Recallers free guest pass

[Cricket's mom]

Looks like Susan Garrett is offering free guest passes to the Recallers course

 

http://www.brilliantrecalls.com/freecallers-sneak-peak.html

 

I have not taken it before, so I can't speak to it, but plan on checking it out!

[Sekah]

I took it a few years ago and really liked it. It's quality material, but easy to get overwhelmed if you don't have a solid foundation already. I've been out of the loop mostly for this promo and the material leading up to it, but earlier today I signed up for the guest pass. I could probably use a refresher, as could my dog.

[Betsy]

Thanks! I can definitely use this!!

[mum24dog]

Just wondering why anyone would need her help to train a recall. She seems to have a talent for persuading punters that simple things are more complicated than they really are.

[Maralynn]

It's a LOT more than just recall. I think it would be better described as relationship, self control and focus games. I think the recaller title peaks interest outside of the core sport group. Of course, if you nail the focus, drive and relationship issues then your recall is going to improve!

[Riika]

I signed up for the free pass also. However, I understand that it is only for the Critical Core section of it which, I believe, is very small.

 

It's a LOT more than just recall. I think it would be better described as relationship, self control and focus games. I think the recaller title peaks interest outside of the core sport group. Of course, if you nail the focus, drive and relationship issues then your recall is going to improve!

That's right!

It's true that you could probably google everything you need to know, but I think it would be kinda convenient to have it all in one place. And if you have any questions about anything, she and the community are great about helping.

[Sekah]

Just wondering why anyone would need her help to train a recall. She seems to have a talent for persuading punters that simple things are more complicated than they really are.

 

Structured exercises that are supposed to only take 5 minutes a day. Natural progression from day to day and from one exercise to another. Community support where everyone shares the same goal as you. Answering individual questions and providing one-on-one feedback. Probably an additional level of emotional investment due to the cost investment. Positive atmosphere. Thorough dissection of rewards vs distractions. Catering to competition-level control, but also adaptable to pet owners.

 

It's not rocket science, and you can indeed find the bits and pieces scattered around the internet, but... "punters"?

 

It's not just recall. But the recall in the absence of threats and punishers is sort of the litmus test that serves as a reflection of your control over your dog. (And I would go so far as to say a reflection of your relationship with your dog, but some would disagree.)

 

I admit I do find some of her sales tactics abrasive, and she likely has a license to print money these days, but she has valuable knowledge, and does a good job of communicating it.

[mum24dog]

Abrasive is right. I just can't warm to her at all so she'll never get any of my money.

 

I don't respond to the hard sell technique and I certainly don't buy from anyone claiming to have all the answers at a price.

 

I just find massive egos a big turn off and that's not a good basis for learning from someone.

 

I don't doubt that she has something to teach those who aren't as resistant as I am.

 

But "World Champion Dog Trainer"? What's that supposed to mean? Is there a WC for dog trainers?

[CptJack]

She is the Trainer of several (many even, given that she does have and has had students) world champion dogs. Switch the emphasis around.

 

I don't like her, either, her sales techniques annoy me, her methods sometimes annoy me (they're really not suitable for my primary dog and she doesn't really seem to know how to work with dogs who aren't Of A Type), and I will never give the woman my money or much attention.

 

But that particular statement seems almost like deliberate misreading.

[Chanse]

Thanks for sharing, I will probably be checking it out as well. I kinda liked her crate games (I didn't find it amazing, but seems to be a good tool for dog training). She seems to like games that focus on impulse control which is what my dog needs.

 

As for the hard sell, I can't really see the point in faulting her for that. Her career is literally to sell dog training. If that sales technique is working for her then good for her. If she was selling crappy training advice then I would have a problem, but from what I have seen it seems like she has some good training games. Either way, free access to part of recallers seems like it would be worth checking out.

[Maralynn]

I don't begrudge her any of it as she is a good trainer and spent lots of time and money to build her skill but I'm not a fan of her style, either. Not sure it's her or the groupee, almost cult like following.

 

I think the sales terminology is part of it. The whole "be in my inner circle if you pay enough" bugs me.

 

 

All that said, I did do one of the recallers courses a few years ago at the cheapest level (about $225) If you can overlook the pressure to "upgrade now", I did feel that it was worth the money for the information provided.

 

I've also taken a few Fenzi classes and found the overall style and atmosphere to be a much better fit for me.

[CptJack]

I agree that the dogs her methods work for, they work really well for, but I've run into so many people who have a dog who isn't really suited to her training style (Ie: Dogs who have little or no toy drive, dogs who absolutely don't need impulse control, dogs who don't respond well to verbal cues (or can't hear them), dogs who just lack confidence in general - who just get stuck and feel like they can't do agility with their dog and/or that their dog is defective that it frustrates me.

 

I do think she's a great trainer - FOR THE TYPES OF DOGS HER METHODS WORK FOR. I don't begrudge her her success exactly, but I've got enough issues to feel okay avoiding. Even if I admit my knee jerk avoidance is mostly due to being sick of the Gospel of Garrett.

[Chan]

I find the reactions to her sales tactics very interesting. About 8 years ago, I purchased her Success With One Junp video and I used that as well as several other of her videos to train my golden, the first dog I'd trained from a pup for agility. I loved her techniques and they worked great for us and I had a fabulously well trained dog who excelled at agility ( we sadly lost her to cancer last summer). Fast forward to the past couple of years. A friend signed up for her Recallers and the Handling 360. I have been so put off by the hard sales techniques (I managed to get on her email list) and some of them are just ridiculous as well!!

 

Honestly, at this point I wouldn't pay for any course from her, although I do think she is a gifted trainer. I will happily take a gander at the Freebe she has to offer though, and I have no worries that I'll succumb to high pressure tactics to sign up for more than that

[CptJack]

I think you just helped me pinpoint my problems, or at least consolidate them.

Her hard sales technique doesn't leave room for her to say 'these techniques aren't for every dog/won't work for every dog, but that doesn't mean there aren't other methods that will'. Because the hard sales pitch is that this is the BEST, the ONE, the ONLY worth bothering with. Either learning to work with those dogs, or pointing them toward OTHER good techniques that will work would either one go a long way toward making me less irritated with her.

 

I'm sure her methods would work with Molly, but because she basically ignores the fact that my little dog with limited to no toy drive and confidence issues can do (and is doing) pretty danged good at agility turns me off her. Hard. I guess there's the fact that the world class dogs are mostly 'of a kind' could be part of the rationale, but she's selling to the GENERAL PUBLIC. Most of us aren't going to worlds, you know?

 

I don't know. I apparently just have a lot of feelings about this.

[Chan]

She's a bit dogmatic in her approach

[Laurelin]

I got the guest pass so we can check it out. I've always found her off putting a bit just because of the sales tactics. she just kind of grates on me. lol That said I know a lot of people who have great relationships with their dogs and are great trainers and they all say they got a lot out of recallers.

 

I'm not a huge crate games fan. Hank didn't need it- he's super naturally well behaved especially with the crate. The papillons reacted so completely differently than the dogs in the video that I didn't find it very useful.

[medic09]

I find one of the comments repeated here (repeatedly) interesting - that her method isn't for every dog. Isn't that always a given, that no one method works for everyone - dog or human? In fact, I perused a few articles on her site because Golan has been displaying some annoying reactivity, and I noticed her offering several different approaches to the problem; stating that it is always good to have several tools in the toolkit (or something like that). She then emphasized one particular method; but I take that to be dictated by the limitations of writing a short article or doing a short video. My impression was that if I were to work with her as a private trainer, she would be well aware that methods might have to be changed or adjusted for the individual dog.

 

As a (former) classroom educator, I can tell you that this is a problem in human education, as well. I could tell you about learning styles and cognitive styles, plural; but in a lecture with 50 participants I am likely going to emphasize on approach at the expense of the others.

 

As for personalities, yes that always plays a part. Sometimes a big part. But I try to accept the truth from whomever might be offering it.

[medic09]

She's a bit dogmatic in her approach

Nice. You should be pun-ished for that.

[CptJack]

She isn't bad at general training, but she pushes her method SO HARD as the one true way with agility, that it really can be problematic. I've watched some of her Q and A sessions and the ONLY time she said her methods re: agility would probably not work for a dog was agility with a deaf dog (she uses tons of verbals/sounds) and she offered no alternatives at all. Otherwise, the times it has come up she's just been flummoxed and brushed it off.

I'm sure most METHODS don't work for all dogs (in fact I'd say basically none do) most trainers of anything, be it agility or obedience or problem solving, DO have more than one method in their box. If my rural, local, small time trainer can find ways to train a deaf dog and to work with a dog who has no toy drive or who is fearful or is tiny or huge -

 

I'm certainly sure Susan can.

She won't, I assume because she has a lot (literally) invested in her way being the best, the one, the ONLY. I also realize that teaching a huge group with lots and lots of people mean teaching the method that works for the bulk, but--

 

She sure as heck COULD point people toward other resources and handling styles or methods that would work for their dogs, and in doing so encourage them to continue. Instead she effectively shrugs her shoulders and says "oh well".

 

That's just... crappy.

 

**ETA:** and in retrospect and in the nature of fairness, I'm sure the volume of 'students' she has influences this. You have enough people clamoring for you to teach them, the wash-outs don't matter and you don't need to be personally invested in their success. That is understandable on a certain level. It's just that if I am paying someone substantial chunks of money to teach me, I want more than a brush off if my dog doesn't fit the mold.

[alligande]

Like other I have used her earlier videos for training, I used 2 x 2s for weaving, some of her one jump work. I just don't like crate games, I use a crate/dog bed as a place of rest and personal time and that is all it is. When I started to get geeky about agility I used to read her blog and she shared ideas, made an interesting read, and my respect for her grew but then things changed and it all became about the sales pitch, and no longer about sharing information. I have no doubt about her skills, it's the sales pitch that I hate.

I have taken online courses with other trainers, particularly Daisy Peel who is not into the hard sell. There are other top trainers out there also offering online courses with out the TV shopping channel plugs, Sylvia Trkman, Linda Meckleburg, Denise Frenzi to name a few. I have no problem paying for a skilled trainer to increase my knowledge, (I am taking an online weave course at the moment) I just don't want how great they are pushed down my throat, I find humble to be a great asset among those who are particularly talented. I have friends and acquaintances who have Olympic medals, sailed around the world, won the Americas cup etc etc and in a bar full of sailors it is the weekend warriors who you will hear bragging not the accomplished.

What particular irks me is that she gets on a bandwagon and starts pushing it, the first time I noticed it was with running contacts, she was years behind Slyvia Trkman but suddenly she was giving it the hard sell, most recently it was canine conditioning.

But the thing that I find particular ironic is friends who have been to National competitions have told me that her dogs are horrible to be crated near, and that if no one is in the motor home then it is a noisy place to pass by, and if you are going to be doing the hard sell, your dogs better live up that billing.

[Laurelin]

The crate games DVD I have. I just remember the GSD at the intro part to be a dog I would not have chosen for a demo or at least the only demo dog. It was very very calm whereas my dog was not. Which was why I was trying crate games. I got frustrated because my dog reacted so differently than the demo dog that I felt lost and like I had to do a lot of guessing for myself.

I'm in a Fenzi class now that is great. The instructor shows variations in setups. She shows dogs of various sizes and types of temperament. She shows confident dogs and also what to do if the dog is not confident or fearful. I feel like there's a lot more clarity for more people. If I get a DVD I want more ideas on how to customize things.

2x2s worked for Hank very well but not for Summer my dog with no toy drive.

[Sekah]

 

 

But the thing that I find particular ironic is friends who have been to National competitions have told me that her dogs are horrible to be crated near, and that if no one is in the motor home then it is a noisy place to pass by, and if you are going to be doing the hard sell, your dogs better live up that billing.

 

That's interesting. Though in my mind, she's training people to run dogs well on the agility field. A lot of her lessons are definitely applicable to people with lower drive and/or pet dogs, but it's focused on performance on the course. Crate games isn't really about teaching a dog to settle in a crate -- it's about teaching control around barriers, to drive towards a goal, etc. I know of a number of people who feel that crate games fed into some heavy duty resource guarding behaviour.

 

I also acknowledge my privilege of working with a drivey, pushy, healthy, active, focused, fast dog in sport. Her material is well geared towards the likes of me.

[CptJack]

The thing is, she's hard selling to people who are not ever going to compete at nationals, or world's - though frankly depending on venue all getting into nationals takes is a lot of time on your hands to go to a lot of trial and a moderately consistent dog. If she were limiting herself to people who were going to go to the top of the top and best of the best, yeah, you can probably assume they'd be working with dogs with tons of TOY drive (because let's be real that's the ONLY drive she works with) and tons of confidence.

 

But those *aren't* most of the dogs in agility. They're just - they're not.

 

Most of the dogs in agility, and a ton of the people who find her and are trying to learn or need to learn or are just looking for another resource are casual competitors who's absolute TOP goal is a MACH. Which, again, does not require a dog with a ton of toy drive and confidence. ie: Dogs that her methods would work for.

 

I'd have less issue with her hard sell if she'd stick to hard selling to people who her stuff would work for, but she's NOT. She's promoting her stuff hard, to EVERYONE.

 

ETA: Oops, I read wrong. Yes, her material is perfect for you and not half bad for me with Molly. I just. Am aggravated by her apparent obliviousness. REALLY aggravated by her arrogance. Another video thing and 'You know, I said if they ever got my material they might give me a run for my money (or be a threat or something similar)!' of another high level agility person. ...seriously?

 

And I've also noticed the bandwagon pushing.

[alligande]

 

That's interesting. Though in my mind, she's training people to run dogs well on the agility field. A lot of her lessons are definitely applicable to people with lower drive and/or pet dogs, but it's focused on performance on the course. Crate games isn't really about teaching a dog to settle in a crate -- it's about teaching control around barriers, to drive towards a goal, etc. I know of a number of people who feel that crate games fed into some heavy duty resource guarding behaviour.

 

I also acknowledge my privilege of working with a drivey, pushy, healthy, active, focused, fast dog in sport. Her material is well geared towards the likes of me.

I also have one of those, everything you could ask for in an agility partner, he just needs a better team mate, but along with his drive, speed, complete focus on the agility field (he has never for a moment lost focus on me during a competive or training run) I also expect my dogs to be good room mates, well mannered neighbors, just good all-round pets who can go out for lunch lie under a table, or hang out in their crate at an agility competition, which is something every agility dog in the US will do.

 

There loads of different ways of building self control, we rock our start line stay no crate needed and driving forwards is another game with loads of different ways of finding the magic, I have used many, with my dog and now with other people's,

.

I'd have less issue with her hard sell if she'd stick to hard selling to people who her stuff would work for, but she's NOT. She's promoting her stuff hard, to EVERYONE.

 

ETA: Oops, I read wrong. Yes, her material is perfect for you and not half bad for me with Molly. I just. Am aggravated by her apparent obliviousness. REALLY aggravated by her arrogance. Another video thing and 'You know, I said if they ever got my material they might give me a run for my money (or be a threat or something similar)!' of another high level agility person. ...seriously?

 

 

And I've also noticed the bandwagon pushing.

Like you the bottom line she just rubs me the wrong way, and I think her focus has got confused as she pushes for the greatest customer base, handling 360 which a friend signed up for was just agility (he found some useful but got frustrated by the format as you had to work your way through the whole program regardless of current skill and he basically got bored) now the focus is recallers which is broad based, but for most pet owners I think they would get better value working with a local trainer and watching kikopup videos.

 

Regarding agility she is not cutting edge, she is repackaging others ideas, at the moment the one mind dog team are where top handlers are looking for ideas and inspiration, the Scandinavians countries have lots of interesting handlers. Top handlers are always looking for new ways to train and communicate with their dogs. But there are also people like Susan Salo who have created a niche in improving performance in an area she has expertise, jumping.

 

But curiosity has required me to sign up for my free pass, because if I am going to be critical then I need to know what I am grumbling about, plus I am sure there will be some interesting ideas to learn from.

[medic09]

I find one of the comments repeated here (repeatedly) interesting - that her method isn't for every dog. Isn't that always a given, that no one method works for everyone - dog or human? In fact, I perused a few articles on her site because Golan has been displaying some annoying reactivity, and I noticed her offering several different approaches to the problem; stating that it is always good to have several tools in the toolkit (or something like that). She then emphasized one particular method; but I take that to be dictated by the limitations of writing a short article or doing a short video. My impression was that if I were to work with her as a private trainer, she would be well aware that methods might have to be changed or adjusted for the individual dog.

 

As a (former) classroom educator, I can tell you that this is a problem in human education, as well. I could tell you about learning styles and cognitive styles, plural; but in a lecture with 50 participants I am likely going to emphasize on approach at the expense of the others.

 

As for personalities, yes that always plays a part. Sometimes a big part. But I try to accept the truth from whomever might be offering it.

Okay, I spaced out when I wrote this comment. I had Patricia McConnel in my mind when I wrote it for some reason (it was her site I turned to for ideas about reactivity). So just ignore me. As they say in the infantry, "back in my lane..."