Private lessons or Barnhire?

[CptJack]

I very nearly ruined Kylie, entirely - not just her weaves, but overall. Not a BC, granted, but IIRC neither is OP's dog (though closer than Kylie!)

 

Toward the end of the time we were in classes, it would be our turn and my dog would be shut down and just stare at me. I absolutely sucked every bit of fun out of the game for her, and that was 200% my fault. She found it kind of fun to start with, but I didn't spend nearly enough time building reward and fun into the game and way, way, too much fun sucking it out by being too much of a perfectionist and just plain overwork. I have a very vivid memory of trying to make her do something (AGAIN) and her looking at me, turning and RUNNING the other way, across a field, and jumping into a river - and this is NOT a dog who blows me off. When she was working, she was very correct and also very careful and very slow.

 

Same thing that killed her weaves - only on an agility wide scale. You would think I would have learned, but apparently I'm really slow. Heck, you would think I would have learned after I took a dog who loved to play and loved to please and killed her toy drive and play drive by being an uptight control freak, but I really AM slow. (And to be clear, I wasn't using harsh methods or yelling or being overly stingy with treats, I was just plain applying too much pressure to do the dog).

 

Fortunately, at some point my instructor saying 'BETTER HAPPY THAN CORRECT' finally sank into my brain.

These days we 'work' on agility for maybe 45-60 minutes in a given week, and that's between club practices, stuff at home and our private lesson. A lot of weeks we don't do some, or any, of that. Practices we basically run two courses, OR work on something that's harder while we have access to the full equipment. Home we go play in the yard and I maybe do a contact or weaves once or twice or some handling thing for 60 seconds over the time we're out there playing silly games. Lessons the pattern is very much working on a thing for a few minutes, breaking to play or splash around in a stock tub, and working on another thing, then play etc.

 

And, y'know, she might not be the best agility dog ever, and she's not a border collie, but she's a dog who enjoys frisbee and fetch and play. Agility's a game for her again and she has fun. Her mental and physical stamina are better, she wants to play more, she moves faster, but mostly the dog is happy - and if *nothing* else shows in her videos and photos, I think that does.

ETA: Also, I'm well out of novice in all but one class, and I *still* prefer that eyes on, hands on, directed private lesson because I still have a TON to learn. The dog's got most of it now, me? Not so much.

[alligande]

My first dog thought agility was stupid due I think mostly due to bad training. We made all the beginner mistakes, not enough rewards, not recognizing that silly behavior needed to be encouraged, and a trainer that did not teach me what was important.

 

I am constantly on my beginners, reward reward reward, and I get the response he did not get it right, and I always say he did what you asked ... Now reward your dog. And I agree most dogs only have a limited amount of work time in them before they want to quit, it is being aware of it that is important and so very hard to get people to understand. We have a whole pack of puppies in the club at the moment, and persuading people that a game with a puppy only needs to be 2 minutes and you stop while the dog wants more, not when he quits is turning out to be very hard.

 

My dog has a behaviour that I know people wonder why I allow it, when we enter an agility area, he screams and leaps, it is all a little excessive, he is big and loud and I look like I am about to be bitten. I never stopped it as I want him excited and happy to play, as soon as he is in a sit stay his focus is complete and there is no repeat performance, and he doesn't care how long a training session is, or how many times I repeat a sequence so I can get the movement right. He is a big marshmallow and I have always felt that if I shut down his hysterical session I would be taking some of his joy away, and I can't see a single reason to change something that does not effect our performance and has the potential to change it.

 

The last year and half is the first time I have ever had unlimited access to equipment, and it is only 10 minutes from my house, and our performance and skills have improved dramatically despite not having access to a regular trainer. I have no strict training plan, if there is time sometimes I will train for 10-15 minutes after a class, if I have signed up for an online class I will go over and work on that, other times I join the owner of the club and work on what she is training online. We probably train in total an hour a week. One of the strangely liberating things is having no goals, there are only two grades in our smaller agility organization and no championship title to gather points for, so when we compete my goal is to win, so I push and usually we make mistakes and I find holes in our abilities, and that is what I then focus on, at the moment it is weave pole entries, and not pulling out of them regardless of my actions. When we compete in FCI I am a lot more conservative as I do want clear rounds, but due to travel distances FCI is an occassional treat.

 

So back the OP, I would suggest the private sessions not the barn rental as I think in the long run you will gain the most out of it, and it will help you not fall into the problems that most of us had with our first dog.

[CptJack]

he did what you asked ... Now reward your dog

 

Have you seen this?

 

- Very worth a watch, if not.

[CptJack]

As a not really aside, Kylie also yaps her head off when we enter an agility area (not on course) and acts like she doesn't know how to walk on a leash. It used to embarrass me, so I'd try to stop it. These days, not so much. It doesn't happen if she's not happy and excited.

 

Actually, I've tossed a lot of 'correct' lately, and it's made the dog happier to play, by a lot.

I don't do start-line stays very often. I don't stop her on contacts. One or both of those is someday going to bite me soundly on the butt when it comes to the Q, but I'd rather lose the Q than the dog. Both stopped contacts and startlines are useful, and she has/had both, but they also demotivated her.

 

(And I think the best thing my instructor has drilled into me is that if you're lost, make a mistake or are frustrated *immediately* turn around and praise and reward the dog. Dog can't tell if I'm frustrated and upset at myself or at her. These days she's more likely to frustration bark at me than shut down, but I like to avoid both, you know?

[alligande]

Oh dear I have become that person , only difference is the language is a bizzare mix of English and very bad spanish with some odd german commands! Basically I yell premio a lot ... The yelling is due to the busy road next to the field