Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 47

class. Most of her frustration was her inability to put it together—to see the behavior, get the timing of the reward, or get into position. She wanted to succeed so badly that she went right home and practiced. She also rented a field and took private lessons. I thought my job was to show her all the places that needed work and to help her get it right. I expected too much from her and put pressure on her to do things perfectly. Not only that, I failed to point out the many things she did correctly. I assumed that she knew when she was correct. Wrong, I’ve learned that everybody needs rewards. Assess your students’ limitations and be realistic with your expectations. How many concepts can they deal with at one time? In a private lesson or a class it is usually better to select a couple of skills to concentrate on, for example the tardiness of a front cross, or the position of the handler in relationship to contacts, and let the other things go. Students need to do their homework to become successful in agility, but they also need to feel successful along the way. My goal is to make the agility classes informative, challenging and, fun. Fun, fun, fun is why we do it, right? been together quite a few years and lately they have become a bit complacent. They can do just about any sequence I throw at them. Then one day I had someone new join the class, a very competitive handler from another country, whose handling style is quite different from what I teach. His handling system works for him and his dog, and their presence changed the energy of the class. Watching him handle his dog with a different style created an excitement that carried over to the other students and their dogs. It brought back the competitive component the class once had. Some classes have a large percentage of dogs with problems; for example, start-line problems, bar knocking problems, or offcourse problems. I used to think it was better to spread these individuals out into different classes, but I have changed my mind. Now I put them all together. That way everyone gets equal time to work on their problems. It is important that instructors give students equal time, so you need to find a way to give the same amount of time to people who don’t have problems that you give to the students who do have problems. When a student nails an exercise, for example, I might suggest that she try to handle a sequence a little differently, encouraging her to push her skill level up a notch. That way, when other students need to re-do a sequence, everyone still gets equal time. If a student is having problems with different parts of an exercise, it is usually not feasible to continue trying to get it right during class. Instead, break the exercise down into a piece the student can be successful with and then move on. Encourage students to practice at home, or set up an individual lesson where you can sort it out together. a new endeavor. My Pilates class was one such out-of-the-box experience. Pilates is so different from my typical exercise routine of running agility courses or hiking with my dogs. It’s all about controlling specific muscles, stretching, and, oh yeah, breathing. My very patient instructor, Kristin, repeatedly tells me to bring my ribs in, engage my abdominal muscles, keep my shoulders pulled down—so much to think about while my feet are up over my head. She is patient and sincere; she constantly repeats herself, with no irritation in her voice. She has way more Zen than I do and I aspire to be more like her. When I am trying to find the correct position while using the correct muscles, I can see that it is not so different from agility students who are working so hard on front crosses. They have so many things to think about—running to the proper position, keeping an eye on the dog, and knowing where the next obstacle is. I often wonder if my students think of me as being as patient and understanding as Kristin. Being her student has shown me the kind of instructor I want to be, and helped me realize that the world of agility does not come easily to many of my students, just as the world of Pilates does not come easily to me. Class Dynamics and Time Management One thing I like about agility classes is they all take on their own personalities. Students support each other, make friends, and classes often become a very social aspect of their agility experience. But sometimes things can go wrong. For example, the class in which socialization seems to be the priority: students talk so much they are frequently tardy in getting to the line and few of them get up to set the bars. I realize this is their time, but really, aren’t they here to do agility? I have a plan with exercises for them to run, for goodness sake! On a couple of occasions I have asked them if they would prefer to put their dogs away so that we can go inside, have some tea, chat, and get caught up. That usually brings them around. Setting the bars can still be a problem, but if they are happy doing one or two fewer drills each week, then so be it. I have stopped obsessing over it. Recently, something interesting happened in one of my advanced classes. The group has May 08 | Clean Run A Balancing Act Teaching agility is much more demanding than most people think. Not only do instructors have to take into consideration the client’s abilities and the abilities of the dog, but also… and here’s the kicker… the relationship between the two. The dog and handler relationship is always my first line of attack. I start three or four beginner classes a year. The students who start with me and stick with it become some of the best handlers around. But the dropout rate is high; I typically lose 50% of newcomers by the third session. My three beginner sessions, Beginning 1, 2, and 3, are for people who are new to the sport and often new to dog training as well. I enjoy turning them on to agility, but these sessions are draining to me. Nothing can be taken for granted, from how their dogs interact with the environment to how the handlers interact with their dogs. The hardest part is timing of rewards. Very few students realize what they are rewarding. My compensation is that I charge more for these classes. A comfortable 47 Put Yourself in Your Students’ Shoes I don’t think there is an instructor who hasn’t felt frustrated with a class or two when things are not progressing as planned. When students have problems with a concept or a drill, it is the instructor’s job to repeat, rephrase, and speak slowly and clearly until they get it. Nothing has made me realize this more than when I take myself “out of my box” and start

Clean Run Magazine - May 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - May 2008

Clean Run Magazine - May 2008
Contents
Editorializing: Agility People Are Nuts! (And Happy About It!)
Tip of the Month
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Backyard Dogs
What to Do When Things Go Wrong in Training or Competition
On Course with Helene Juice
Handling Your Dog in Awesome Style, Part 2: Side Cues
Trainer's Forum
Say Yes to the Learning Curve: Starting as a Team, Part 2
Foundation Fundamentals: Obstacle Discrimination
Skill of the Month
Running A-frames: A New Concept
Giving the Most to Your Classes While Keeping Your Sanity
Focus on Impulse Control
Power Paws Patterns: Number Five
Spy Kids: Applying Ground Work Principles to Training
Put an End to Weave Pole Problems
Shelter Champs: Sam
When Pigs Fly: Increasing Drive
Carpal and Tarsal Injuries
Distance Challenge
Letter to the Editor
Course Diagram Keys
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Clean Run Magazine - May 2008
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 2
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Contents
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 4
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Editorializing: Agility People Are Nuts! (And Happy About It!)
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Tip of the Month
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Backyard Dogs
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 9
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - What to Do When Things Go Wrong in Training or Competition
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 11
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 12
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 13
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 14
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 15
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - On Course with Helene Juice
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 17
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Handling Your Dog in Awesome Style, Part 2: Side Cues
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 19
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 20
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 21
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Trainer's Forum
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 23
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 24
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 25
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 26
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Say Yes to the Learning Curve: Starting as a Team, Part 2
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 28
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 29
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 30
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 31
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Foundation Fundamentals: Obstacle Discrimination
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 33
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 34
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 35
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Skill of the Month
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 37
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 38
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Running A-frames: A New Concept
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 40
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 41
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 42
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 43
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 44
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 45
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Giving the Most to Your Classes While Keeping Your Sanity
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 47
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 48
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 49
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 50
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Focus on Impulse Control
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 52
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Power Paws Patterns: Number Five
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 54
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 55
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 56
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Spy Kids: Applying Ground Work Principles to Training
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 58
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 59
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 60
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 61
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Put an End to Weave Pole Problems
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 63
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 64
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 65
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Shelter Champs: Sam
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 67
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 68
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - When Pigs Fly: Increasing Drive
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 70
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 71
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 72
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 73
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Carpal and Tarsal Injuries
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 75
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 76
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 77
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 78
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Distance Challenge
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 80
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 81
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - Course Diagram Keys
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 83
Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 84
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