I don't think these videos have been posted on the blog before...
My reason for posting these now is two-fold. One: Look at how far Porter has come! :) There was a time when I was ready to quit due to all his weave pole problems.
And two: a couple students had some questions regarding seminars / taking advice from people.
Basically I was asked how you know what / who's advice you should take. Or when to change your handling / training to something new that is suggested. Who do you trust? How do you know if what they suggest will work? How much should you try or change?
My advice? Go into everything with an open mind. Listen to their ideas. Then think about it. Think about it a lot! :)
When Porter wasn't weaving, I asked everyone for advice. All kinds of well-meaning strangers offered me ideas. I bought dvd's. I read books. I watched youtube videos. But before I did anything, I thought long & hard about it. If you know me at all, you know I analyze everything. Some would say I over-analyze everything...
I can honestly admit that I think I tried every single option. I was desperate. And I learned a lot about myself & Porter. I learned what I valued & what I was willing to devote time to. Eventually I got the advice I needed. And eventually I put in the work. And I saw results.
So how about attending seminars? Especially handling seminars? My advice: give it a shot. Go outside your comfort zone a little. Humor them :) Just because you did it at a seminar does not mean you have to add it to your repertoire.
It's the same as accepting advice. Some is good, some is bad. Some works, some doesn't. But don't feel that you have to change everything that you've worked so hard for just because someone tells you differently. Give it some thought & cherry-pick the best advice.
Who knows, one tiny little throw-away suggestion may be the key to unlocking the weave pole struggle :)
One of the main reasons Wilson only made it as far as his Excellent titles was those darn weaves. He could do them in class, but he always missed the entry at trials. And of course he was perfect on the second try. I asked for advice, took seminars, etc., tried retraining w/ 2x2s when I got those for Jimmy. He just couldn't get it together. I blame it on my original training when I was new to agility. Poor boy was ruined by my early learning curve. When his lameness issues pointed toward early retirement, it was an easy decision.
ReplyDeleteWe has similar issues with the Teeter. It took a good three years of seminars, workshops, advice before we found the key (Jan Pinders, Sizzling Seesaws). Those first agility dogs sure do make us learn.
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