Continuing Professional Education

As a dog trainer I think it is really important to keep up-to-date with the latest information and research surrounding our beloved pets. I really do believe in the saying "Learning will set us free", and being a bit of a bookworm certainly helps me with this!

The code of practice from the Association of Professional Dog Trainers requires its members to keep their education current from year to year, something that I was more than willing to agree to. It also gives me a time framework to help me focus on getting it done. That's something which is particularly helpful in my busy life - sometimes with two small boys it's hard to know where the weeks go!

Gemma Osmond, MAPDT 01069

So having investigated some possibilities I have signed up for two courses - a correspondence course from 'Alpha Education' (Accredited education courses in canine behaviour and training), and an e-course with 'Say Yes! Dog Training' (Susan Garrett). I'm very excited that they both start tomorrow, and that I have received my 'Alpha Education' course in the post for me to look over this evening :-)


The correspondence course is 'Think Dog! Certificate - An Intermediate Award in Canine Behaviour & Training' and covers 5 units over 6 months. I expect it will be a challenge to find the time for it, but I'm determined to manage it as I'm so fascinated by the subject. To give you an idea, the reading list included such titles as 'Dominance - Fact or Fiction' by Barry Eaton, and 'Reaching the Animal Mind' by Karen Pryor. So much of the TV dog training links back to early research done with wolves, and of course our dogs have come a long way since domestication. It really doesn't make sense to compare them - I'm going to really enjoy learning more! :-)



The e-course is 'The 5 minute formula for a Brilliant Recall' and runs over the 31 days of August. This is a new formula of teaching using the internet and I really like the idea that people are going to be following the course from pretty much all over the world! The recall cue should be such a fundamental, non-negotiable one, but I know from my own classes that not all dogs understand it as such. I shall be using the course to improve my own Kai's recall, which has steadily declined since his accident over 4 years ago. Not that he won't come back - it's just it tends to be on his time, rather than mine ;-)


In the last few weeks I haven't been enjoying competing as much as I have done in the past, where the self-imposed pressure to get it right is getting to me. So this weekend is going to be agility free (unless I cave and head up to UKA Nationals on Sunday ;-)), with the focus on learning more about the dogs I love to share my life with. They are my best teachers :-)

Today I am grateful for my thirst for knowledge, which has already brought me to this exciting point in my life, and that I know holds the keys to even more great discoveries in the future :-)

Goodbye little Zen

This is a particularly sad post for me, as my friend Wendy Rutter (neé Page) has recently lost her collie Zen to suspected cancer. Whilst she wasn't a young dog, it still feels too soon for her to have gone.

Above: Desmo, Meg & Zen

I met Zen for the first time, many, many moons ago at the veterinary centre where I was working. She was an adult dog at that point who had been through several homes before finding Wendy and her family. I didn't know Wendy well at that point, but anyone could see that this woman only dealt in forever homes. I seem to remember we used to see Zen for a skin condition that was particularly bad on her tummy. But she was always happy to roll over and show it off, such was her gentle and loving nature. It was astonishing that her previous owners hadn't realised just what a treasure she was, as she wouldn't have hurt a fly. A sensitive soul, I recall that the skin condition gradually sorted itself out. It was almost like her nerves were causing the problem, and when she realised she was safe and sound with the Rutters, it gradually eased up.

But it was when Zen had an accident in the boot of Wendy's Landrover that I began to get to know them both better. She had caught her foot in one of the rings in the Landrover as she jumped out and snapped the bones - a terrible thing to have to happen to a young dog. Not cheap for Wendy either! Surgery in the first instance and then a whole heap of aftercare to tend to the wound that wouldn't close over afterwards. With another dog Wendy might have had to consider the option of putting her to sleep, but not Zen. She was always pleased to see us, perhaps a little over-excited (she'd always wee at the sight of me!), and happy to roll over and extend her leg for treatment. A wonderful patient, who led me to making one of my best friends. I shall never forget her for that alone.

Once this was all finally sorted, Zen did do some agility, but you always got the impression that she was doing it to make Wendy happy. She loved her family and would have done anything for them, but agility just wasn't very motivating for her. Perhaps if we'd known then what we know now we could have increased her drive for it. As it was another rescue called Kaz entered Wendy's life with more than enough drive for the both of them, so Zen was happily retired!

Above: Kaz in action

The sad thing about sharing our lives with dogs is that they will never be around for as long as we would like them to. We're never going to willingly give them up to Rainbow bridge, because they make our lives whole. The are a important piece in the puzzle of our lives, and each is unique, each special in a way that none were before, or will be again. I'm sure Wendy has many reasons for why Zen was special for her. I'm sure Zen taught her many lessons that she wouldn't have learnt from any other dog. And I'm very sure that Wendy misses her badly at this point, so close to having lost her.
My memories of Zen? A sweet, loving, loyal and affectionate little girl. Shy and reserved, except with those people she knew well and loved. I was proud and privileged to be one of those people, and I shall never forget the honour of being one of her friends. Most of all, I am grateful for her for leading me to meet Wendy and her influence on my life, as my friend and agility 'mum'. Each of our dogs leads us on a special journey - what a joy to be part of hers. Have fun at the bridge special girl, look forward to seeing you there one day xx

Today I am grateful for my dogs, past and present. They influence my life in so many ways, and have led me to meet some amazing people.

Diamond Dog show, 10th-11th July 2010

Another hot weekend - can't get over the beautiful weather we've been having, although I'd be happier if the temperature came down a bit. Although I'm burn free which is an achievement in itself!

This was the first show Diamond Dog Agility club had run, and it seemed to go relatively smoothly. Unfortunately the ground looked like it had recently been cut for hay or silage, and what with the recent heatwave, it was pretty prickly and spiky underfoot. Didn't suit all dogs, but didn't much phase Ella much except for a couple of slips where she couldn't get purchase on the ground after a turn. Fortunately we have Smart Clinic tomorrow, so I will just have her checked in case she's done anything to make her sore.

A weekend of good and bad bits - Saturday was always going to be a challenge as Mike was away for a stag do and I had the boys at the show on my own. They were lovely and not much trouble at all, but very difficult to switch from Mummy to agility handler. As a result I had Martin Tait run her in one of her agility rounds - she works quite well for him, but unfortunately picked up an E as he sent her over the wrong course. Our last run of the day was a nice straightforward agility round so I took her back for it - great run up to the last but one obstacle. You've guessed it - 12 weave poles! I have been running at them as I believe I do in training, but she missed her entrance so 5 faults on an otherwise lovely run.

Today has been better - started well with a tricky jumping course, but just sent her the wrong way a few jumps from the end. Great work though, some really tight turns. Her agility was going nicely too, but picked up 5 for missing weave entrance, and then as she'd done that I put her back over the see-saw which she came off. Actually in retrospect I'm not sure she didn't just slide off, but no matter, doesn't hurt to be sure! Our final jumping class started speedily, but sadly ended so too - off course for an E, and then I was sliding about in my trainers on the ground so wasn't able to drive her properly. After an argumentative few barks, I decided it was too hot to argue and we left the ring for her tuggy - will be investing in a better pair of running shoes before next weekend!

So another weekend of 'almost' runs - am I a glutton for punishment you may ask?! But in the scheme of things, we are moving in the right direction, our teamwork is better and our attitude is moving from 'Can we?' to 'Can do'. This time last year we were working Grade 2 style courses - a big leap from the twists and turns of an average Grade 6-7 course. Whilst I believed we would hit the ground running, in retrospect there was always going to be a settling in period. As Hazel Tait pointed out to me last weekend, when you start a new job you don't expect to know everything there is to know about it, and the same could be said for each new grade you move into.

Here are my plus points from the weekend:

1. Great contacts, I mean fabulous, class winning contacts :-)
2. Tight turns with poles remaining where they're supposed to ;-)
3. A startline that is a secure as it makes me feel as I lead out - something which I wouldn't want to be walking into a G6-7 ring without
4. Ella - her attitude, her belief in me and the way she saves her best work for me, despite being Martin's teacher's pet :-D

Today I am grateful for Gill & Aussie's first clear round, which gave them 2nd place in the Small 1-3 Jumping. Glad the advice helped Gill! :-)

Relationships with our dogs

Those of you that know me, know I make no secret of the fact that I'm a fan of Canadian dog trainer Susan Garrett. I was delighted to meet her and the rest of the Canadian agility team during their visit for the World Agility Championships, and as well as being a fabulous dog trainer, she's pretty cool as a person too :-)

Now I'm a regular follower of her blog, and would recommend all the people I teach follow it too. The woman is a mine of dog training information, and it's all based on sound scientific principles which make dog training fun from both ends of the lead. Better understanding from your dog, makes training more enjoyable for you - think what it does for them!

Recently she's been exploring the link between the strength of our dogs' recalls and the depth of our relationship with them. Susan's quote from her Facebook status that started it all off was this:

"There is nothing more important that teaching your dog a reliable recall, nothing . . . it is the foundation of all brilliance and it reflects the relationship you have with your dog."

I have been avidly following this, as I am fascinated as a trainer, when I come across perfectly nice people who have difficulty getting their dogs to complete this fundamental behaviour. Now I know, perhaps better than most people, the sadness that can ensue when you don't have a brilliant recall. My first collie dog Kai saw more value in chasing a cat into the road, in front of a car than listening to me, and as a result I almost lost my precious boy. Somewhat unconsciously I have trained amazing recalls with the two girls that followed him, or perhaps they are just naturally brilliant dogs? I refuse to believe he isn't every bit as wonderful as them, and I seek the answer in the science that Susan champions.

I believe that the good dog trainers in this world, those whose dogs are consistently impressive in everything they've been trained to do, are like that as a result of their handlers consistent approach to every facet of their lives. Great agility dogs aren't just fabulous at agility - they're excellent pets too, and I don't believe that you can have one without the other. They aren't perfect, because they aren't robots, but they're reliable and constant because they live within the boundaries that they've been reinforced for observing.

For anyone out there having difficulties with your recall, please do visit Susan's blog for further information on this somewhat emotive topic. And I think a key thing to remember is that you won't be alone in your problem, there are lots of owners out there with wayward dogs! It isn't something you should be ashamed or embarrassed to confess to. If I can help in anyway, then get in touch - I love seeing the bond between handler and dog develop. It's one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching :-)

For those of you that aren't familiar with her, check out her website and blog:

http://www.clickerdogs.com/

http://susangarrettdogagility.com/

Today I am grateful for the training bond which is in constant development with my Shetland Sheepdog youngster Diva. There's nothing like adoring eyes like hers shining in your direction :-)

Tuffley Agility show, 3rd-4th July 2010

Another hot weekend, but I'm glad to report it didn't reach the baking temperatures of Lansdown. However I did manage to burn my lips again on the Sunday - the cooler temperatures, caught me off guard - grr!

Another weekend of good and bad bits. The good bits centred around my handling improving and everything then being much smoother. The bad bits were, you guessed it, weave related. Bloomin' things! ;-)

The Saturday was marred by 2 out of 3 sets of weaves being wrong, and try as I might, it does dent my confidence about her ability. However I picked it up for Sunday and decided that I might as well run her like I believed she could, and she rewarded my faith by turning her success rate around to 2 out of 3 sets completed correctly! We also managed a clear round in the CSJ Senior Jumping, which although messy and frantic (solely on my part!), did make me feel quite uplifted. The drought has ended, albeit briefly! :-)

Today I'm grateful for my trainer Martin Tait's continued confidence and belief in Ella and I, and for his positive message from our training session on Monday night. We're aiming to do you proud at Diamond this weekend sir! :-)

Lansdown Agility show, 26th-27th June 2010

My overriding memory of Lansdown 2010 will be the intense heat, like nothing we've ever experienced there before! You'll see from the picture below that the grass is looking very pale and bleached out, and it was more or less the same around the rings.

No exciting places had, but there were glimpses of the teamwork Ella and I are capable of in some of our runs. We're not completely right yet, but we're getting there! I'm not overly disappointed, only that we were very busy all weekend helping on the rings, and it doesn't leave a lot of time for our dogs. Another pizza party on the Saturday evening (which is becoming something of a tradition!) was a lovely way to unwind and recharge for the Sunday.

Unfortunately after the lovely weekend, Monday didn't start well, as I had a 'Speed Awareness' workshop to attend. It almost sounds like it could have been something exciting and agility related doesn't it?! Sadly not, it was as a result of speeding home from a show at Newbury. Regrettably the car ran out of petrol on the way to the workshop which meant I missed it, (£60) and then on re-booking (£30) for the afternoon, arrived 2 minutes late. They only accept people who are on time - so a very expensive day all in all :-(

Still, today I am grateful for my husband who took charge of the children at home all weekend whilst I was off gallivanting in Bath.