Rushed, Uneducated, or Oblivious?

Traditions throughout dog training have evolved in such a way that some people are stuck in the day of age where things have to be done this way and preformed that way.

Having an open mind is something everyone should have or try to have.

Sadly, one old fashioned way of thinking seems to stick around for some and that is negative reinforcement... Sad, right?

Scolding, grabbing the scruff and punishing, and negative physical contact are just some things I've witnessed people doing while training in various sports, including agility.  

Science has brought us a long way in understanding our dogs better by studying their emotions and especially the research regarding the growth and development of dogs.

Growth plates in most dogs close at around a year, give or take depending on the size.  So why are trainers still, with this knowledge available to them,  teaching full closed sets of 12 weave poles around 4-5 months old? What about jumps at competition heights or full size contact equipment at that age? 

It could be because that's how they've always done it or perhaps they want to impress others...(more like call negative attention to themselves). 

You may argue that training this full size equipment gives your puppy an edge, but are you really doing so? 

Like babies and children, puppies are constantly growing, developing and forming. Drilling activities such as weave poles or high impact jumping can lead to an injury, whether it be obvious or appears later in life because the growth plates were disturbed as a pup. 

Think about the impact of what you're asking your 5-month-old puppy to do. Think of some of the areas affected. Aframe: shoulders, wrists. Jumping: legs in general. Weaving: spine, hips, shoulders. All of these areas and more are taking a toll from this impact training.

Building drive, coordination, basic training, tricks, etc is a lot of what goes in to foundation training... What you should be doing with that pup instead of that full AKC course you set up at your club to show off your "prize puppy". Newsflash - you can't compete until 15 months anyway...

So what are they? 

Rushed?  Racing against someone else mentally to finish or begin training before them. One-upping. Must get everything trained to be a better competitor.

Uneducated? New to the sport or not knowing what is actually going on. Usually in need of a positive mentor to get them started.

Oblivious? Knowing the science behind how impact training too young is bad, but continue anyway because they've always done it that way or have seen others do it that way. 

Keep an open mind and do what you feel is safe for your pup . Don't let oblivious trainers tell you to start this impact training at 3-4 months(Yes, they exist!). 

Go out and have fun with your puppies and remember: foundation,  foundation,  foundation! 

Being seriously fun.

Something we see too often... The competitor in the ring at a local trial stressing and pushing their dogs to the limits in order for a chance to place (or whatever).

Recently the serious type of competitors have been raising some questions from me so naturally I  observed.

Being serious is not necessarily a bad thing, but it comes to a point where you're bringing your team down rather than up when taken too far.

Pushing limits. Pushing for speed. Who doesn't want to place or do well? Everyone wants to try their best to accomplish goals with their beloved dogs, but how far is too far?

Agility is a fun sport... FUN sport. Not cut throat, life-or-death runs. If you're too serious and pushing your dog, chances are you're just building stress. Stress in the ring may not lead to your "expected outcome" and usually doesn't. Learn to have FUN. The more fun you're having, the more fun your dog is having. The more energy you have, the more energy your dog has. Use that positive energy to enhance your run and avoid the cut throat feelings. Your fastest, most rewarding run will be the run that was the most fun for you and your dog (regardless of result, because we love our dogs and do our best to avoid handler errors, right?)

Pushing training. Training doesn't happen overnight. Agility training is complex and can take months to train. PUPPIES - Want to do AKC? Cool, you still have over a year to prepare before you debut at 15 months (if you are into debuting ASAP). Don't rush training in the most critical time of their little lives. Puppies have far more important things to learn before agility obstacles. Basic obedience, foundation, playing and HOW TO BE A PUPPY. Not to mention their bodies need to have time to grow and develop without damage for future injury. COMPETITION AGE ADULT DOGS - Say you adopt a 15-month-old dog, agility is not a training race. Take your time. Consistant, steady training will result in the best outcome, not obstacle preformances that were slopped together in order to trial quickly. Take the time to train a nice dog. Slow and steady (training) wins the race.

If you're rushing outcomes, you're setting yourself up for possible failure and disappointment. Take your time and have fun with it.

Try being serious...ly fun. No matter what the outcome. Your dog will love you for it, and your attitude with lift your spirits with every run you have... Because nothing is better than the bond and team work between man and dog.