Episode 031 - 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Next Dog Agility Seminar

Season #1 December 30, 2025

Show Notes

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Next Dog Agility Seminar

Quick Answer

How can you get the most out of a dog agility seminar?

To get the most value from an agility seminar, keep an open mind, be willing to experiment with new techniques, watch other teams closely, treat mistakes as learning opportunities, and stay open to training ideas outside your usual style. Seminars provide valuable chances to learn from instructors and fellow handlers, even when the material is different from your usual approach.

Episode Overview

In this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast, Lorrie Reynolds shares five ways to maximize the value of attending a dog agility seminar.

Seminars can be a fantastic learning opportunity, but many handlers focus only on their own turns working with the instructor. In reality, some of the biggest lessons often come from watching other teams, experimenting with unfamiliar techniques, and staying open to new approaches.

In this episode, Lorrie shares a memorable seminar experience that pushed her outside her comfort zone and led to valuable insights that shaped her training philosophy.

Topics Covered

dog agility seminars, improving agility training, learning from agility instructors, agility handling strategies, maximizing training opportunities

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• Why stepping outside your training comfort zone can accelerate learning
• How watching other teams can provide valuable training insights
• Why experimenting with new techniques improves handling skills
• How setbacks during seminars can become powerful learning moments
• Why agility seminars can help expand your training perspective

Key Takeaway

Dog agility seminars provide opportunities to grow as a handler, even when the material challenges your current training style. Staying open-minded, observing other teams, and treating mistakes as learning experiences can help you gain far more from a seminar than just your working time on the course.

Resources Mentioned

Maximum Fun Dog Sports
https://www.maximumfundogs.com

The Agility Playground
https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/2025-bb-tap1-7D

Stay Connected

If you enjoy the Maximum Fun Agility podcast, consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing the show with a fellow agility enthusiast.

You can also explore courses, eBooks, and free training resources at Maximum Fun Dog Sports.

Related Episodes

Episode 018 – Dog Training: The Thomas Edison Approach
Episode 030 – 5 Ways to Reward Your Agility Dog at a Distance

Additional Resources

Website: https://www.maximumfundogs.com
Shop: https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/shop
Email: [email protected]
Articles: https://www.maximumfundogs.com/articles
The Agility Playground: https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/2025-bb-tap1-7D

Episode Transcript

Lorrie [00:00:08]:
Going to a seminar? Check out these five tips to maximize your return on investment. Welcome to the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. I'm Lorrie Reynolds, owner of Maximum Fun Dog Sports. We help your agility team build your relationship, communication, confidence, and fun in training so that you can joyfully succeed on any course. In this episode, I'll discuss how to get the most out of your next seminar. Many, many years ago, I ended up at a seminar presented by a well known European competitor. The opportunity fell into my lap. Someone had to cancel and was selling her spot for half price.

Lorrie [00:00:48]:
Since one of my close friends was going, I decided to join her. The instructor wasn't someone who played "my" kind of agility. I'd trained Pixie with mostly straightforward distance work. Back then, international style courses were just starting to trickle into The US. Pixie was young, hadn't been training that long, and I didn't think we could do very well. But any chance to play is a chance to play. I won't lie, we struggled at first. Pixie was not used to tight courses, hadn't learned backside jumps, and hadn't seen any odd angles.

Lorrie [00:01:27]:
After she went off course for the umpteenth time due to her distance training, I heard someone making snide comments about NADAC dogs. I'm a little stubborn though. That comment just made me work harder and take advantage of a learning opportunity that I hadn't planned on. I soaked it up, watched everyone else, and figured out how my handling had to change, determined to show that NADAC dogs could do it just as well. The last sequence, and yes, I remember it even after all of this time, was the near end of a curved tunnel, jump, 90 degree turn to a jump, backside of a jump that was obviously right in line next, jump, and then over the a frame on the other side of the dog walk into a tunnel under the dog walk, and a complicated little three jump sequence at the end. I used my distance to get into position for the backside, sent her to the a frame while I layered the dog walk, and called her through the tunnel where I was waiting in a good position to finish the three jump series. She adapted to the new handling and did exactly what I asked. When we finished, the instructor said one word, "Wow".

Lorrie [00:02:40]:
There were no more comments about NADAC dogs. I don't tell that story to illustrate what a great dog Pixie was, although she was. I tell it to illustrate how much you can gain through unexpected training opportunities. Even if your dog isn't trained the same way or you don't have the same skills, there's always something new to learn. That seminar taught me a lot of lessons. I'm sharing them with you. First, never pass up a learning opportunity even if it's out of your comfort zone. Second, keep an open mind.

Lorrie [00:03:18]:
Training is for experimentation. Third, you learn just as much from watching other students as you do participating. Fourth, you can treat failure as a reason to give up or motivation to try harder. And fifth, there is always something new to learn, even if it's not your style. Part of the inspiration for my multidimensional dog in-person seminars was that experience. It taught me that I could use my distance to get into position to handle the technical parts of a course, allowing us to be a versatile team even if I couldn't run. Are you attending a seminar in the near future? I hope you can put these lessons to good use. P.S., be mindful when you're commenting about other people.

Lorrie [00:04:12]:
The fact that I remember a snide comment made so many years later means it had an impact. Unless rude comments are what you want a person to remember you for, it is best to do what your mother taught you. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. If you want to build a successful agility team where runs with your partner feel flowing and in sync, join us in The Agility Playground. The Agility Playground is a low cost membership that meets you where you are on your dog agility journey and helps you propel your team to new heights. You can check out The Agility Playground and join our community at www.maximumfundogs.com. See you next time.