Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 5

Editorializing… It’s Not All in a Word By Rick Parry I have two dogs. My younger dog Indigo was looking out the window and started to bark—just your standard run-of-the-mill bark. My older dog Percy had been sleeping nearby, and he slowly opened one eye; he was clearly wondering when Indigo would shut up. Abruptly the tone of the bark changed and Percy jumped off his bed to see what was happening. He found Indigo frantically leaping around in front of the window. Something must be terribly wrong! It was the kind of barking and behavior that Lassie would use to alert Timmy’s family that Timmy had fallen down the well. Percy then saw that a squirrel was in the yard. This obviously required both Cardigan Welsh Corgis barking like crazy to scare it away. Taking his own sweet time, the squirrel dug something up from the ground; he finally left and the dogs relaxed and became quiet. I’ve decided that dogs communicate pretty much by using only three verbal sounds (let’s call them words): a bark, a growl, and a cry. That’s it. But in watching my dogs, I’ve come to understand that how these words are “said” provides a lot more additional meaning. When Indigo came to live with us, Percy was a tad annoyed. Percy, trying to sleep, would growl slightly while the puppy Indigo licked his face. The growl was of little concern to us or to Indigo. It was obvious that Percy was relaxed although annoyed. Indigo just wanted to play, and Percy wanted to sleep. The message was clear: “Go away, kid; you bother me.” But it wasn’t only the subdued growl that indicated the benign nature of Percy’s words. Much more revealing was his body language. It is similar with cries. The tone and intensity of a cry communicate to a degree, but body language indicates urgency, too. Cries can mean either “I’m really distressed” or “I want something.” I communicate with my dogs all the time. They understand a limited number of my words and phrases, but they well understand the general activities of the house and my body language. Without a single word being said, they go to their crates waiting for me to let them in. How did they know I was going out to run some errands? Likewise, they both use their non-verbal communication with me. At exactly 6:30 a.m. I am awakened when a cold wet nose pokes me in the face. It’s Indigo, who has jumped up on the side of the bed. He’s telling me in his not-so-subtle way that it’s time to get up. I usually ask him the same question: “Indy, how do you know what time it is?” He smiles as he cocks his head. He doesn’t understand a word I’ve said, but he understands my tone and my hugs. He communicates with me without using a single word, “It’s time to get up, take a walk, and then we eat.” Percy is quite a communicator in the morning, too. He walks out of his bed and shakes himself off as if he’s just walked in out of the pouring rain. That’s his way of saying, “Get up!” One special thing about dogs is their inherent honesty. There is no guessing about what is being said. Their words and their actions convey a unified message. They live by the simple rule of “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” If a dog tells you something, believe it! I guess that’s why Timmy’s family followed Lassie to the well. Probably about 95% of the communication from my dogs is through their body language. We humans use body language, too, but sometimes the verbal language conflicts with our body language and can lead to confusion about what’s really being said. In the agility world, I need to communicate with my dogs on their terms; that is, by using 95% body language and just an occasional word (or a sharp short or long whistle) when something is really important. And most of all, I have to live by their simple rule of saying what you mean and meaning what you say. In the competition ring all communication must be quick and unambiguous. There is a local team that I love to watch at trials. The dog is deaf. That team successfully communicates without a word. The dog stays on course and they both have great smiles at the end of their runs. Actually, I think this team has an advantage. Because the handler has no choice but to use her body exclusively to guide her dog, there is no conflict between verbal cues and body language. I’m sure the handler is aware that her dog interprets the slightest change in her body position as having an important meaning. Everything we do and say in the competition ring has meaning to our dogs on some level. I have observed that if there is ever a conflict between my body language and verbal cue, my dogs will follow my body language every time. When a conflict occurs, I have really just lied to my dog. Not only did I lie to my dog, I also did something worse: I created a loss of confidence in my verbal cue, rendering it useless. (If I were Lassie, Timmy might not be rescued.) This miscommunication decreases the effectiveness of my handling. I’m constantly learning from my dogs. In some ways I believe they have been the best agility instructors that I’ve ever had. But I’ve had to learn their method of communication and work that into my handling system. I’ve come to understand that the success of my handling system depends on my ability to communicate consistently and effectively with my dogs. And it’s not always about words. Rick Parry Rick Parry has been training in agility for over seven years and has competed in AKC, NADAC, and CPE. He has trained two of his own dogs (both Cardigan Welsh Corgis) and he has been an instructor for more than five years. He has helped students at the puppy, introductory, beginning, intermediate, and competition levels of instruction. Contact him at rnparry@earthlink.net. November 08 | Clean Run 5

Clean Run Magazine - November 2008

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

Clean Run Magazine - November 2008
Contents
Editorializing: It’s Not All in a Word
Tip of the Month
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Backyard Dogs
Cece’s Gym Exercise of the Month: Stair Work
Trainer's Forum
Skill of the Month
Stem Cell Therapy for the Canine Athlete
Handling Your Dog in Awesome Style, Part 8: Basic Turns with Turning Obstacles
The Challenge Is the Choice: Discrimination Learning
The Purely Positive Myth
Foundation Fundamentals: Retrieving
Power Paws Patterns: Number Ten
Interpret Agility to Motivate and Inspire
Distance Challenge
Focus on Weaves
Hand Touch: The Best Game Ever
When Pigs Fly: Choosing Your Crosses
Timing of Front Crosses, Part 1: Positional Cues and Deceleration
Shelter Champs: Lucky and Chewie
Four-on-the-floor Contacts: A New Method for Training the End Contact Behavior, Part 3
Tuna Fudge Recipe
Course Diagram Keys
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Clean Run Magazine - November 2008
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 2
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Contents
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 4
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Editorializing: It’s Not All in a Word
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Tip of the Month
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Backyard Dogs
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 9
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 10
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Cece’s Gym Exercise of the Month: Stair Work
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 12
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 13
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Trainer's Forum
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 15
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 16
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 17
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Skill of the Month
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 19
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 20
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Stem Cell Therapy for the Canine Athlete
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 22
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 23
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Handling Your Dog in Awesome Style, Part 8: Basic Turns with Turning Obstacles
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 25
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 26
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 27
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 28
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 29
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 30
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 31
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 32
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - The Challenge Is the Choice: Discrimination Learning
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 34
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 35
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 36
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 37
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - The Purely Positive Myth
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 39
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 40
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 41
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 42
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Foundation Fundamentals: Retrieving
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 44
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 45
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 46
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 47
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 48
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 49
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Power Paws Patterns: Number Ten
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 51
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 52
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 53
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 54
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Interpret Agility to Motivate and Inspire
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 56
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 57
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Distance Challenge
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 59
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 60
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 61
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Focus on Weaves
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 63
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 64
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Hand Touch: The Best Game Ever
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 66
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 67
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 68
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 69
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - When Pigs Fly: Choosing Your Crosses
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 71
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 72
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 73
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 74
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 75
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 76
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Timing of Front Crosses, Part 1: Positional Cues and Deceleration
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 78
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 79
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 80
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 81
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Shelter Champs: Lucky and Chewie
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 83
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 84
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 85
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Four-on-the-floor Contacts: A New Method for Training the End Contact Behavior, Part 3
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 87
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 88
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 89
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - Course Diagram Keys
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 91
Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 92
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