teresaserrano Posted December 7, 2014 Report Share Posted December 7, 2014 I filmed this a couple months ago when Tess and I where preparing for the beginner's training class exam. She was 14 mo. As you can see, precision is not my strong point, much to my trainers dismay. I value a happy demeanour and reliability, but precision... it's a personality thing I guess. So she's not very precise either, of course. But I'm very happy with how she's turning out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 I think she looks great! Precision was always the fun sucker for me back when I did Competition obedience. Some people thrive on all those tiny details but I often found them frustrating. Your beginners obedience is different and more advanced in some ways than in the U.S. Very nice job. Tess looks like a happy girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 I did competitive obedience for a very short while. Never got the high scores because I wasn't willing to jeopardize my relationship with my dog. I always said -- and I meant it -- that the day it was no longer fun was the day we quit. Like I said, we never got the high scores. But twice (in a total of 4 competitions) we got something much better. Twice the judge came up to me afterwards and said something to the effect of "I'm sorry I can't give you the first prize ribbon. I just loved the way you and your dog worked together" -- or "He loves working with you." That was better than any old blue ribbon to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresaserrano Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thanks Liz Gentle Lake, I know what you mean. Where I train, we sometimes do public demonstrations. Tess is too young and hasn't yet participated in any, but my previous dog Sara did a few, and more than once people from the public told me afterwards that my dog was the "craziest one". I always took that as a huge compliment because basically that meant she was the one dog bouncing happilly by my side, waging her tail and looking at me with that "what's next" expression, getting slightly ahead on some obstacles because she was sooo happy to be working with me she just couldn't control it. We weren't very precise, but I valued so much more that she took such pleasure in it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 When I was a child I was involved in competitive obedience and when I was ready for my first dog as an adult after as the children were all at school I was determined that I wouldn't train the life out of him. It didn't work out quite as planned. The first class I went to was like stepping into a time warp but fortunately I met a trainer who taught me that training can be fun for handler and dog and I haven't looked back. I still have reservations about competitive obedience but have dabbled and had places with a couple of dogs since then and will do some with the current pup if he likes it. Just to comment on precision, it doesn't necessarily involve the amount of nagging we see from a lot of handlers. It can be fun just like anything else we teach. But at heart I'm not really a perfectionist either and prefer the more relaxed approach in agility where anyone can achieve a degree of success without necessarily being millimetre perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 I did competitive obedience for a very short while. Never got the high scores because I wasn't willing to jeopardize my relationship with my dog. I always said -- and I meant it -- that the day it was no longer fun was the day we quit. Like I said, we never got the high scores. But twice (in a total of 4 competitions) we got something much better. Twice the judge came up to me afterwards and said something to the effect of "I'm sorry I can't give you the first prize ribbon. I just loved the way you and your dog worked together" -- or "He loves working with you." That was better than any old blue ribbon to me. I got a Judge's Special once in agility. I was running my 16in mongrel about 12 years ago over 30 in jumps in a Novice agility class and she absolutely flew round. Would have had a high place against mainly collies but for one dropped pole. The award was for being so small and looking so happy and I remember that more than any other place she ever got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 >>Just to comment on precision, it doesn't necessarily involve the amount of nagging we see from a lot of handlers. It can be fun just like anything else we teach.<< Definitely. I just am not good at trying to get all the minute details just right and I often don't enjoy the process. I remember working on a beautiful, straight sit on the finish with my Lhasa. He even achieved it with a very cute, very happy flip into place. One of my instructors pointed out that he was brushing my leg as he did so, which of course would cost us in the ring. I am sure there was a fun way I could have fixed that like I did the crooked sit. I just didn't have the interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 >>Just to comment on precision, it doesn't necessarily involve the amount of nagging we see from a lot of handlers. It can be fun just like anything else we teach.<< Definitely. I just am not good at trying to get all the minute details just right and I often don't enjoy the process. I remember working on a beautiful, straight sit on the finish with my Lhasa. He even achieved it with a very cute, very happy flip into place. One of my instructors pointed out that he was brushing my leg as he did so, which of course would cost us in the ring. I am sure there was a fun way I could have fixed that like I did the crooked sit. I just didn't have the interest. Here touching your leg is encouraged, not faulted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresaserrano Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Agree with all of you. We don't train competitive obedience and I have no interest in competition of any kind, it's just not for me - and the dog sure doesn't care if it's competition or not as long as we are doing fun stuff. At the association we train, we do obedience and obstacles, bite work for the dogs who like it and the ocasional incursion in tracking. The main goal is to have a confident fit reliable dog that is at ease with life in a human world. But my trainer has a military background so of course focus a lot on precision We do our best but I know I have limits in that respect and will not sacrifice fun for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresaserrano Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 By the way, how did you fix the crooked sit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 >>By the way, how did you fix the crooked sit?<< It has been several years so I don't have clear details but a lot of it had to do with focusing on getting him into correct position through my movement, some initial luring, having physical barriers/guidelines (a wall, a broad jump plank, a jump bar) to assist him being straight and lots of rewarding and building enthusiasm. The idea was to avoid correcting AFTER he went into the wrong position. IIRC, I was stepping back with my left leg, making a sweeping movement with my left hand that initially held a treat. Between him moving more and excitedly jumping into the air, he had more room and momentum to get himself into correct position. If he looked like he was going to be crooked, I could move forward which allowed him to straighten out. And then I upped the criteria for him to get the reward, where I was doing less and less to help him be correct. Eventually he only needed a regular hand gesture from me and he was leaping into place, but brushing ever so slightly against my leg as he did so. Which detracts from our score, at least in AKC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresaserrano Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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