do you have an agility instructor?

I go to class with a wonderful trainer who has taught and inspired me SO much already, and has become a great friend. She has a degree in animal behaviour and bases dog training on the science of learning through positive reinforcement. I appreciate that a lot!

I only started with beginner agility with no background myself or any puppy classes, so Toffee and I had to come a long way. I respect my trainers input SO much, she really has all the confidence in the world in my dog :D She is the voice of reason and patience and has such a great way to teach humans! Going to her classes is always the greatest FUN!

Since then she has teamed up with another instructor herself, because she wants to learn even more on the competive level as well, so I take classes with that instructor as 'needed' or as I can afford it, lol. They are both real competitors and I LOVE it.

My favourite quote from my trainer:"There are more Q's in my heart than on paper"
 
I started out at a training center who hired people who had titles, but who really weren't qualified to teach beyond the basics. Once I had gone as far as I could with her, I went to a better trainer, stayed with her for a year and a half, and then went to the instructor I am with now.
Now, knowing what I know, I wouldn't go to a mediocre trainer for any reason.. not even starting out. Unless you really know what you're doing, there are so many bad habits and less than ideal ways to do things that a mediocre trainer often does teach. While they are well meaning, I don't like having to go back and retrain things later... which I've had to do with my early dogs.
I would suggest going to the best trainers possible. Before my current trainer had her new place, I was driving 3.5 hours once a month to train with Jennifer Crank, and working on what she gave me to work on during the weeks when I wasn't there with her emailing with me if I had any trouble.
If I were in your positiion, I would try to do what I did if possible, even if you can only go to a trainer further away if needed once a month to get the correct training. If that isn't an option, going to seminars with top trainers is very helpful.
 
ability to put titles on your own dog has nothing to do with ability to teach other people put titles on their dogs... two different skills... just because I speak several languages does not mean I can teach them...
Stacey hit it right on - my main worry- I do not want to retrain my dog, it is not fun!
I went today to agility trainer who also happen to be dog behaviorist, for evaluation, hopefully we will get on right track soon. Chicago area is not lacking agility dog trainers it is more getting classes when I am off work and teacher whose style will mesh well with me and my dog...
 
Currently I don't have an instructor. I quit with the one I had 6 months ago. I was never really happy with her. She is a great handler and has many titles to her name with huskies (she was the first in Canada to put an ATCH on a huskey) but she and I just did not mesh. Many people have left her for that same reason. Unfortunatly for me, the other two instructors around here that teach for competitions, are all full - one will not take me because she is best friends with my old instructor ontop having no room in classes, and the other one has a waiting list that is over 2 year long, AND we'd have to start with the puppies and the foundation stuff all over again) .....so to make a long story short, I am learning on my own through DVDs, seminars and magazines and from anyone that is willing to help me out. I would love to go to class, because it is so important to have other people look at you and see what you are doing and where you can improve.
 
Ania said:
Currently I don't have an instructor. I quit with the one I had 6 months ago. I was never really happy with her. She is a great handler and has many titles to her name with huskies (she was the first in Canada to put an ATCH on a huskey) but she and I just did not mesh. Many people have left her for that same reason. Unfortunatly for me, the other two instructors around here that teach for competitions, are all full - one will not take me because she is best friends with my old instructor ontop having no room in classes, and the other one has a waiting list that is over 2 year long, AND we'd have to start with the puppies and the foundation stuff all over again) .....so to make a long story short, I am learning on my own through DVDs, seminars and magazines and from anyone that is willing to help me out. I would love to go to class, because it is so important to have other people look at you and see what you are doing and where you can improve.
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You tube it, girl!!
I would LOVE to see you and Maia run a course!!
It is such a sad story where the trainer you didn't mesh with! I feel that a handle IS the one who has to defend the dog and your own training style, some of which just can't be compromised... and then personality conflicts also suck!!
 
Thanks :smile2:

What I find very frustrating is all the politics involved. The main reason that I cannot get into class with the second instructor (and she is the most saught after instructor in MB) is b/c of her friendship with my old instructor. I feel that I am not 'owned' by anyone, and if I want to go somewhere else, I should be able to. With our first instructor, Maia would shut down in class. Maia is extremely sensitive and very intune to me, so if I am stressed, so is she. I also know my dog, and know how best to handle and deal with her. My instructor did not see it that way. She would grab Maia and hold her, like for a restrained recall, and Maia would shut down and cower - she HATES being manhandled, even by me never mind a stranger. My instructor would tell me that I was spoiling her and babying her, but I wasn't, really, I just know my dog. If it was Chinook, go ahead, manhandle him, he does not care and will not shut down.

Anyway, sorry about the rant. Back to the topic on hand as I do not want to hijack the thread. I find the DVD's invaluable. I watch them, then I watch them again and take very careful notes and then I go and parctice what I can. :biggrin2:
 
Doesn't sound like a good trainer to me. It sounds like they only really know how to work with one type of dog, and refuse to open up to work with other types. Cookie cutter training is what it is. I saw it a lot in Saddlebreds, and saw a lot of ruined horses because of it. A truly great trainer evaluates each dog individually and works with them in ways that best help the dog. There's what I love about my trainer... she truly can work with any type of dog and tailors her teaching to fit that dog and handler. It sounds like a good thing you got out of there. It's not worth shutting Maia down. Trust me... I've been there. Athena's first trainer shut her down so badly that it took three years before she could come back to compete in agility.
 
my very first experience with agility class trainer was not favorable/ should have know since she has terriers she would be dead jealous of shelties:lol:
my friend who has 3 shelties of her own and is excellent teacher helped me to get started and got me into club where she trains we were doing good for while but then it hit me that Che really getting frustrated with my lack of clear directions. Kudos to you Ania for training on your own, I know it would be hard work! Beauty of living in Chicago is that there is everything there that you might possibly want and don't even know it. I have signed up with well known trainer and am starting coming Tue which am very excited about.
 
You are lucky that you live in a large city.

When I first got into agility, I thought the community was so great and friendly without so much politics, like I saw in some otherdog venues. Boy was I wrong! There are cliques even here. It's sad really. We are all in it for the most part because we love the sport and love having fun with our dogs. But the politics of who your instructor is, what system you follow etc. just brings me down. I just don't get it. I don't care what system you follow, I will still cheer you on and help put a trial on or whatever; I don't care who your instructor is. Instead though what I see is these little groups forming etc. For seminars, it's not who sends their application in first that gets the spots, it's who you know. Prime example: my old instructor was hosting a 4 day seminar. I was only able to attend the first two days due to my cousin's wedding that was out of province. As was, I delayed my flight to the last possible flight to make the wedding just so I can stay for as long as I could at the seminar. I really wanted to work 2 spots, and audit 2 spots. My instructor told me that I can only work 1 spot, because she had to save the working spots for people that would be there all weekend! Well, come to find out, that on the second day of the seminar, a girl that just started training with us is working ALL day (both spots) AND she is ONLY there that day, no other day! How fair was that???? :mad: The reason for this? She's an AAC judge! I quit classes right after that.
 
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