulating class, landed flat on my belly, knocked the breath out of me.  I spit the dirt out of my mouth, got up and drove home, but within 2 days I realized I had re-strained my old knee ligament injury (which had me in a walker for 3 months a few years back), and I think I fractured a rib.  I've been in pain ever since, with NO desire or ability to practice the past two weeks.  Feeding and petting the dogs and letting them out is about all I can muster.  So that's "where I'm at" at this writing.

Hopefully, reading the other agility bloggers' posts will help me get back my mo-jo!  Bring it on.  No doubt, this agility gig has been a life-shifting, motivating, memorable ride and I don't regret it one bit.  Would I love to go to my own grave saying I had a CHAMPION AGILITY DOG?  Of course, I would.  And Maxie's only 7 QQ's from getting there, and we'd have been there long ago if it wasn't for just, every single trial day, just ONE LITTLE MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Happy Holidays to you all.  Upwards and onward!

Improving Agility Organizations - Suggestions not Criticisms

This is the quarterly Blog Action day, where agility bloggers across the globe share their ideas on a designated topic.  This list of links: Improving Agility Organizations, will no doubt be read by the various agility organizations and maybe they'll glean some new ideas.

First, for family and those unfamiliar, there are many dog agility organizations.  In America, there are 5 major organizations.  Outside the US, there are many others, whose activities include setting up rules for holding matches and trials, establishing titling criteria, training judges, helping local clubs get organized, etc.

Agility is rapidly growing in popularity, and rapidly evolving.  Rules and equipment are changing in response to safety concerns, keeping the game challenging, attracting new handlers, providing a stepped program of incentives and titles on the way to championship, considerations for uniformity of equipment across all platforms, etc.

Here's my Lucky Lucy, a 4 year old
Southern Black Mouth Curr, a breed
as yet unrecognized by AKC, but an amazing young
athelete working her way towards MACH.

That said, my only extensive experience is with AKC and I think they do an incredible job!  I train 2 purebred papillons, but am most grateful that AKC has begun to allow All American Dogs to register and compete for the same agility titles as AKC's recognized breeds.  I think it will shortly be proved that breed recognition, or pure breeding, has little to do with any atheletic dog's ability to participate in and excel in our great sport.

With that great big proletarian "thank you" on record, I have only a few more concerns or ideas to share in the spirit of evolving AKC agility, which may apply in some measure to other venues as well.

1. Masters vs. MACH -
   I've never understood why dogs with 9 Q's under their belt and just admitted into the Master's Standard (or Masters Jumpers) category of competition, should compete for placement with MACH 1 dogs, who have earned 20 QQ's!  Or MACH 6 dogs with 120 QQ's.  It's obvious to me that there should be some additional layer of difficulty added once a dog becomes a champion, and they should be judged within their own group. This might not require any additional course setup, but maybe shave off the SCT by a few seconds, with book keeping no harder than how Preferred is handled vs Regular -- same course, different designation on paper.  Or to make it more interesting maybe yes, introduce more international handling, an extra trap, tweeking the angle of a jump or two to require tighter turns, a harder entry, a longer serpentine or threadle, an extra jump or two at the end requiring more stamina.  Nothing too hard on the ring crew nor taking much time to adjust.  No moving heavy equipment. Judges could design courses with just a little tweeking in mind.   I look forward to the day when Champions compete against each other, leaving the greener teams to compete amongst themselves!
2. Matches -
   In my neck of the woods, matches are hard to find, maybe one every 2 years or so.  This is a new trend because when I got started in agility 4 years ago, many trials held a match, and we were all advised to enter as many matches as possible to get our green dogs used to being in the ring, yet able to motivate with toys and treats.   About 2 years ago it came to pass, no doubt because handlers would spill treats or intentionally throw them on the dirt and dogs competing the next day would be distracted by the smells, allowing treats in the ring fell out of favor.  Not so good for dogs with no tug/toy drive, but better than nothing.  And now that I can't find a match anywhere, I've been asking various Trial Chairmen about this and got these responses:
   
   "Matches are too much trouble" . . . . . .  Gracious sakes, I read the AKC Regs on holding matches, and they are way too much trouble!  If AKC's purpose is to teach new clubs how to hold trials with a few dry runs first before holding a real trial, the Regs make perfect sense.  But once that's done, fun matches are all we need and these rules should be relaxed.  Why, for instance, is there a rule that only club members can participate in a club's non-sanctioned "fun match"? People attending the trial from several states will happily come in a day early to practice their dogs in an arena situation.  Why can't they?  What's the point of this rule?  I do, maybe, see the point of limiting fun match participation to dogs that aren't champions. Champions with all their experience don't need so much proofing against distractions.  They don't have ring jitters. It could be argued that champions might gain an unfair advantage being prematurely exposed to a club's peculiar equipment before the trial begins.  Going in cold is an added level of difficulty that could be required of champions, but not so much with greener dogs.
   
   "The club looses money on matches" . . . . . I think the obvious answer is to charge more. Everyone knows arenas cost money and the cost has to be covered. The going rate around here used to be $5 for 2 minutes in the ring.  I'd gladly pay more to give my dogs ring experience.
   
   "It's too hard to find staff" . . . . . finding perks to draw 5 or 6 core staff shouldn't be too hard -- free match runs, ice water and a few cookies would do it for me, free trial entry fees would be even better. We have to quit expecting core volunteers to slave away for free.
   
   "Matches aren't necessary, just enter and run your dog at enough trials and they'll get used to it" . . . . .  the people saying this are experienced competitors who trial often and have little need for matches themselves.  They are also the ones staffing the trials and don't want the extra hassle.  But I feel they've lost sight of the needs of the newcomers, and the advantage of training green dogs in an arena situation.  I wrote AKC a few months back wondering what they might do to encourage clubs to add matches to their trials, at least once a year.  I haven't heard back yet.
3. See Saw Flyoffs -
   We have all witnessed, time and time again, dogs not faulted for obviously leaving the board before it hits the ground, presumably because judging the see-saw accurately is so extremely difficult that the norm is to cut every team some slack.  BUT
   
   AKC judging rules are very clear: To properly perform the seesaw, the dog may not exit the plank until the elevated edge hits the ground for the first time  . . . . . . . . . Exiting the plank before its elevated edge hits the ground is faulted with an "F" for a flyoff . . . . . . . . the dog must still be in control and have touched the contact zone at the same time or after the plank touches the ground.
   
   If it is impossible for a human to accurately judge this (as in recent discussion about Masher, the 8" papillon who won at Nationals, whom some witnesses claim dismounted the board a fraction of a second early), I hope some kind of electronic sensor can be developed.  This would encourage handlers to train a solid dismount more vigorously, since they could no longer hope to squeak by without it.  This is mostly for the safety of the dog, but also, of course, in the interests of fairness in who Q's and who doesn't.  Some kind of proximity sensor strip embedded in the contact zone?  A touch pad under the rubberized surface that sets off a red light on the side of the board if the dog looses contact before the board hits the ground?  I don't know, but surely someone out there is clever enough to design an economical solution.
4. FAST classes -
   Few clubs and few judges have wireless mikes, so the scribe often can't hear the numbers 1-10 called out by the judges (each obstacle taken adds value to a cumulative score).  Sometimes judge's heads are turned away, other times the judge has a soft voice, or loud fans overhead, or a barking dog behind the scribe table makes it impossible for the scribe to hear.  I've timed enough FAST classes to witness scribes missing calls or guessing calls to know that FAST scores aren't all that accurate.  I think AKC should require judges to purchase wireless mikes and bring them to all the FAST classes they judge.  An adequate system costs around $200, and judges could bump up their compensation package by a few bucks a day to cover the cost.  I also think that judges should be required to provide the scribe table with a course map showing the value of each obstacle, so if the scribe can't hear a number, she can glance at the map and tell what it is. 
   Of lesser concern is the lack of electronic eyes measuring when to start the timer.  Depending on a person to press a button when they think the dog's nose crosses an invisible start line is inexact at best.  No human timer gets it exactly right every time, but it's probably not more than a second off . . . unless their finger slips or they aren't paying attention.  At novice levels it makes very little difference, but at championship levels, maybe it does.
5. Agility Commentators -
   Sarah and Estaban, of Bad Dog Agility, working up and sharing their Power Score statistics in their AKC Nationals Preview article and publishing their podcast: Episode 33: 2013 AKC National Agility Championship Wrap-Up opened a Pandora's Box for me of what is possible.  Their sports analysis comparing various dogs'  and handlers' careers and runs was state of the art, in my opinion.  I believe it points to a more exciting future for our sport.  Like the way olympic figure skating has Peggy Fleming and Scott Hamilton in real time discussing and describing what we are watching --  the tripple lutz, the quad, etc., and every football game has a desk with commentators discussing the plays, the players, the coaches, bringing the viewers to a higher level of understanding of what they are watching, our sport needs that to gain in popularity.  For example, when I bring family members to an agility trial, they quickly lose interest after watching me and a few teams run, on the grounds that "they are all doing the same thing".  It takes a practiced eye to see the vast differences in handling, speed, extension, collection, tight turns, etc.  Which leads me to discussing the PA system at AKC Nationals.  I wasn't there in person, but why was the video commentary streamed by AgilityVision so garbled?  I could hardly understand a thing that was said.  Either the placement of the microphones, or the PA system itself . . . . something needs improvement.
6. Scholarships to National and International competitions -
   I have suspicions and have expressed elsewhere my concerns that there are probably some top notch AKC competitors who can't afford to go to these expensive competitions.  So we never see them on the US team.  I was thus gratified to hear on the latest Bad Dog Agility Podcast: Episode 36: The 2013 EO and AWC USA Teams, that AKC does fund some teams to these events, and has a donation portal on their website for other donors to help finance certain teams.  I suppose some portion of our trial entry fees are earmarked for this fund.   I'm still not sure if the qualifications for funding have anything to do with financial need, but I hope that becomes the criteria in future. Not to sound too bourgeois, again, but money is no measure of atheletic excellence.

Okay, that's all I've got to add to this conversation.  I look forward to the rants, wise council and/or wild ideas of our other bloggers.

Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly

as when they discuss it freely.
- Thomas Babington Macaulay

Upwards and onward!

Blog Event #6 - "Internationalization"

Agility bloggers are submitting their opinions on March 6th about the "internationalization" of dog agility, all articles linked to here, which means the effect of the European influence on our sport.  Clearly agility is taught and practiced differently in different countries.

NOTE:  I originally put comments in this post more suited to an upcoming Blog Event about improving our sport, so I removed them and will repost later.  My apologies for being too broad on the subject of Internationalization, which apparently refers only to handling and course design . . . . . not anomalies in classes, jump height, judging, trial situations and growing the sport.

That apology said, I'll reveal that competing on the international or even the national plane is not my game -- yet.   But challenging and improving myself as much as possible and exploring the limits of what dogs and handlers can do, is my game.  So I'm interested.  I have no way to compare systems except to listen to the voices of others thru articles, blogs and podcasts, and watch videos of the FCI worlds and other YouTube videos.

My observations are thus:

The Internet:  With the advent of the internet, (YouTube, Facebook, search engines, key words, cloud storage, free blog space and podcasts where individuals can share what they know for free, and without the necessity for "position" or "credentials"), and with a universal language most people can speak (lets thank the English for something) the world is opening up to allow humans to display their inately generous spirit.  We all want to share what we know, and learn what others know.  We are no longer trapped by our locale.  We are less provincial.  Education has exploded as we watch a wider world explore and interpret their experiences. It's a Yahoo time to be alive, and this flows into our sport!  Let's keep it Yahoo.

Things I've learned recently:

Running Contacts are elegant, beautiful, and efficient.  Watching dogs creep down the boards or stick the bottom of the A-frame and Dog Walk, or worse, back up and stretch a back leg backwards to touch the board, looks stupid.  So I've quit training 2O2O, though I still don't know how to train Running Contacts.  I'm looking for an online teacher because nobody locally teaches it yet, and I hope Running Contacts becoming the standard way we train those obstacles.  Whoever came up with it, it's a great advance.

The Moves: All the various crosses, (front, rear, blind, blended, reverse flow, ketchker, etc.) and the other moves (reverse flow pivot, backy uppy, etc) are very cool, fun to practice, important to know. Bring them on. Add new ones. Just don't include them in the novice level courses. And don't forget the newbies.  One of the problems I've seen with "experts" is they get bored with teaching the simpler moves and rules.

Distance Handling vs. Close Handling - Europeans seem to favor close handling and fast running, whereas in the US we have been in love with distance handling.  I have spent hours teaching my dogs to "go out" so as not to be chided for "babysitting" my dogs.  I love DH because as an older, less atheletic person I need my dogs to work away. And it's thrilling to watch when done correctly, especially by handlers with infirmities who can't move well.   I love to review a course map and draw a line of what I call the "handler's corridor", the minimum space a handler might traverse to efficiently direct his dog over all the obstacles.  But DH can also be an excuse not to learn to move your carcass! I love that we are beginning to realize we need to train handlers to move and developing exercise strategies for our human atheletes!  It's not just about the dogs' agility and atheleticism.  It's awe inspiring to see young people getting into the sport who can run fast.

Commentators:  For our sport to grow, we will need commentators building interest and educating viewers like every football game has.   I believe the challenges introduced by European-style courses and handling maneuvers builds far more excitement into the sport for spectators.  They are far more amazing to watch.

Well, now I'm going to hang back and listen to what everyone else has to say.  I expect to have my eyes opened wide.

Upwards and onward!

Backyard Training Takeaways

Reading through all the other bloggers posts on Backyard Training, my biggest discovery was all the resources on the Bad Dog Agility blog. I've visited the blog before but never explored the site except to read the current article.  Lots of informative Articles, a nice Visual Dictionary of the basic handling moves, but most of all I like the Podcasts--24 interviews with various agility experts.  Getting them to download to my iPhone thru iTunes was a 2.5 hour challenge!  You can read my notes on the podcasts I've listened to.

There were several other memorable posts, which can all be accessed here.  All agreed that most agility fundamentals can be taught in small spaces, without much equipment, and most everyone works on foundation skills in little ways, throughout the day.  Also that all agility handling skills can be taught with just a few jumps in a small space, lots of short reps rather than long sessions on full courses, with numerous examples and diagrams given.  Amen to that!

Marsha Houston, on her 2 Minute Dog Trainer Blog, put it most suscinctly:
"If I take my puppy to a weekly class I probably spend less than 10 minutes out of any hour actually training my puppy. I would have to attend a class for years to get in the same training time I achieve through daily training at mealtimes . . . . while my dog is in a highly aroused state."
http://2mindogtrainer.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/marsha-houstons-2-minute-dog-trainer-blog-2/

I really enjoyed the 4th video on this post, setting up a great rear cross exercise, and am also intrigued by the Hit The Ground Running Online Classes discussed towards the bottom of the post, supposed to increase the dog's speed:
http://artanddogblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/bringing-out-your-dogs-inner-maserati-through-backyard-training/

This one shows that the sport is still evolving, trainers are still experimenting.
"With Kory I’m doing new stuff. Right now I’m teaching him to do a Switch. I should define: The command “Switch” means that I want him to circle my body tightly in a counter-clockwise direction.  I know this seems like a curious objective. You’re just going to have to trust me. I expect in ten years everybody with a fast (and trainable) dog will have both the Switch and the ComeBy in their basic foundation training."
http://budhouston.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/backyard-zen-enlightenment-through-meditation-and-insight/


Only one post emphasized handler fitness, and that one stands out in my mind as it outlines a specific training routine. I needed that!
http://www.poodlesinmotion.com/2012/12/05/my-backyardbasement-training-routine/

Upwards and onward!

Blog Action Day #4 - BACKYARD TRAINING

Today, December 5th, is our 4th Blog Action Day, sharing ideas with other agility trainers on things they do at home to train their dogs.  Links to all the other bloggers posts are listed here.  My favorite take-aways are here.

**************************
I didn't think I'd have much to say on this topic, but once I got going I couldn't stop. I've tried to cull my material to things new and different from what other handlers might have to say, except for some background introduction on how often I train. Here goes: 

I tell beginner students:  "You can't learn agility in one hour a week".  And that's the truth! 

Yet each of my dogs attends class only 1 hour a week, gets maybe 4 or 5 turns, and I attend 1 or 2 seminars a year, and go to 7 or 8 trials per year where Maxie and Lucky Lucy go in the ring two times per day, XS and XJ for less than a minute each time.  There are hardly any matches in our area. That's all the agility we would get unless we practice on our own.

Our dog club has a wonderful Field Use program where members can pay $50/year and have 24/7 access to our fenced field, which is lighted all night and 2-3 courses, plus practice drills, are usually set up with competition quality equipment. The club cuts the grass. It's an amazing bargain, but still you have to drive there, you're on 2 acres eeriely alone, and it's not as convenient as your own back yard.  Plus neither my dogs nor I like hot or cold weather (above 85, below 50), so we pretty much only get out in spring and fall. It's amazing how well we do with so little practice.

Finding The Right Class: I can't always find a class that fits my dog's needs. This was true with Lucky Lucy, and now with Pepper at Beginners level. In Intro class he had no hesitation doing the obstacles, but the instructor had us working off leash right away, thus Pepper would do the short sequence (jump-tunnel-jump, jump/see saw/jump, etc.) then he'd run away exploring, visiting, sniffing. Papillons are very spunky that way, and hard to catch. Before working off leash, I think he should have learned to stay with me and run alongside me taking obstacles in class the way Maxie did (same teacher, but 4 years ago). We got promoted out of the class without enough handler focus. Now I have to fix this myself at home.  No further agility training until we resolve this issue.

Resources:  At home, I follow a few agility blogs or journals.  I've read some agility books.   I watch numerous YouTube videos. I appreciate every piece of input and try out some of it. But when I step away from that material, I don't always remember it like they said it, and I end up doing things my own way.  In fact, I like making up my own exercises. To me, it's not all about training for the ring.  I like to play with my dogs, see what I can get them to do, explore their intelligence (and mine), work out performance issues, invent exercises, and track improvements. 

FOUNDATION SKILLS:  I've long said, there's a lot more to agility than performing obstacles. Most of us are woefully undertrained in foundation skills.  My newest puppy isn't fully bonded with me -- he's more independant than the others.  I have bond-building to do.

Indoor stuff:
I use feeding time, loading up in the car, sitting for leash attachments, crate games, no begging at mealtimes, jumping into my arms, standing for exam, sitting for grooming, waiting until their name is called before eating or leaving the room, etc., -- all good training opportunities that recur daily, sometimes hourly, that teach impulse control, focus, and discipline.  We do the routine "parlor tricks" that wow company, are fun, and earn the dogs several mid-day snacks.  They all apply to agility, but you have to keep this up.  If you go slack, the behavior weakens.  So we do it a lot.  My wardrobe has changed to shirts, dresses and pants with pockets.  I keep jars of treats and clickers everywhere I sit.

Outdoor stuff:
I have a large fenced yard, fully equipped, and set up some Backyard Dog exercises, boxes, double boxes, and pinwheels, and actually number and do them now and then.  I set up and practice some of Steve's Jump Wraps and other handling exercises.  I also run obstacles that are scattered about the yard, in un-numbered fashion, asking for tight wraps, sending, leaving, etc., whenever I see the dogs begging to do tricks.  I allow myself to be spontaneous sometimes.  It's exhilerating to interact freely with my pooches, without fear that I'll forget what comes next or that they will err.

Last year a truck ran down our old mailbox on the highway.  We replaced it, I banged out the dents in the old one and put it on a post in the middle of the agility yard -- a handy dry place to keep nested numbers away from ants, tug toys, balls, a plastic tub of dry treats so I don't have to run back inside for training aides every time I get a yen to train my dogs.  The dogs will go sit by it when they want to play. It's cute!

I use Clean Run's Course Designer to draw parts of courses I find challenging and exercises I make up. Keeping a record of exercises I've worked on is part of why I keep this blog. I'm still refining my labels (key words) so one day I can find them all under Training Exercises.  When I go back and read the problems I was working through 2 years ago, I can see how far I've come in my understanding. I find the process fascinating, and encouraging. And sometimes embarassing. If my blog was just about accuracy, I would delete or change these posts.  But I've decided my blog isn't just about accuracy.  It's the story of my development as a newbie handler, and all the struggles, heartaches and perseverance it takes to stay in the game.

I encourage handlers to go through some raw experiences of making up challenges from scratch, to identify one small problem and "think dog" to resolve it,  to "own" the training process, not just follow the finished material of other handlers. When someone else hands you a solution, you tend to take it for granted that the exercise they devised is "simple", "true", and "obvious", not realizing how many steps it took for them to work out the kinks. And their solution might not be a universal fix that applies to your dog.  If "guessing games" are good for our dogs, they are just as good for us, and for the same reasons.  They keep you agile, and engaged.

ARMCHAIR TRAINING:

Distance Handling:  I've been injured so often (sciatica, hip bursitis, strained knee, pulled calf muscle) the past 4 years, I'm intrigued with the concept of training from a chair.  Also, I'm such a slow runner, I feel the need to build distance handling skills. There's a lady (Kathy somebody) who competes along the Gulf Coast area who can't run at all, walks in the ring with a cane, dragging one foot behind her, and directs her fast border collie around the course, moving her shoulders too and fro and taking a few steps along what I call the "Handler's Corridor".  It's amazing to watch her walk the course and plan her strategy so differently from the rest of us, and her dog often Q's.  She shows that extreme distance handling is possible.  I told her once, "I'd love to watch you train.  If you'd like, I'll help you write your story".  She looked at me like I was crazy then said "I haven't trained a puppy in years, but it starts out from the very beginning. I'm not sure I remember how I did it."  She did not refer me to a book, a system, or a trainer.  Apparently she invented her own system!

Handler's Corridor vs Game Of Chase:  I often look at course maps and try to identify the "Handler's Corridor", the minimal space a handler needs to move through to support every obstacle at a distance.  It's a real fun way to look at any sequence (not at a trial when a Q is on the line, but at home).  One day I'll blog about the Handler's Corridor.  It is the exact antithesis to my most recent understanding of agility being a "game of chase" where handler runs fast, supports each obstacle closely, and dog gleefully chases the handler along.  I got this latest insight from researching 2012's top ranked AKC agility dog, an 8" Papillon named Tigger with 35 MACHs and over 55,000 MACH points, and searching on YouTube for videos of his runs.  You can astound yourself by reading my Tigger report here. Watch the video links at the bottom.  I've since discovered from Susan Garrett's blog that today's world champion teams are playing agility as a game of chase.  View a few of these videos here, and gasp!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=jvm_IgFHYGo&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tejhI7_PZgg&list=UUC9e_MCAXl7VvDwsHnGd6hw&index=2&feature=plcp

Jumping Practice From My Chair: I have a 25' x 25' vegetable garden in my training yard, with a 2' picket fence all around it.  I discovered I could toss a ball into the garden, Lucky jumps in to fetch it, then jumps out and brings it back to me.  Here's a short video of this exercise, showing her lovely extension and powerful, accurate jumping style, easy to see because of her short hair.

Oh my, how she loves this game, and it keeps her in shape!  This has come in handy when an injury has kept me from exercising her, or when my husband comes home from work too exhausted to tug with her.  I have a 30" high wrought iron fence dividing my front yard, too, and she jumps that back and forth several times a day as well.  She has a natural eye for judging height and distance, and at trials, she has only ever knocked one bar that I can remember.  The higher the jump, the better she likes it.

I train from my chair indoors too. Here's a recent blog post I did on Hassock Drills, which really taxes their brains and requires focus, coordination and cooperation. Great for developing body awareness.

Distance handling with tunnel:  My latest distance exercise is to send either Maxie, Lucky or Pepper to my 9' tunnel from my porch chair, starting about 6' away. My goal is to have the tunnel at least 40' away, and use minimal motion.  The learning process for them and me is unfolding slowly.  There are lots of issues to work out.  I'm documenting the steps on video to post someday on this blog.  I'm calling it: "Evolution Of A Training Exercise".

Relays:   I don't know anybody else who does relays, but they are loads of fun.  Here's a video I posted last year of Maxie and Lucky doing Weave Relays.  And another of Pepper at 4 months old doing his first Tunnel Relays.  (His nicknames back then were Winnie and Honey Bear).

Weave Poles:   Maxie did channel weaves in class but never got it.  He was actually banished from Advanced Beginners class for 3 months until he could do 6 weave poles successfully.  It wasn't until I put peanut butter on a long wooden spoon to lure him through at home, that he got it.  I did Susan Garrett's 2x2's with Lucky because she fetches and tugs, and she's got it.  But I'm trying a new way with Pepper - my own method. Here's the diagram I drew before I even tried it on him and so far my thought experiment is working pretty well, though it's hard to throw the treat in exactly the right place.  Another evolutionary process.

I don't claim this works better than any other method.  But it illustrates my point.  I like inventing my own exercises, observing the results.  I'm a pioneer at heart.

See Saw Entries:  I have my own method for that too.  I don't ever want my dogs entering the see saw from the side.  From the beginning, I put wings on either side of the low end.  Dog has to run around the wing and enter head on.  After awhile this becomes routine.  Wings turn into flower pots.  Pots disappear.  Max and Lucky both have great see saw entries - always straight on, from any angle.  They translate this skill to dog walk and A-frame entries too, all by themselves.

See Saw Exits:  I have my own method for that, too.  I am always surprised how many dogs fly off the see saw at trials. I never want to see that or a bail off.  Never.  They can be dangerous.  I also marvel at dogs who creep across the see-saw, or won't run out to the end.  From day one, I require a 4 on contact, a halt, and wait for release before leaving.  I encourage a lowered head to lower my little papillons' center of gravity in preparation for the bounce, and get it by delivering the treat at board level, 2" from the end of the board, never up in the air like most everyone else does.  Alas, treating like this requires bending over.  The only time I release from the see-saw immediately is at a trial, which they do with no problem.

Making up your own exercises is fun.  It becomes a necessity when nobody has a solution to your problem.  Following other people's exercises, or making up your own, either way, requires you to become a better observer.  Is it working?  If not, you must be willing to swallow your pride, abandon your bright idea, and try something else.  That gets your humility up, your brain cells jumping!

Treadmill Training:  I've long known that agility requires running, but long excused myself that I don't know how to run, don't even have the muscles in my legs for running, they attrophied in my 20's, and distance handling is possible.  I'm great at excuses.   At 66, I've never in my life had to run anywhere -- except maybe to the bathroom once in a blue moon.  I've prayed for a running coach, not yet forthcoming, not my fault.  I've yearned for long legs.  What I've not done until recently is pull my treadmill out of the corner, dust it off, and begun using it 30 minutes a day to walk at faster and faster speeds.  Get my heart rate up.  Increase my stride.  I was finally inspired to do this at a recent agility seminar where the instructor pointed out how poorly I run, then informed the whole class how poorly we all run (like old ladies), and that she treadmills at least 30 minutes a day, raising and lowering her speed to simulate the sprint of an agility run.  And then the next weekend, at a trial I was attending, she MACHIIed her dog!  She's not a thin gal, but moved along quite fast. Faster than her YouTube videos of yesteryear.  I was inspired by her increased skills! 

Training Partners/Students:  My biggest stumbling block in practicing is that I'm more motivated to train when someone trains with me. I'm more likely to spiff up the yard, set sequences, clean/repair equipment, think through problems, run well, when someone is coming over. I've never been able to acquire a steady training partner, though.

Videos: Of course, taking videos of trial runs and training sessions and studying them, is a must!  If you can't see yourself moving, it's like a ballet dancer trying to learn graceful postures without a mirror.  Agility is as much about training ourselves to handle as training our dogs.  I've heard people say they can't stand to watch themselves in videos.  I know, I've gotten almost sick watching my arms flap around like a wounded bird, me yelling the name of every obstacle as though my dogs were deaf, causing faults by my confusion, poor timing or clumsy actions.  But I learn more from watching my and other people's videos as from any other teacher or training tool.  Setting up and videoing lessons for this blog is almost as motivating as having a training partner -- I feel like I'm sharing the experience with someone else.  It pushes me toward improvement in a way nothing else can do.

Well, there are a hundred variations on each theme.  I've read all the other posts, and here are my favorite take-aways.

Upwards and onward!

Blog Action Day Takeaways - What Makes A Good Coach/Teacher

From 39 other essays posted by agility bloggers for our 4th Blog Action Day - What Makes A Good Coach/Teacher, here are my favorite takeaways, and sometimes a few comments from me (in blue) about why I like this takeaway.  Some give me a new idea, others confirm what I already believe.  In each case, I link to the blog post underneath the passage I like.

An average coach will make you feel his or her greatness. A perfect coach will make you feel yours!

I also believe that you should probably have several coaches or instructors in your agility career.  Not everyone has a diverse enough skill set to teach everything you need to know. . . . Lately my perfect coach/instructor is my dogs and my favorite tool is my video camera.
http://bcagility.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-makes-perfect-coachinstructor.html

All dogs are individuals, of course. They’re not all typical (or stereotypical) of their breed; they all need to be treated as individuals within their breeds. But breed matters. Anyone who says it doesn’t, doesn’t Get It. Papillons, for example, need a 4 on contact at the bottom of the see-saw for a safe landing and to drive the board down quickly, so don't insist I put their treat on a target 6" out from the board.  In fact, let me remove the target when it's my turn.

http://www.doranna.net/wordplay/index.php/2012/09/05/beagles-arent-border-collies/

First and foremost, a coach’s role is to provide you with information you currently do not have.  I resent teachers who mindlessly teach me things I clearly already know, which just reveals that they aren't actually teaching ME.  "Place your front cross further out" is useful.  "A front cross is a change of sides", insults me.
http://www.daisypeel.com/articles/what-makes-a-good-coach/

What makes a great instructor/coach? Here are some of my criteria:

1. The instructor must be as kind to the student as they expect the student to be to their dog (for me, only positive training would be acceptable).
2. They must be kind, empathetic and have endless patience.
3. There would NEVER EVER be a harsh word muttered towards the student or the dog.
4. They would NEVER EVER blame the dog for ANYTHING that goes wrong, and they would not accept that from their students either.
5. No matter what happens on course, a great instructor teaches their students to smile as they leave the course and be kind to their dog.
6. A great instructor teaches their students to be good losers as well as good winners.
7. They would never roll their eyes at a student, belittle them or use sarcasm when teaching.
8. Instructors should never ever tell tales outside of class. What happens in class stays in class. It would be unprofessional to do anything else.
9. Great instructors gently encourage their students to be more than they think they can be. They never shame them into anything or ridicule their students.
10. A great instructor will not over face their students. They know how to train reliable behaviors and will break things down into small pieces so the students and dogs gain confidence as they learn and never feel overwhelmed.
11. A great instructor is not afraid to search for more answers from others who are successful.
12. And finally, a great instructor will not only answer any and all questions the student asks, they will do so with a smile.

It has always been a mystery to me why some instructors feel the need to shame or belittle students. . . . . .
http://jility.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/teachers-pet/

A great agility coach applies pressure to students in class, pushes them out of their comfort zone, asks them to hurry to the start line, shouts “please go now!” to replicate the trial atmosphere.  First I've heard of "replicating the trial atmosphere in class".  At the advanced levels, I like it!
http://2mindogtrainer.wordpress.com/

A good coach will watch from ringside and mentally will you to work your start-line, reinforce your contact criteria, cue a front cross sooner . . . . . Cue a front cross?????  I've never heard that one.  How do you cue a front cross before you front cross?
http://allstaragility.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/dog-agility-blog-action-day-what-makes-a-good-coach/

Any instructor that suggests the sport can be taught differently if you don’t have “world team aspirations” suffers from a limited vision. Things like body awareness, shadow handling, foundation jump grids, games of drive and control prior to ever getting on agility obstacles all make the “foundation” agility training so easy. Anyone who attempts to teach agility obstacles first without these elements in place is surely inviting frustration to be a constant companion of both the dog and the handler throughout their agility playing career. This is why I offered a Handling Fundamentals class at our club last spring, but it had few takers and was ridiculed by our regular teachers, who claimed they already teach the fundamentals.  But they never taught me shadow handling, body awareness, start line stays, footwork, and games of drive in their classes -- all we did was run sequences.  The only two who took my class had a very respectable Q rate in their first Novice trials!
http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2012/09/finding-great-instruction-in-dog-agility/

A great teacher "recognizes how agility has changed — Agility continues to evolve. Trends in course design have changed, and different handling maneuvers are needed. Weave pole entries are more difficult, serpentines are prevalent, and wraps are becoming more common. A good trainer recognizes this, and will also alter the focus of training exercises to focus on current challenges in agility.
http://agilityvet.com/2012/09/05/1078/

A great instructor also has an instructor! It's all about continuing education! Never settle for someone who assumes they already know it all and has nothing left to learn. Teaching the same things you’ve taught for years or teaching things the same way you’ve taught for years is just stale.
A great instructor realizes that they are not just training a dog, but a person too! You can teach a dog every complicated move in the book, but if the handler cannot perform those moves, well, you’ve really not accomplished anything.
http://porterandstout.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-makes-good-instructor.html

1. Passion: a true, genuine passion for what they do. . . . . It’s totally unreasonable to expect your students to follow your lead when you’re not particularly enthused about it yourself. . . . . . Happiness is contagious, it excites the pleasure centres of your brain, so you associate learning with pleasure, not a feeling of boredom or obligation. That can’t not be a good thing.

In conclusion, the really great trainers have loved what they did, but understood their craft from top to bottom and had a sense of balance between learning and success.
http://mufaasa.thescruffysite.com/?p=825

And this one saved for last, from Bud Huston, a big name agility instructor, really sums it up.  It's long but well worth reading by any teacher who cares to improve, and by any student who needs a handle on what the teacher is going through trying to manage a class or help a student successfully.  Plus, I no longer feel like a maverick trying to incorporate games into my classes, giving homework, using a stopwatch, or suggesting special events or socials.
Care about your students. Learn their names. You don’t know everything; don’t even pretend. Learn some good jokes. Pay attention to their progress. Socialize with their dogs; and give them treats out of your own hand. If you must set them back to repeat a class, allow it to be their idea and praise them for being prudent and clever dog trainers. Give everyone equal value. Allow everyone equal time on the floor. Don’t bullshit them. They come to you for instruction, so be honest. Don’t forget to get them signed up for the next session of classes early; they won’t take it as nagging or selling, but will feel that you honestly care about them. Leave your prejudices about certain breeds of dogs at home. Smile occasionally and laugh often. Always apologize for being stupid. Don’t try to fix everything at once; it’s okay to take the long view. Try to be clever about finding just the right thing to fix or help with. Remind your students from time to time that agility is just a game. Remind yourself from time to time that agility is just a game. Prepare for every class that you teach. Feel free to state objectives and offer handling advice and remedy; but remember ultimately that they come to get out on the floor working their dogs not to hear you lecture. Be humble about your own accomplishments; but ask your students for their brags every week. Be mindful that you know your students in a narrow context – they may contend with drama and tragedy in their own lives of which you are unaware. Always inquire about dogs and family members who have been ill or injured. Be a student of the game. Don’t express extreme political views to your students. Remember that they come to class to chat and socialize not to hear you lecture; so when you must address the class to take a teaching moment, interrupt politely, be brief, and let them get back to chatting and socializing. Be consistent in your training advice. Remember that teaching is a game of repetition. An adult must hear a thing 28 times before it finally sinks in. You have no choice but to be patient; tearing out your hair only loses you your hair. Never chastise a student angrily. You can make fun of a student in a jovial way, but only if you really did have fun with it and only if you are prepared to help your student with your training genius. Teach with games whenever possible. Follow current trends in the sport; collect course maps and study video. Don’t be afraid to cheer for your students and encourage them to cheer for each other. Introduce new students to your classes. Celebrate graduations. Give your students homework. Honor the accomplishments of your students’ dogs. Hang their ribbons in your training center. Give homework. Check to see who’s been doing their homework. Remember that new students often don’t know simple things or fundamental things. Feel free to teach when you are instructing. Remember that nobody absolutely nobody wants to use up class time listening to you brag about your past accomplishments. Be a mentor. Teach from a philosophical perspective. Use positive reward-based training methods. Teach your students to be clever dog trainers. Remember that they don’t learn much when being spoon fed. Problem solving is good. Welcome back students who have been away for awhile. Always start an exercise with the entertainment round in which your students can solve with their own handling choices; otherwise you won’t be so clear on what you need to teach. Don’t be catty in your conversation about people who are not present; it’s a small small world, and it’s not very attractive to the listener. You are responsible for your students’ dogs’ safety. Don’t allow any dog to be terrorized or attacked by another dog. Get rid of aggressive dogs from your program immediately. Always check the safety and repair of your equipment. Provide a clean and pleasant and safe training environment for your students. Remember that everyone wants and deserves basic respect. Always address or speak of other instructors in front of your students with fundamental respect. Keep in mind that some of your students are actually smarter than you and have more education. It might be possible that some of your students are a lot smarter than you and actually have less education. It doesn’t pay to be pompous. Be skillful with students who interrupt, or disrupt, or undermine. Get rid of aggressive handlers from your program immediately. Your other students deserve a safe place to play. It just doesn’t mean any more than it is. Have special events and socials with your students. Encourage a sense of community. When your students arrive for class be sure to say hi to their dogs too. Use your students as the good example when they are. Have a long range vision for your students. Track progress if you can. Keep in perspective that agility is a game we play with our dogs on the weekend in a park.
http://budhouston.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/coach-2/


Upwards and onward!

Blog Action Day - "What Makes A Good Coach/Instructor"

Due to Hurricane Isaac cleanup issues, I missed the September 5th deadline for this 3rd Blog Action Day topic, but I want to write on the topic anyway.  I also posted my Blog Action Day Takeaways here (the favorite parts of the other essays I read).  My own thoughts go thus:

There are no great atheletes out there without a coach.

Watching any sport on TV, it becomes obvious that coaches are necessary. . . . . every athelete has a coach on the sidelines, watching every move, encouraging, rising and falling with the athelete's rise and fall. We see how every olympic figure skater or gymnast without exception gets the pep talk before going into the ring, and afterwards. Every ball game has a coach shouting orders, making notes, giving pep talks.

What makes the athelete great is, first of all, their willingness to be coached throughout their career. If you are unwilling to be coached, you'll never get far.

Finding/being the right coach is another matter.  The great coaches I see out there are not themselves always able to perform the skill. The olympic figure skater's coach is often portly, never in skates, the ballet teachers aren't at the bar practicing, football coaches aren't out there getting tackled.  The coach, it seems, just understands the sequence of steps required to advance, and makes sure your training includes every foundational element you need.  They see things from the sidelines you can't see. They do their best to leave nothing out. A great coach has time to focus on the details of YOUR training, not being caught up in theirs.  The great coach encourages you through multiple failures, places rewards along the way, has an eye for small improvements, builds upon your strengths, works around your weaknesses, and helps you set realistic goals. It's an art form. The great coach understands that the closer you approach excellence, the more sophisticated your skills, the closer to the edge of perfection you strive to get, the easier it will be to fail. The great coach embraces failure as part of the program, and is there for you to try on another day.

It takes another pair of eyes to look objectively at what you are doing. Unfortunately, finding someone willing to watch you that closely, whose opinion you really trust, for that long, isn't easy. It doesn't always require a close personal bond between coach and student.  The coach just needs to know what they are doing, inspire effort, and inspire trust.  Inspiration is 50% of the learning battle.

A teacher all my adult life, my teaching philosophy has drawn more from my many bad, uninspiring teachers than from the very few teachers I consider "excellent". Teaching/coaching in an inspiring way is so extremely rare.

We've all had these experiences in grade school.  The teacher

• ignores you when you raise your hand with the answer, and calls on you when your mind is blank.  What's up with this?  Do they purposely try to embarass you?
• has favorites who get all the acccolades and attention, while the other students are ignored.
• lets some kids slide while being hard on others for the same thing.
• is unprepared, doesn't know what they are talking about.
• makes their subject so boring you don't want to learn it.
• sets the pace by the slowest students, boring the advanced students to death.
• constantly praises the fastest students, making the slower students feel dumb.
• takes offense at questions, dislikes creativity, fails to recognize innovation, etc.

Let's face it.  Our whole A-F school system encourages our teachers to look for and punish errors, not reward what's right.  What if, instead of marking papers down from 100, we changed their point of view and marked papers up from 0.  70% right instead of 30% wrong.  What if students just got to repeat the failed parts of the test until they aced it, and teachers used their students' failing marks as clues where to teach to.  On my agility NQ's, for example, I usually get 18 out of 19 right.  Once I learned to feel good about how much I get right, I felt more empowered and encouraged to isolate and fix the errors. 

I've pretty much done my best to forget school, but there are indelible memories that stand out, including both good and bad ones:

Praise: My 5th grade civics teacher changed my self-concept within about 5 minutes when towards the end of class, in an idle moment, he played a little word game with the class. He stuck his hand in his pocket and said, "If I say I ain't got no money in my pocket, do I have money in my pocket or not?" Everyone in class insisted he didn't, except me. He finally acknowledged me as the only one who got it right, and made me stand up to explain the double negative, that NOT having NO MONEY, meant he did have money. I finally felt I had some brains. In 5 minutes a teacher can change your self-concept.

Enthusiasm:  My 7th grade geometry teacher was short and dumpy with horn rim glasses and a high pitched voice.  30 kids in her class, and no assistant.  The 2 bad boys sitting at the back made such fun of her, one of them threw an eraser that hit her in the back of the head one day, leaving a dust of chalk in her dark mop of thick fuzzy hair.  She was so busy at the chalkboard extolling the virtues of geometry, she didn't even notice!  "Geometry is everywhere", she exclaimed with her arms open wide on our first day, and set us a homework assignment of counting how many triangles, rectangles and circles we could identify in our houses.  I had never really noticed shapes before.  I was totally hooked on observing my world from then on.  Proving theorums was a challenge, but if we got it wrong, she didn't give an F.  She said go back and reread the chapter, see me after class, until you get it right.  She wanted us all to pass.  I still have my geometry book, and refer to it when I'm arranging furniture, building equipment, planning my garden space, or anything else.  She wasn't personable, sweet or affectionate, but she opened my brain up to a whole new level of awareness.  Her enthusiasm conveyed to me the thrill of figuring things out, and I felt more alive, empowered, amazed, intrigued, and anxious to learn more. This feeling has never left me.  That's what a great teacher does!

Unfairness: My 7th grade biology teacher was Adonnis to me. I worshipped him. I applied myself to every lesson and made A's and B+s for him. That is, until he brought a snake to school and told us we'd get an F on our mid-term exam if we didn't hold the snake. As he approached my desk with the snake writhing in his hand, my throat closed up, I froze in fear, my brain imploded and I ran from my desk sobbing. He shook his head in disapproval, skipped me without further acknowledgment (ever), I did indeed get an F, and I loathed him from that day forward. I made C's the rest of the year. To this day I love biology, but hate snakes, and hate him for shutting me down and devising such an inappropriate test.

Skill-Building and Pride Building: My 4 years of Honors English in High School introduced me to classical literature, writing, diagraming sentences, studying style, devices, etc.  The 2 teachers were hard on us.   Every punctuation or spelling error lowered our grade point.  We learned to pay attention real quickly because anyone who dropped below a C average was bumped out of Honors and someone else given your spot.  It was devilishly hard and there was lots of homework but we didn't want to get bumped -- it was an honor to be in there.  These teachers, while curt, stuck up, opinionated, and sometimes playing favorites, awakened a sense of pride in us of being intelligent, captains of our fate, masters of our souls, responsible for civilization.  They made life seem extremely precious and important. On the last day of High School, the last words Ms. Gomez spoke to us was "Good Bye, Good Luck, and remember the world is your oyster, make of it what you will".  48 years later, I'm still pondering what she meant by these words.

Communications: My11th grade chemistry teacher was so dry, dull and boring, I flunked the course. My only report card F in high school. Of course my parents blamed me for not applying myself but I still maintain, it was his fault entirely. Chemistry is a fascinating topic to me to this day, he was simply unintelligible.  His communications skills were so poor, his demeanor so suspicious of everyone, he was totally unsuited to teaching. 

Negativity/Defensiveness:  What is it with teachers who say, on the first day of class, that "Most of you are going to flunk this course."  I have had several college instructors tell their classes that.  They should be immediately fired.

Now on to my thoughts on agility teachers/coaches.

In agility training:
I want my teacher to create a comfortable environment where I feel safe and welcome.  I don't want be frowned at, ignored, snubbed, intimidated, yelled at, barked at, or for my teacher to waste my time.  I want to feel like the teacher knows I'm there and is glad to see me and my dog. I don't want to hear how much the teacher loves somebody else's dog or breed, or "not liking little dogs, big dogs, long-haired dogs, or whatever". I don't want my one hour class or all day seminar to consist mostly of sitting around waiting for my turn.  Get people lined up and keep the class moving. When it is my turn, I want my teacher to pay attention to me, not be off chatting with someone else.  I don't want to be interrupted during my attempt at a sequence, rather, watch me, comment on what I did, praise what's right, suggest improvements, and let me try again.  Give me pointers, but don't insult or deride me in front of my classmates.  Don't praise the star pupil every time and give them multiple turns, then say nothing to others and cut their turn short.  Likewise, don't spend all your time with the weakest/slowest student. This happens over and over. Keep the class moving.

If you're teaching a seminar, have a wireless lapel mike and PA system, so everyone on the field can hear you. Then, even while you're out on the field coaching one particular student, students on the sideline can benefit from your coaching.  It will also save your voice.  Our club has our own, but I think seminar instructors would do well to invest in this equipment.  So would judges in AKC's FAST class. It should be mandatory equipment. No telling how many times the scribe misses the judge's call. A decent system with a rechargeable battery runs around $2-300.

Ask me what my goals are.  Pick up on the nuances.  Teach me in baby steps.  Push when you see an opening, not whenever something pops into your head.  Be fair.  I know, it's a whole lot to ask of any coach/teacher, but that's what a teacher is.

I've noticed in my preschool teaching, some kids automatically present roadblocks to learning.  The can't focus, don't take even the smallest suggestions well, are too sensitive, refuse to be coached, come at everything with an "I already know how to do this so I don't need to listen to you", or "it's too hard I'll never get it right".  Whether cocky or downtrodden, the class clown or someone with an enormous chip on their shoulder, these extremes are among the hardest to teach, and both lag behind in their progress.  That's not the coach's fault, and it's hard to figure the causes because these students don't always have the biggest life challenges.  I've come to think learning attitude is partially programmed into one's DNA.

In any case, some teachers are best suited to working with gifted/talented students, older students, young children, others work better with mentally, emotionally or physically challenged kids. A great coach for one student can be a lousy coach for someone else. Also, a novice student should not expect to command the time and attention of a world class coach.  There not being too many experts at the top, the trickle down system is essential and works.  Find someone who knows more than you do.  When you learn to their level, move up.  In every case, I believe it is each teachers' responsibility to position themselves to work with the right students based on their own gifts, or be willing and able to change their tactics depending on who they are working with. Teachers unsuited to their students can do a lot of damage.

On the other hand, eventually, sadly, the student must also inspire the coach. . . . . the way our dogs inspire us. Another Blog Action Day subject might be "What Makes A Good Student."

Upwards and onward!

Blog Action Day Takeaways - "Attitude"

Having read all 54 posts sent in by agility bloggers on June 6th on the subject of "Attitude", the main point made seems to be that everyone struggles with developing and maintaining a good attitude, most people have had experiences with rude competitors at trials, and most people approach agility as "fun".  Here are my favorite takeaways and links to some full articles.  A list of all the articles can be found here.


“Attitude controls Altitude.” ~unknown

"If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it”. ~Mary Engelbreit

"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right." ~Henry Ford

"There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate." ~Robert Brault

"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." ~Oprah Winfrey 


http://www.flyingpoodles.com/2012/06/06/attitude/
I don’t think a one-size-fits-all approach to dog training works. Dogs, like people, bring different personalities to training. One dog can be resilient, another slower to bounce back.
I have been taking a Control Unleashed course from Greta Kaplan, with Dancer. It has taught me a lot about reading the very subtle signals. . . . .

http://jility.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/dont-you-know-who-i-am/
There are plenty of attitudes in agility; some good – some not so much. For some reason, there are people in this sport who . . . . . think that being able to get a dog around an agility course successfully, gives them permission to treat those they perceive as less worthy, poorly.

I love it when something goes wrong in a run, but the handler smiles and never blames their dog. When the run ends, they smile at their dog and their dog smiles back, never knowing anything went wrong. Now THAT is a great attitude!

http://www.reddogsrule.net/2012/06/agility-blog-action-day-attitude.html
Your ability to be persuaded to change your attitude is directly linked to your intelligence - low intelligence and high intelligence are struggle to change; whereas, average intelligence are more able to be persuaded one way or the other. Same goes for self-esteem. Those with super high self esteem or low self esteem find it more difficult to move the needle on their attitude; whereas, those with average self-esteem are more open.

http://blog.teamsmalldog.com/2012/06/thing-about-attitudes.html
Life is too short to be an asshole or to let one under your skin.

http://allstaragility.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/attitude-handling-with-emotion-cues/
While we put a lot of emphasis on how dogs read our motion cues (forward, deceleration, lateral, etc), something I believe comes in a very close second is our body cues and specifically, emotion cues.

http://agilitynerd.com/blog/agility/handling/HandlingWithIntensity.html
For me the most important aspect of handling, next to using Proactive Handling, is bringing an intensity to my execution.

When it is time to run the course I try to push everything else out of mind and have a narrow focus on executing, closely watching/cuing my dog and really driving myself to those points where I need to be. Handling still must balance where you need to be with providing the cues your dog needs when they need them. But as soon as my dog knows what is needed; I try to be unrelentingly driving forward to my next spot.

http://2mindogtrainer.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/2-minute-dog-trainer-tunnel-vision-and-attitude/
A positive attitude isn’t something that comes naturally to all of us.
But I have practiced the journey to that happy place often enough that I can easily find my way. I just have to want to make it so, and I do.

http://budhouston.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/passage/
It’s hard to make a case for being passionate about not giving a damn (it’s only a game) without it sounding slightly discordant. That being said, I’m a student of the game, and a coach in the game. But on a very personal level, it’s just a game I play with my dogs.

http://www.poodlesinmotion.com/2012/06/06/i-want-to-be-like-my-dog-when-i-grow-up/
Lots of poetic affirmations on this post, such as:
When I’m 74 years old, I will wake up each morning with an attitude that says, “more please”. I will lift my body from the sheets, display a few downward facing dog yoga poses to alert my joints and muscles that the day has begun and shake my body with a vigor that leaves my checks nicely smoothed out from the creases left by pillow. I will venture forward to void yesterday and make room for today’s surprises.

http://viewfr4inch.blogspot.com/2012/06/chair-in-middle-of-room-attitude-of.html
As Samurai took a U-turn to check out the trash . . . . . Daisy Peel (my trainer) calmly said,"No, just wait for him. Sometimes when I do this, I just pull a chair to the middle of the ring."  And as she said it, she pulled two chairs into the ring. And sat.  After awhile, Samurai, apparently bored of his explorations, came flying back, taking a jump for kicks. . . . Daisy clicked it. His curiosity piqued. He circled and ran toward us. Clicked again.  Sam sensed it and began to offer more behaviors. Soon he was acting as if he must surely be the smartest and most charming Papillon in the world.

We must honor, respect and find joy in a dog's endless ability to be uniquely and utterly itself . . . . . To realize, allow and accept this fact in total is to open a font of positive energy that can be channeled to many things. It surpasses control because it is a response that is freely given and grown in an attitude of openness.

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Plenty more worth reading and remembering, but these are the ones that struck me the most.

Upwards and onward,