Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 5

Editorializing… Monday Morning Blues By Patti and Gene Dowling The weekend of trials is over and you had a less than stellar performance. You know what’s coming and sure enough, you see a training buddy who asks, “So how was your weekend?” The usual response is to start with a laundry list of all the things that went wrong: “He knocked bars, blew all his contacts, popped out of the weaves, and didn’t get a single Q.” Far too often, we focus on the few bad experiences in a weekend, but what about all of the good things that happened? Maybe you had a bad weekend because you or your dog did something that was “embarrassing.” If that’s the case, I’m guessing that you’re rather new to the sport because at one time or another, we’ve all had embarrassing moments. Most of us have fallen on the course or had a dog that has run out of the ring. We’ve pretty much seen or experienced it all. At one trial in particular a dog reached the apex of the A-frame and decided that was the time to stop and relieve himself. The crowd had a good roar as the little packages bounced their way to the bottom and stopped with a nice two-on/two-off contact. But one thing we don’t remember about the incident is who the handler was, because it doesn’t really matter. It was just another one of those things that happens at a dog show. Instead of getting down on yourself because of a bad trial weekend, try looking at it as a way to focus your training efforts. Remember, it’s hard to gauge exactly what you need to work on if you don’t have problems. Start a training list after each trial and prioritize the things that you feel are the most important to work on. After one such trial, our training list looked like this: Contacts at a distance A faster down on the table A more reliable teeter performance No matter how bad a run is, there is always a positive, the old cloud-with-a-silver-lining theory. Your dog may not have hit the contacts, but maybe he missed the contacts because he had picked up speed. He held his start-line stay and stayed in the ring. Each of us has a set of goals, and while your dog may not meet every one of them during each run, surely he has met some of them. Sometimes just the fact that your training hasn’t taken a huge step backward can be a positive. The next time you have a run start to go south, try something you wouldn’t normally do in a trial—layer an extra jump or throw in that rear cross at the A-frame— maybe it’s something you’ve done in practice. Nothing can save a weekend like successfully executing a move you’ve avoided before. Imagine being able to say, “Well, he dropped a bar, but he got this wicked weave pole entry!” Instead of getting caught up in the competitive aspect of the sport, try to stop and remember that you are working with an animal in a very difficult event. Yes, we all love our dogs and to most of us they are just like a member of our family. It’s hard to imagine that they don’t understand our language. Sure, they may pick up some words from training, but look at it from their point of view. Dogs have to complete a difficult course that they’ve never seen before, with a human whose arms are flapping around while they are listening to blah, blah, blah, Jump, blah, blah, blah, Weave. It’s really rather incredible just how much we can teach our furry friends and how much they learn sometimes despite our “teaching” efforts. (How do they take that tire we meant for them to do when we direct them to Table?) We do agility because it’s a way to spend quality time with our dogs and our friends. Too many people put unneeded pressure on themselves and their dogs. Searching for the perfect run is one thing, but being in the “zone” and feeling that connection between you and your dog is the real high. Some of the best runs out there were not Qs. So the next time someone asks you about your weekend, you can say that your dog had very reliable contacts and hit all his weaves, and we have a training plan to work on over the next few weeks to iron out a few other glitches. And try to remember this agility adage: “The joy is in being able to step up to the start line with your dog, not in crossing the finish line victorious over others.” Patti and Gene Dowling Gene Downing, CPA, and Patti Downing, RCC, CPC, have been trialing in AKC and USDAA agility for the last six years. They are owned by three Standard Poodles and a black Lab and have earned over 40 titles in obedience, agility, and conformation. Gene and Patti are instructors at the Little Rock Dog Training Club in Arkansas. Contact them at Downing@alltel.net. June 07 | Clean Run 5

Clean Run Magazine - June 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - June 2007