essay question - what did you do differently?

[brinian]

toshokanya asked the following in a response to my previous post: All dogs are different. Period. But still I wonder about whether some breeds mature more slowly than others. And what happens if we push them too hard too young. It seems to me that you are taking Eri's education nice and slowly. It must make things more fun for him and keep the pressure off

Comments

Thank you!

[toshokanya]

Thank you for the thoughtful essay. These two are my first dogs, so I had no expectations that I could ever interact with a dog the way that I saw them on tv. And then when I finally started taking classes, so many people wrote off beardies as bouncing uncontrollable creatures.

With Bliss, I think our recent breakthroughs are thanks to excellent trainers and my spending time in non-stressful situations so that I can see how other people work with their dogs. I now really understand that Bliss needs to visit a certain number of people at shows, and we need to sit together and watch people and their dogs coming and going. Then it is our turn and she works beautifully.

You will continue to be a role model for me. I am not competitive at all, and have no desire to earn more titles than anyone else. I just want contented dogs and I think the stresses and rewards of a certain amount of trialling does that for them. It also gives us a bond that conformation can never do. So we will continue with rally and obedience. 7 and 10 are not too old and the changes in their performance is visible week by week. Who knows what next year will bring.

Re: Thank you!

[brinian]

so many people wrote off beardies as bouncing uncontrollable creatures.

Out here even moreso than what I experienced in Massachusetts! I remember being absolutely horribly insulted on Colton's account when people would say "he's so good!" as if it simply weren't possible for a beardie. He was one of the most polite beardies I have ever met. I have never believed beardies should be anything other than delightful community members. Sure, they are boisterous which makes training them without losing their natural energy a challenge, but if we don't rise to the challenge, who will? I think of trials as a way to test where we are in our training under pressure - if something breaks, then I know what I have to work on. It's all information!