Lots of great lessons were discovered during my recent time out west. There is one lesson though, that I find myself repeating over and over again when I teach, and yet still I don’t see the change in people’s behaviour. You know the old saying “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always gotten.” Just like in dog training, if you don’t get the results you hope for, you need to look at your approach to your problem. I have changed my approach to this deliemma ALOT over the years while teaching people. My efforts have produced only moderate success at getting people to alter their behaviour. In my opinion this could be the single biggest reason why dogs stress in agility. It could be responsible for the dogs that stress low exhibiting their stress with sniffing, wandering off, shutting down and also why dogs stress high–running off to do “zoomies” or just grabbing obstacles without their handlers. I have no science to back up my theory, but if this isn’t the biggest reasons dogs slow down or lose focus on their handlers in agility, it sure is r-e-a-l-l-y close to the top.
So what is the reason? To find out you have to sign up to my newsletter. I just completed a podcast for everyone and for now it is free for all to download. Remember I said if you don’t see the change you are looking for in your training you need to change your approach, so this is my change of approach. You get to have me yakking in your ear for ten minutes to try and drive my point home to you.
If you receive my newsletter you will have already been given the link to the podcast download. If you don’t get the newsletter go to my website now and a new pop up subsription form will be waiting to greet you there.
Please everyone after you listen to the podcast be sure to come back and leave a comment here to let me know what you think of it.
Today I am grateful that the internet dude is coming to fix my connection today, love Starbucks, but love convenience more!
I signed up after this podcast was published. Is it possible to get a link please?
I set up to receive your newsletter and saw the “Click here to get your special gift” button. It was a download of ‘Training Tricks’. The site was down or the download is no longer available. Disappointing. Is that true?
Love your books, youTube stuff and DVDs! Would like to make it to your place or a seminar some day.
Marti
I joined the newsletter list after the pod cast A special gift for you” could I get the link sent to me?
thanks
Blynn
How do us humans (speaking for myself) get out of “thinking” mode when training and into reward the dog/have fun mode? Sometimes we can get so focused on figuring out how to do it right that we forget…. So Susan…. I vote for REWARD THE DOG t-shirts and/or those rubber wristbands on the SayYes store!
Awsome podcast!Your newsletter and tips not only help us better our dogs in the sport of agility but you have a way of bringing out the best in people. Truely words to live by.
Hello Susan,
I think the Podcast idea as well as the YouTube message is an excellent idea!:) The message in the podcast was also very poignant-something we should all strive to do, but seems so easily forgotten or ignored when we get caught up in our training.
I do have a few questions for you that I was hoping you may address at some point, especially with the recent posting of the agility injury survey. What is your typical routine for warming up and cooling down your dogs before and after running? Do you seek massage, chiropractic or acpuncture therapy to keep your dogs injury free? Do you do additional physical activities (swimming, hiking, etc.) to keep your dogs fit?
Thanks so much for this blog and all the work you put into it, I am always learning something new or being reminded of the things I know but need to continue in order to be the best trainer and partner for my dog!:) And huge congratulations on your selection for World Team!:)
Never mind- got it to play. FYI, I opened up QT, then copied the link to where it said open URL in new player (under file).
I, too, will aspire to be one of the few, the proud, the reinforcers!
Ok, can’t get the podscast to do anything on my PC, so I gotta know- what is the “2 of 30”?
Really love the podcast, as a musician I prefer to listen than to read 🙂 I also used your suggestions when teaching my violin student, lots of praise/reward works on human students too!!