Learning doesn't always come easy

It's so important to understand and work the dog in front of you when you begin your learning journey together. Sometimes, you have to throw your plan out the window and get creative! Sometimes, it just couldn't be easier. It can be a dream. But where's the fun in that!

Just because it worked with the first dog doesn't mean it will work with the next. I learnt that the hard way!

Learning doesn't always come easy. There may be a number of challenges to be worked through and overcome to help your dog learn new concepts and skills.

Take my young dog Brave, for example. My dream dog, everything I wanted. I was so excited about our journey together. He has given me the gift of learning and he's the gift that keeps on giving.

Someone recently said my youngest dog, Seeker, doesn't have a history of mistakes and behavior like my older boy Brave does. That really made me sit back and reflect. Seeker hasn't been allowed to fail in the same way as Brave ha...

I have a competitive streak. I admit it. I like to win.

This would be my undoing.

I thought my dog understood her two-paws-on/two-paws-off (2O2O) contacts but in October 2017 we hit the wall. My dog, Fate, started leaping from A-frames and dog walks like she had never been trained in her life. Our Agility nationals was a disaster.

I cried. I was lost. How did this even happen?

How was I going to fix this before I wrecked this amazing girl who wasn’t yet 3 years old?

I didn’t really understand the problem or how to resolve it.

If I’m honest, I was focused on outcomes. I wanted to do well. To win. I didn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late. My understanding and knowledge of how to train a successful 2O2O Contact was limited to shaping the 2O2O position.

I was about to find out there is a heck of a lot more to it than that.

Re-training a broken 2O2O Contact with my young Border Collie Fate would have to be ‘one’ of the most difficult challenges I have faced to ...