# Brilliant Dog, Dunce Handler



## TaraM1285 (Sep 24, 2009)

Tara is brilliant at agility!  (Of course, I'm a LITTLE biased). We started sequencing with just jumps and tunnels in this class and she is FAST and FOCUSED. 

However, I am a DUNCE. 

She follows my body language perfectly, the problem is that my body is not anywhere near in the correct position! :hammer: My brain just shuts down the second I look at multiple obstacles in a row and my poor dog is having to put up with my ineptitude. Anybody else have this problem? 

I just can't see the routes that I should be running or the way I should turn to be in the right place at the right time. :thinking: I'm having a hard enough time with "jump, tunnel, tunnel, jump" shaped in a "U", let alone anything tougher that I have no idea how I'll ever navigate a whole course! How the heck do you figure out where to go?? :help: Our instructor tries to show me the best route and explain why, but my brain just can't tell my body how to do it correctly. 

I'm beginning to understand why I've heard so many people comment that THEY are their dogs biggest limiter when it comes to agility!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

It takes a long time before you will be able to figure out how to get your dog through a course. Don't worry about it now.

It's true that the handler is usually the problem. My last trial, I screwed up my dog for both of his runs. The first time was because I slowed down about two feet too soon so my dog stopped so he could see what I wanted him to do differently and got a refusal. My second run I was so far behind him from a long series of jumps and was so surprised he kept going that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going until my dog refused the jump I was stupidly standing right in front of blocking it. Argh! I'm still standing in the idiot handler corner for that one.


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Yes we ALL are our dogs biggest weakness. Check out lots of handling videos, books, blogs. If there is anyone teaching "box work" in your area... take a class, it is about handlers and not dogs. Box work is a great WAY TO think about handler skills. (whats my job and whats mydogs job) Am biased to Greg Derrit work... but check these out. Videos and books on cleanrun.com ... I would highly recommend Susan Garretts One Jump Work and the second or third Greg Derritt video. You can buy and some video downloads from there or rent from SmartFlix. Also google on agility nerd and follow his blog. Susan Garretts blog is also a great resource to help the handlers  We are all in the same boat... so dont worry...


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

TaraM1285 said:


> Tara is brilliant at agility!  (Of course, I'm a LITTLE biased). We started sequencing with just jumps and tunnels in this class and she is FAST and FOCUSED.
> 
> I'm beginning to understand why I've heard so many people comment that THEY are their dogs biggest limiter when it comes to agility!


Welcome to the Wonderful World of Agility! And nice to see how early you are 'getting' it.

Cause you hit the nail on the head why we all end up with some equipment in the yard, and all go to agility classes, seminars, clinics FOREVER! Our dogs ability to learn to do each individual obstacle usually goes fairly fast (except jumping in sequences, I think that's a big time skill that also takes years for most of our dogs). 

What 'agility' eventually becomes more about is what WE HANDLERS are doing in the space BETWEEN the obstacles. Where we are and what we are doing and how we are trying to communicate the flow of the course to the dog in a timely manner.

One of the MANY reasons I'm TRYING to stop naming every obstacle as I'm running along is that I don't have time to do that AND run AND think about the course. Heck, I know people that are successfully running courses using pretty much 100% their bodies/arms and only call out their dogs name to get them to check in for extra cues.


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## TaraM1285 (Sep 24, 2009)

Thanks for commiserating with me! I'll stop worrying about it now. 

I'll definitely look into some of the resources mentioned to start learning some handling skills.



MaggieRoseLee said:


> One of the MANY reasons I'm TRYING to stop naming every obstacle as I'm running along is that I don't have time to do that AND run AND think about the course. Heck, I know people that are successfully running courses using pretty much 100% their bodies/arms and only call out their dogs name to get them to check in for extra cues.


You know I hadn't really thought about this until you said something, but our instructor never really mentioned a need to name obstacles while running the sequence, I've just been doing it because everyone else has. Silly me! Doesn't really make any sense to name them anyways...Tara only knows "table" so far! And I'm sure she's not going to learn them while we're running sequences with my mixed signals! :rofl:


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

This is usually the biggest challenge of agility. Most dogs learn the equipment very quickly. I promise it gets easier with time and practice though


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## TaraM1285 (Sep 24, 2009)

Update - Tara is still brilliant and I was slightly less of a dunce this week. I decided it would be worth my while to walk through the simple sequence (2 jumps + a tire) before releasing Tara at class this week and it paid off and we actually managed the sequence in both directions!









It even had a front cross in it that was completely confusing everyone, but walking it through first really helped me to relax and then repeat it rather than just trying to see it in my head before frantically trying to get myself, Tara and all my arms and legs to go in the same general direction.









I just have to remember to take it one step at a time!

Oh and our instructor (unprompted!) exclaimed that Tara is brilliant! So, I guess it's not just me being biased thinking she's amazing!


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## mygsds (Jan 7, 2007)

It is almost imperative to walk through a sequence - when you do so don't just think about the sequence. Think about what speed you are going, when to slow, when to speed up etc. 
I try to not say obstacle commands because Kahlua is very fast and I am too slow so I usually end up saying "hup" as she takes the jump and she turns to check with me and knocks the bar.

There is usually more than one right way to handle a sequence too - don;t just do what the other handlers do - it might not work for your dog. In our class we have the rest of the class way and my way - they front cross, I have to rear - different dogs, different speed.

Be careful when you use your dogs name too - it usually makes them turn or stop and get refusals or knocked bars. Also praise can be good but not at the wrong time. For example, dog enters weaves, handler says "good girl" - dog thinks - I'm done and pops or turns to see what you are saying and pops. Takes practice to learn to shut up and run )))

I am my dog's worst challenge - too slow on my feet, too slow with commands but I know how to walk a course and figure out how to handle. I took a class on walking a course and planning strategies in games - best class I ever did. Now I walk the course at a trial all at once first, then go back and work on a sequence that I think may be tricky - get that down in my head then walk the entire course again. So walked it twice. Then I stand back at start line and use my arms to mentally run the course.

Pat


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

TaraM1285 said:


> :hammer: My brain just shuts down the second I look at multiple obstacles in a row ....


My brain does that too :crazy:


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## mygsds (Jan 7, 2007)

Thats why you need to break down the entire course into small sections. One of the top handlers in North America does that - she learns small sequences and focuses on those not the entire course.
And heck if you get lost, your dog doesn't know the course so have fun - we've all done it

pat


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