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.
