2010 January 7 – Motivation

We are always talking about finding the motivation for our dogs to help them fall in love with the game of agility.  We use many motivators to help our dogs – we buy different toys and different treats.  We change things up to hold their interest.  If we notice that they no longer want to work for their favorite toy or treat we start the hunt for another motivator.

But what about us?  How do we keep ourselves motivated to keep going through the year.  We have set these wonderful goals and made grand New Years resolutions, but 5 days after the new year we begin to struggle with how we will keep going.  The excitement of what can be accomplished takes us through the first couple weeks of the new year but then we must start looking for more.

We need to look for little things (or even big things) that can help keep us stay on track.  We need to look for all the little things that can play a role in “our” motivation.  Listening to special songs can give us motivation, watching a inspiring movie, or reading an inspirational book. Being around people that share similiar goals can give you a boost to stay on track.  Finding a good training partner – and you can help each other out.

Whatever the solution is for you, you must stay active and always be on the look out for motivators that will help you – sometimes even just a cup of tea with help you through another day.  The year is long- keep actively looking – for you and your dog!\

Look for that picture the makes you want to be more, that movie that makes you smile, that books that makes you laugh, hang out with that friend that pushes you to your best.  Find out how to keep it going, find out how much you need and get it.

Happy motivation – and good luck to a great new 2010!!!!  You can do it!

Bringing In The New Year!

I have been thinking alot about the New Year.  The traditional “setting of goals” and “New Years Resolutions”.  I havent participated in either of these traditions in a few years, whats the point, its always the same isnt it?  Lose weight, get in shape, become a better person… yeah, yeah, yeah.  And how many times has it actually held up?  Right, thats my point – whats the point.

But this year is different – I mean this year is going to be different.  I have given a lot of thought to “my goals”, about my agility goals and life goals and I realized something.  I realized that I really haven’t gone anywhere this past year, not because I didnt want to go anywhere but because I lacked the direction to go anywhere.  There were actually a lot of things that I wanted to do, wanted to accomplish, but no direction, no map on how to get there.  No focus.  I realized something else…..  you cant lose if you don’t play but you also cant win.I know, old saying but I just now realized that it applies to me. To me and everything I do in my life.  I realized that I was just plain too scared to push myself forward.

I also realized that life isnt all about dog agility, winning or losing.  Its about being the best you can be. Just you. Its about making your life and the lives around you the best that they can be.  Its about helping others grow and learn, its about teaching people how to push themselves and feel good about all that they do.  If you do all that, be the best person that you can be, you cant lose.

I have always pushed my students to be the best trainers and handlers that they can be – but I missed the part where I continued to push myself to be the best I can be.  Set a goal, set a path, choose a direction.  That is my new year, those are my goals for this year.  I am not going to tell you my exact goals in all their detail – but you can trust they are long and they are complex and they are completely doable.  I have alot of work ahead of me, but at least now I know where I am headed and I have to say, THAT feels good!

Do you know where you are going? 

Welcome 2010
To good friends and great new beginnings.

2009 December 12 – What Is Your Goal

Its that time again!  What a wonderful time of year it is!  Clean slate!  Whole year in front of you!  What will we do?  I am going to sit down and decide what things I want to work on this year with my agility kids.  I am going to shoot for some short time goals as well as my long term goals.    I have a new kid that is ready to learn and hopefully my Rush puppy will be starting her “in house” rehab.

What will your goals be?  Start thinking!!! 

What Are You Training?

Are we training what we are intending to train?  I know  that we mean well, but do you know what you are training?  This week we are working on a complete course.  Its not the type of training that I like to but I do it once in a while.  What I realized is that while we are running full courses I do alot less teaching.  Its been bugging me as to the “why” for that and I realized tonight what it was.

If we are supposed to be working on our training how do we decide which part of the course to actually train? Let me explain.  We have a standard course with all the contacts, jumps, tunnels and weaves.  We line our dogs up on the start line and lead out.  The dog breaks the start line.  We go back reset and then lead out again.  We open with three jumps into a tunnel discrimination and the dog picks the wrong end – we correct the tunnel.  We go tunnel to the aframe and the dog launches the contact – we correct and continue to a pinwheel – the dog is not jumping efficiently but we go on to the dogwalk that the dog creeps across, again we continue, after all we have a course to complete.

So I think you get the picture.  What are you training?  Yes, putting it all together is fun – but its not training.  The dog has just performed about 9 obstacles, did he perform them as you would like to see?  Are you happywith the contacts? Discrimination’s? Jumping? Startline?  Where do you start?

I feel that you get alot more out of your training if you go into with a training plan.  If you want to train contacts pick a contact and work it, work it into a small sequence – something the dog cannot mess up so that your focus can remain on what you are working.  You cannot work your training when you are working full courses.

Dont get me wrong, there is a place and time for running full courses, just dont be so anxious to put all your training on a course.  When you feel as though you need to take a look at your training to see where there might be holes then by all means put it all together.  Then, go back to your training with an updated plan.  Remember, you cannot get anywhere without a plan, so have a plan.

Happy Training!!!!

Have No Fear – You Are Prepared

I was getting ready to run my young dog this past weekend in his first AKC trial.  When you walk courses you get to hear comments being made by other handlers in reference to things they are worried about on the course.  Its always about skills – ones that you have and ones that you dont.  I started thinking about my own teams skills.  Since we are a new team I am still figuring out what skills we have and what we dont have.

I realized as I walked the novice course how relaxed I was on certain parts of the course and how uneasy I was in others.  I also realized that it was those places on the course that offered the skills or obstacles that I did not have any problems with.  These were the “skills” that we had mastered in practice.  On the flip side of things I realized that it was the obstacles or skills that we had not mastered that I worried about on the course.  Makes sense, I know.  But what I started thinking about was running courses in general.

I always tell my students that they can/should “take it on the road” when they can no longer duplicate their issues in practice.  I started thinking about that – about how anxious everyone is to “play”.  How anxious everyone is to “compete”.  Everyone does agility for their own reasons of course, but ultimately everyone wants to do well.  They certainly do not want to get out their and do poorly, and yet we tend to “rush”.  -

It is always the greatest feeling whenever I walk onto a course and know that I have ALL the skills to get through the course.  All I have to think about is my strategy – not whether or not I can get through the course.  What a feeling running into things that you have trained for!  What a feeling going onto a course and not “fearing” any obstacles or sequences!  Knowing that you have your contacts, your weaves, your start line.  This is not to say that you will get all of these in competition, but to know that you “have” these skills!  One less worry for you in an “overly emotional” situation.  One less thing to put on your mind! One less stressor for you and your dog.

You can “take it on the road” whenever you feel you are ready…. but I encourage you to try it when you can go confidently, knowing you have the skills.

I walked onto my Novice courses feeling good!  I had the skills needed to get through the courses well.  It was what I had trained for, what I had practiced for – we were ready!

Oh, what a feeling to have no fear! 

My Life’s So Bright …

I have to wear shades,  but try to leave them behind when you are running agility.

I am a firm believer in making eye contact with my dog.  Have you ever had a conversation with someone that was wearing shades?  Was it hard to tell what they were thinking, where they were looking?  Did you have a difficult time feeling a connection to them?  I do.  I try to make sure that I remove my sunglasses when I am talking to someone, with one exception… If THEY have their glasses still on I keep mine on!    I dont want them looking into my soul if I cant look into theirs.

My dogs dont run with sunglasses and neither do I.  I believe that it really helps me make eye connection with them.  I also wont run with a hat on.  Anyone who wears a baseball cap knows the feeling of “tunnel vision” when you are wearing a hat.  Imagine that tunnel vision with the additional hindrance of sunglasses.  Double wammy in my book.  I have watched many handlers lose connection on the course under these circumstances and  I have to wonder if  the outcome would have been different if the glasses and hat were not in the picture.

So think about it when you are out with your dog – let them look into your soul and dont forget to look into theirs 

If Its Not Fun

Many of us do the activities that we do because they are fun.  But what happens if you take an activity that you once loved and now find yourself loving it “not so much”?.  You have two choices:  Quit or find a way to fall in love again.

We have all taken our passions to the edge, I know I have – you start out with a little and like it so much you do it more and then you’re in love and doing it all the time.  But sometimes there really is such a thing as “too much of a good thing”.  Sometimes you need to step away and do something else for a while.   If you find yourself not enjoying your sport as much as you used to its okay to take a break.  A little time away may help you renew your passion.

Maybe a break is not for you – but how about if you just step back a little.  Lets take agility for example.  When you started agility there was playing and goofing around and a little bit of serious stuff.  It had to be this way because you only knew how to do two pieces of equipment and not in a row!  So you played ball, played tug, ran around being silly with your dog trying to get a connection.  Then as time progressed you learned more equipment and you learned how to put it together, so you played ball and tug and sequenced.  More time goes on, bigger sequences, more serious skills needed to be practiced…. only now there was not enough time for play.

The problem is all sports need play.  You need a time when you dont have to be “on” – “serious”. Where you just goof around and it doesnt matter how you perform as long as everyone is smiling.

No matter how “serious” you get in your passion you have to remember to play.  And not just at home when no one is watching.  Play around others, play in your class – show others how to play and have fun, be silly!   Its contagious – play.  So do it more, dont take yourself so seriously… I think when you do you will find yourself falling in love all over again with your passion.

And even if you dont?  You will have remembered how to play again!

Its Not ALL About Agility

Sometimes you have to see past the agility ability to see what is really important.

How many of you would know what to do if I told you that for two weeks you could not do any agility? Feeling like it just got harder to breathe?  Some of you eat, breathe and sleep agility – I know.  I dont happen to be one of those people but I do understand.    But to truly feel a bond between you and your dog?  It takes more – it takes hanging out, teaching tricks, playing ball, taking walks.  I feel the most bonded with my dogs when we are just out doing things together.

For those of you that really want to improve your agility, go out and play!  No, not agility.  Agility has expectations and requirements – go do something that requires nothing.  You will be surprised at how doing nothing will give you something.

Food For Thought

Being good enough takes no practice at all

To be good? Takes a little push. To be really good?  Takes a big push, at a lot of practice  

And having an instructor that cares wouldnt hurt!

Just An Instructor After All

and we are just human.  Sometimes we dont always do what is right.  But I would l ike to think that we (as instructors) are only trying to do the best for our students and their dogs.  We only want our students to do their absolute best.  Sometimes they whine, sometimes they get mad and sometimes they even quit.  But sometimes, sometimes they get past that and take themselves to the next level.

I pushed a student last week, I made her mad.  I didnt try to, I wasnt being insulting or rude, I just kept asking her to try again, I knew she could do it.  But I upset her….  I didnt know she had had a bad day, I didnt know she was tired, I didnt know that she needed to take it easy.

When I come to class I have to leave all my emotions at the door.  I can only take what I need to do the best job I can.  No matter what my students bring to the table that day, my job is still to instruct them.  Sometimes I am really good at reading them and I know when I should just let them go.  But sometimes, I miss the signal.  For that I am sorry.  But please just know, your instructor is only trying to make you better.  And for my students?  Yes, its my job to push you – and sometimes that push is past your confort zone.  But you know what?  That student did do it again, and they got it!  And they were so happy with themselves and their dog, they got the feel, they understood what I was saying… they didnt give up – and I didnt give up on them.

It was a good day.