What a lovely day we all had at UKA Phoenix today! The weather was impressively hot - so much so that I have the burnt arms to prove it :-( Never mind, Ella's impressive and 1st placed steeplechase round will comfort me I expect :-) She's really flying and I'm loving every moment. Today I walked courses with belief in myself and my dog and she fully deserved her red ribbon. The weaves let us down in the jumping - me pulling off too soon, must work on it! Then the last class of agility she stopped beautifully on the a-frame & dog walk, but couldn't quite hold herself onto the see-saw - she did try very hard bless her! But of course I had to pop her back onto the end to maintain the criteria I've set her, and after that we left the ring at the judges request.
Several people raised their eyebrows at me blowing the round like that, but I definitely did the right thing. Yes she only missed it by a whisker, and yes she had tried very hard to stop. But she hadn't and if I hadn't corrected it I would have been making a grey area for her, and she trusts me to let her know if she's done a good job or not. I liken it to Martin Tait - he wouldn't tell me I'd handled well just because I'd tried very hard. So when he does offer praise I know I've jolly well earnt it! Correcting me doesn't make me flat or disheartened (well not always!), it makes me try harder because Martin believes in my ability to do better. So I may have missed out on a placing, but my dog is still crystal clear about what I expect from her and she believes in me - just like I do her.
Too often in dog training people want shortcuts and quick fixes. In the short term they might get you where you want to be - in competition for example, but what of the long term damage to your training? Broken startlines in competition begin because handlers accept less than they demand in training. Missed contacts in competition begin because handlers don't correct their dogs for even the slightest deviation from their desired behaviour. Running under single pole competition jumps begin because handlers didn't train with the jumps their dogs would face at a show. That's all well and good if handlers take responsibility for their dogs less than perfect competition performances, but we've all seen dogs berated for 'messing about' and 'playing silly buggers'. And those are the nicer comments!
So I hope that if there's just one thing I can impress upon handlers that train with Sue and I at Daybreak - take responsibility for your own training. Be clear in your own mind about what it is you are training for and do your dog the courtesy of sticking to it so as not to confuse them. Once you know you've proofed your kit then the next thing you have to accept is that if poles come down or your dog takes the wrong course - your handling is responsible. Your dog didn't walk the course - you did. There are lots of different handling systems out there and I'm pretty confident they'll all work if applied correctly. If you mess up, don't beat your dog or yourself up - there'll be other days. Most importantly praise that dog of yours for stepping out with you and giving you the best performance it could with the training you've given it. If there's something a bit lacking, perhaps motivation for the job - come up with a training plan to address it. Remember "nobody fails, they just give up too early" :-)
Today I'm grateful for my 4 great agility partners - Lucy (clear round), Toby (committed but let down by me), Kai (delighted to work for me) & Ella, my wonderful husband who stayed at home with our children so I could have a day off, and the lovely smiles I received from those darling babies when I got home. Not to mention the great friends who I spent the day with, and their wonderful dogs. What a great day!
Several people raised their eyebrows at me blowing the round like that, but I definitely did the right thing. Yes she only missed it by a whisker, and yes she had tried very hard to stop. But she hadn't and if I hadn't corrected it I would have been making a grey area for her, and she trusts me to let her know if she's done a good job or not. I liken it to Martin Tait - he wouldn't tell me I'd handled well just because I'd tried very hard. So when he does offer praise I know I've jolly well earnt it! Correcting me doesn't make me flat or disheartened (well not always!), it makes me try harder because Martin believes in my ability to do better. So I may have missed out on a placing, but my dog is still crystal clear about what I expect from her and she believes in me - just like I do her.
Too often in dog training people want shortcuts and quick fixes. In the short term they might get you where you want to be - in competition for example, but what of the long term damage to your training? Broken startlines in competition begin because handlers accept less than they demand in training. Missed contacts in competition begin because handlers don't correct their dogs for even the slightest deviation from their desired behaviour. Running under single pole competition jumps begin because handlers didn't train with the jumps their dogs would face at a show. That's all well and good if handlers take responsibility for their dogs less than perfect competition performances, but we've all seen dogs berated for 'messing about' and 'playing silly buggers'. And those are the nicer comments!
So I hope that if there's just one thing I can impress upon handlers that train with Sue and I at Daybreak - take responsibility for your own training. Be clear in your own mind about what it is you are training for and do your dog the courtesy of sticking to it so as not to confuse them. Once you know you've proofed your kit then the next thing you have to accept is that if poles come down or your dog takes the wrong course - your handling is responsible. Your dog didn't walk the course - you did. There are lots of different handling systems out there and I'm pretty confident they'll all work if applied correctly. If you mess up, don't beat your dog or yourself up - there'll be other days. Most importantly praise that dog of yours for stepping out with you and giving you the best performance it could with the training you've given it. If there's something a bit lacking, perhaps motivation for the job - come up with a training plan to address it. Remember "nobody fails, they just give up too early" :-)
Today I'm grateful for my 4 great agility partners - Lucy (clear round), Toby (committed but let down by me), Kai (delighted to work for me) & Ella, my wonderful husband who stayed at home with our children so I could have a day off, and the lovely smiles I received from those darling babies when I got home. Not to mention the great friends who I spent the day with, and their wonderful dogs. What a great day!
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