Life is Learning; Learning is Life

Facilitator, trainer, educator, teacher, instructor, counselor, coach call me what you will there is no doubt that  teaching runs through my veins. Twenty years in a classroom and more years of coaching riders and still I learn. I learn through lessons, workshops and seminars but I also learn by teaching.

Teaching has a bad reputation.

“It would seem that you have no useful skill or talent whatsoever," he said. "Have you thought of going into teaching?” says Terry Pratchett. The old adage  about those that can do and those that can't teach runs along the same lines.

The reality is that teaching is not easy, nor is it particularly natural. Once it becomes intuitive  though it can be awfully hard to switch off. Walking through the riding arena yesterday I couldn't help myself. "Change your diagonal, oh that looks good, will he bend if you use your inside leg?" all came out of my mouth. Ha. Poor kids are going to run when they see me coming!

Some things are easy to teach; some things are much harder. The bulk of stuff is in the middle somewhere.

Teaching agility is tough for me. I enjoy it, don't get me wrong. I love watching the dogs and handlers start their dance together but, like all other dog play training, timing and placement of reward are critical and in agility by the time the human has processed me saying "reward", then usually "reward" again, and often "reward" at least once more the opportunity has passed (and the dog is getting a very late reward). The dogs are cooperative and collaborative and we make sure we all have fun in class anyhow so no harm is done but it sure gives me a new appreciation for Maxine and Peter, Renee and Webb. In some ways scenting is harder to teach. I haven't been playing the game as long so I sure don't have all the answers (not that there is ever just one answer in dog sports - so that's not really new to me) but in other ways it seems easier - perhaps partly for the very same reason that it's newer to me so I am working through many of the same issues as my students so at times might be only a chapter ahead in the text book. (Yes, in high school teacher land I also spend lots of time learning just ahead of my students).

The other thing that has resonated lately is there are things that are very difficult to teach. Patience, empathy, self confidence, a sense of fun - all are so important to learning yet so very hard to teach. As much as I would like to just SCREAM "HAVE FUN" sometimes the act of screaming would kill the fun pretty quickly (at least for the team on the receiving end). My solution? I model, as best as I can, the tougher virtues I would like to see in classes. It works better than one might think.

It is so exciting as a teacher to get to watch students grow and flourish, perhaps the garden analogies that I have heard are truer than I realized before we started growing so much in our gardens (one example from an unknown source, "Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden"). When minds open, expand and extend beyond my knowledge and understanding I am thrilled. Electrified even at times.

My number one, no holds barred, selfishly favourite thing about teaching? I get to learn. And learn. And then learn more. Through discussions, challenges, questions, observation my learning never stops. For me, no matter the subject that is a real joy of teaching. This sabbatical has already proven to be really exciting for me. Teaching and learning are my life far beyond the day to work that I have l have long loved.

Yen-tastic!

Yen got to demo her scent game today at class -her fourth time playing the game at all, and her second time as part of her class and she clearly understands the basic rules ...

Sheila was generous enough to handle Sally for me - which I suspect means they have now done as much scent work as Sally and I! I find it hard to demo and hit the points verbally that I want so having Sheila on the leash is awesome!

Another great weekend of work - though I must say I am looking forward to no commute! Victoria Day weekend is my next weekend off so it's a good thing I like the job!

Srsly? yah seriously ...

"Nothing comes easy, ever, if you want something, you have to work for it. By working for it I mean work on your craft, learn from people who have something to teach. It's just like anything else, practice makes perfect." So says James Lafferty, and we all know actors are always right!


When I take a hiatus from anything then return, I don't get it the way I did before the break and I sure don't expect the dogs (or horses) to either. Yes Brody's agility skills are pretty solid in his own way but I wouldn't simply arrive at a trial and expect him to run as well as he did the last time we were out.

Sally loves to work, her work ethic is staggering in fact, but I don't expect her to be at the level she was in the fall . All we've been able to work all winter are directional swings, and flat work. The rate winter is leaving us I'll be lucky to get any weaves or jumping in before our first trial in May. If that were to happen I would not trial as sad as that would make me. I want to know she's happy and safe on the equipment, fit enough (both physically and mentally) to be eager for the day, and that our lines of communication are working well.  Thanks to the early snow this has been the longest agility hiatus we've had (no lovely local indoor facility here in the middle of Lake Ontario) and I think it will prove to be good for us - as long as I carefully build back to where we were before adding new layers of challenge. 

There is a fine line between over drilling, getting it right, and not doing enough. I'm watching it happen with the horses at the barn I'm riding at too. A horse may sit in a a field for two weeks, be pulled in, worked hard once then tossed back out; another gets drilled every single without ever getting to stretch his top line or have a day off; and then a few seem to have the balance right. So many complexities in these team sports where we have responsibility for a partner.

This very young mare is getting a great balance of work and play 

WHEEEEEEEEEEEE

What a smelly weekend!

New class started Friday night!
Crazy location -we were between dogs barking in the adjacent hall and dogs barking waiting to get picked up for day care. It was a wee bit chaotic to say the least. But it was a hoot and a half! The dogs all started working for scent very quickly  and  the handlers show good natural relaxed handling! Some very perceptive folks in the group too.

Then today was the last agility class. (It was hilarious - let the participants make up their own course to introduce in a no stress way the notion of crosses. Let them play with that for awhile.) Again good handlers; great dogs!

Then ran my first Designated Odour Test with wintergreen. AMAZING dogs. 7 seconds - 20 seconds -bing  bang boom. Was so proud of the handlers - across the board they all worked hard to read their dogs. Some super distinctive alerts too. Handed Sheila Sally's leash and suggested they try it. No sweat at all. Sal was just delighted to be playing; didn't worry at all about the fact it was aunt Sheila instead of me!


Good great fun weekend - just a wee bit tired now!

oh here comes spring!

and sproing!

Lovely walk/atv run at farm today with the youth! Snow is still deep for the oldies to battle through it but Yen , Sam and Sally had a blast helping us cut wood then running to the ridge for a rest ...

talk about SACKED now tho!

It Really Didn't Matter

The internationalization (what a word!) of agility seemed mighty irrelevant in my life until we were asked to blog about the topic as part of our quarterly blogger day.

I play agility. I love agility, don't get me wrong, I was hooked before I had a dog I could share agility with and I am quite sure the game will be a part of my life for many years to come. I spend quite a bit of money on coaching, learning and participating at trials locally. That said, I can't see a time where I will be regularly traveling internationally to play this great game.  I am a backyard player who is excited if I can fit more than 5 days of trials into my life in a year.

So when the awesome Steve posted the topic I thought that I had nothing to say on the topic and might even not participate. Mulling it over I realized that internationalization of courses here could contribute to better attitudes for handlers. As courses get more complex are handlers going to rise up to the challenge and understand that one mistake on a run doesn't ruin a run? That mistakes are opportunities to learn? That an error made can be a cause for celebration? I sincerely hope so.

The flip side of that frightens me. Humans getting angry at dogs for holes in training; dogs being over faced/over challenged for the sake of 'getting it'; possibly a sense of failure if courses universally get 'too hard' . Starters courses should be fun places to play and learn how a dog may change in a trial setting. In the AAC we have a class called Challenge that is designed to let those who want to play at the most complex level do so. In my part of of the world there seems to be a great divide about these courses- people believe that the courses are way too hard for them or they think everything else is too easy. Many trials locally have either stopped offering the class or only offer one as people seem afraid of it.  I hope the attitude changes and the class starts filling up with people wanting to test their skills and find the holes!

I'm looking forward to checking out what other people have to say on this topic - we are an eclectic bunch on the agility bloggers group some folks have less experience than me -others trial around the world regularly. it should be a fun couple of days of reading - here is the LINK again if you want to see what people are doing!

Perhaps internationalization will help people grasp this concept too:

I can but hope.

Peanut Butter

I HATE peanut butter.

Don't ask me why. I like butter and I like peanuts.
Don't ask me how the aversion developed. There was peanut butter around in my house.

Makes no sense to me.
But there it is.

HATE the smell, the feeling, the taste of peanut butter. EWWWWW.

The first time I willingly touched peanut butter was to put it on a sandwich my little cousin was begging for. I gagged and held my breath and did it.

Yah. She was, and is, cute. Impossible to resist.

Then at least 10 years later I was introduced to Kongs for our shelter dogs. I'd do everything else to fill them and ask somebody else to top them with PB.

Then I realized that occasionally I could cope with PB for my own dog's Kongs. Not every day - we use plain yogurt more here but every once in awhile was OK. Just a tiny dab on a plastic knife that I can then throw out.

Then this morning I found myself in my new routine spreading peanut butter on Big T's toast. How on earth did that happen? Have I changed my feelings about peanut butter? No. It's disgusting. I HATE it still.

But I deal with it for the ones I love. As I was spreading it this morning it occurred to me that the dogs an awful lot for me that they hate too. Brody hates being groomed. Yen hates being left behind. Sally loves most everything except not getting to play with me. Thea hates the cold. Yet all tolerate the thing they hate the most. If I were to anthropomorphic in nature I'd say they tolerate them to make me happy.but I don't actually think that's true. I think they, and I tolerate and deal with the things we hate because we know the pay off is going to be GOOD. Brody will feel better less matted - and the cookie payments help motivate him too. Yen is learning that we do come home after we go. Sally always gets to play eventually. Thea helps keep a clean house and gets to cuddle to warm up. I get to see how happy everybody who loves peanut butter is when they get it.  Great intrinsic value for all of us. Nothing noble at all. Worth some pain to get to personal pleasure!