Clean Run - June 2014 - 56

because that's where you
stretch and grow!
Agility is always evolving
which requires us to evolve
as dog trainers and competitors. Sometimes it's about
trying a new handling move
or training our dog in a different way. Sometimes it's
about just doing what the
instructor says because, as
humans, we can get caught
up in the "weeds." Being
coachable means being open
and taking action.

Dog Training
Is Not a Checklist
I remember teaching a pet
manners class years ago. On
graduation day, a student
came up to me to thank me.

She then asked me if she was
done training her dog since
she had graduated from Basic Manners II. I smiled and
said you're never finished
training because your dog
is always learning! She was
initially crestfallen at this
news. After we discussed
this a bit more, she better
understood what I was saying. She recognized the opportunity she had to continue
to build a relationship with
her dog through training. But
that's just it, isn't it? Every
interaction with your dog is a
learning opportunity. I knew
this conceptually, but I really
got it in my bones during
this journey with Tricky. Just
because I taught a solid sitstay with Tricky as a puppy

didn't mean I would always
have one if I neglected it.
It wasn't a task to be checked
off the "training list." The
way to keep a solid sit-stay
was to continue reinforcing
it in a variety of ways, in different contexts. Sounds so
simple, yet so many handlers
lose that sit-stay once they
start competing.
I now think of each behavior
I've taught Tricky as a precious commodity. I honor
each one by treating it accordingly. For example, we
recently moved out of New
York City and into a house in
New Jersey on a lake. Tricky
hasn't had the practice of
being off leash around critters in a yard in almost two

years. She's been off leash in
a variety of settings, but not
in this context. During our
first week here, she twice ran
to chase geese in the neighbor's yard when I let her out
for a quick bathroom break.
I've been down this road before so I knew exactly what
to do. After figuratively kicking myself in the bum for
allowing it to happen twice,
I implemented my game
plan to set up Tricky for success. For the next month, as
the snow and ice began to
melt, Tricky was on leash at
all times in the back yard. I
took her off leash only when
I knew that she is ready to
play with me. I knew she
was ready by playing the
various relationship games

Agility is always evolving which requires us to evolve as dog trainers and competitors.

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www.cleanrun.com

56

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Clean Run - June 2014

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