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 ...