Back to: [AU-006] Speed ‘Em Up! Handling For Motivation
Agility University: Speed ‘em UP!!! Handling for Motivation
Instructor: Kim Fuqua
Contact: via Agility University portal or you can Facebook Message me
Class Calendar: Classes Start Monday December 2nd. Lessons will be posted on Mondays on the following dates: 12/2, 12/9, 12/16. We will have a catch up/break 12/23. During this time, I will answer videos/posts/questions, but nothing new will be posted. There may be a day or two during this time that I do not have internet access. I will answer as soon as I get back. Classes will resume 12/30, 1/6 and 1/13 will be the final lesson. I will answer videos/posts/questions for a week or two following the last posted class.
Course Description: Welcome to Speed ‘em Up!!! Handling for Motivation. In this class we will discuss why dogs lose motivation through environment, handler’s attitude, reinforcement and so much more. We will talk about strategies to overcome the “over thinker” or “stressed” dog. We will work to create clear communication between you and your dog and clean up handling that causes dogs to question their job on the agility course. You will learn how to recognize stress and what to do when it happens. We will talk in-depth about play versus training and what it requires. All this will lead to you having fun with your dog!!!
Weekly Lessons: Each week, I will post the lesson. I will check the forum daily with the exception to the break where I mentioned I may not have internet for a day or two. There will be several components to each lesson.
- Scenarios and examples of what happens when the handler is not a clear communicator or when the game is becoming more “work” than “play”
- Games on and off the agility course
- Good training habits
- Art of reinforcement
- Extracurricular activities
- Drills with equipment
- Drills without equipment
Working Students: With a working spot, you can post weekly video and get unlimited feedback on exercises posted as well as any edited videos of trials and training sessions.
Auditing Students: With an auditing spot, you can ask unlimited questions, have access to all the content and I WILL ALLOW YOU TO POST ONE VIDEO DURING THE CLASS of a training session or a trial (up to two minutes) for feedback and ideas. This should not be a perfect video, but rather a video of a run or session that you have faced struggles that led you to take this class.
Expectations: My sincere hope is that you will be an active student in this class whether a working student or an auditing student. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I spent a lot of time questioning my abilities as a trainer and a handler when I had a stressed, slow dog. At one point, I was literally told to “get another dog”. We worked through that and so will you and your dog.
I will say that there is a TON of work that goes into speeding ‘em up, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, it will be very rewarding. Please ask questions, share your experience and we want to hear your successes. The tools that you get in class will be used long term. I play many of these games every day.
Introductions: As we get closer to class, please introduce yourself and your dog. I would love to hear why you have taken this class and feel free to post a video of you training or trialing with your dog. Auditors, this can be the video you plan to get feedback on or just a snapshot of you and your dog.
My name is Joan Fry and my dog is Tainey. She is a 17 mo old Aussie and is my 3rd agility dog. I have enrolled in this class because our training was taking a turn for the worse. She was getting slower and less interested or excited about the game. For the past 3 weeks, I’ve increased her rewards, broken down concepts into smaller pieces, played more and kept our sessions short. I’ve also placed rewards in a dish every 3 to 5 obstacles. She is now having lots more fun, is staying more engaged and starting to drive. I want to continue this positive course and keep it a fun game for her. She has lots of potential, I have lots of room for learning how to tap into it.
Hi Joan!
Glad you guys are here! Can’t wait to meet Tainey!
Hi, I am Shirley Ann, and I am taking this class with Lil’Bit aka Bittie. She is a 2 year old, 9# mini poodleXchihuahua according to her DNA test. I found her running down my street when she was 6 months old. After almost 20 years of easy to train, full focus, rocket ships (2 sports mixes and a papillon) Bittie is going to be my challenge. She has speed but can suddenly slow down. Building focus has been a major issue. I have had a slower, harder to motivate dog before but that was literally over 20 years ago. Lots of potential with my Lil’Bit. I just want us to be the best team we can be together & for us to have fun. We do a lot of short sequences with her not knowing where the reward is coming—I ping pong the placement. I use a toy that has a treat hidden in it that I bought from Clean Run. Keeping her engaged is also an issue.
Great! Those are some useful skills we can build on! Glad to have you here!
Hello! My name is Sara and I run Miniature Schnauzers. When I first started in the sport – I didn’t fully get the “speed” aspect of the game. Obviously, after my first dogs (I started three at once … because I am crazy) – speed became a major focus. Right now, my focus is on my three year old little nugget – Veyda. She starts off amazing and really just powers off the start line … but then, when she gets up to me, I feel like she slows down. She does great, loves the game, a great little work horse if I asked her to be, but she has some fear/confidence issues where she worries a bit about her surroundings. Judges can sometimes be something to bark at – but she has come so far and is doing really well – but I want a dog that is more confident and motivated enough to drive ahead of me rather than match my speed. So … hopefully we aren’t a lost cause! 🙂
Hello again 😉
Kim, please tell me where I go to learn how to post video.
What will you be using to video? Apple product, video camera, or an android device?
HI,
I am Charlene, and am auditing the course. I am taking the course to learn to help my agility students who have less than highly motivated dogs. I wish I had this information when I ran my little terrier a few years ago.
Hi Charlene,
Glad you are both here! See you over in the Forum. That’s where you can post all questions and see other people’s threads. Let me know if you have questions.
Hi! I’m Jamie. I am taking this class with my 4 y/o novice A aussie Callie. Since she’s my first dog, we spent a lot of time training to get things correct instead of focusing on speed. Callie is very much a thinker and doesn’t like to be wrong. She can out run my border collie in the flat on a field so I know she’s capable of running faster in agility. About 5 months ago, I decided I wanted to make speed a priority. We did a seminar with Dudley and have been working a lot of drive lines and have seen major improvements. She still runs slower in a competition than she does in practice. We look forward to learning!
Hi Jamie!
So glad you are both here! Head over to the forum where you can post questions and see other people’s threads. I love Dudley!!! Glad you got to work with her! Let me know if you have any questions!