Sleep and time are a bit scarce around here these days because, well, puppies are hard. Evenings are really challenging with Spire right now, and our unusually hot summer weather is unforgiving. All that to say, I’m trying to keep this short today.
So I want to pose a few questions I think we could all stand to ponder on a regular basis: are you adjusting to fit your dog enough? Is it possible you’re adjusting to fit your dog TOO much? Have you ever wondered what the ideal balance is between those two things?
I love questions like this for the way they dig into what the art of agility actually means to each of us.
Because it IS important to adjust to fit the dog. Training this dog the same way you trained the last with no regard for the new individual is a recipe for frustration and failure, to be sure.
But it’s also important to have a clear sense of what you’re adjusting. A strong idea of what’s truly essential to the “finished product” you’re trying to create. A hunch for which things are viable variations and which are worth the time and effort to shape towards YOUR ideal.
You are part of the art, too, after all.
So while there’s a time and place for letting a dog show you they don’t like food or they don’t like tug or they don’t like to wait their turn, I’d encourage you not to give in too quickly. Adjusting to fit the dog CAN mean to meet them where they’re at with the intent to influence them. With the intent to work your butt off to sell your ideas.
At least if those ideas are important to you. Or if those ideas are important to the bigger picture results you’re aiming to create.
So each time you engage these questions, approach them with true curiosity. Question the assumptions you might be apt to make. Maybe work a little harder than you otherwise might have to change that dog’s mind about tugging, or food, or shaping, or whatever the thing is. You might be surprised by what you learn.
