Return of CircusK9

 Hi. I'm back. It's been a while. I didn't post too often when I was in school, because I didn't have the mental bandwidth to think or write about anything else. And the past three years? I've been settling into my new career. Lots of things have happened in my little world and in the bigger world outside in that time. 

I decided it was time to dust the blog off and put some more effort into it. CircusK9, by title and design, is supposed to be about my dogs. But I'm sure some interesting veterinary stories will creep in now and then.

Let's start the restart with some thoughts about teaching. For the past several years, I've been teaching classes at the local dog club. I gravitated to intermediate agility quickly, and have stayed put there. I don't like teaching rank beginners (I honestly don't have the patience for it, although that is what I did in Saudi with Mimi), and there is already a solid instructor who teaches advanced agility. 

Intermediate level handlers and dogs can see very quick growth in skills if they apply themselves. I get a lot of satisfaction from teaching them--who doesn't like to be successful? Some of my students have been with me for over 2 years and I have gradually pushed them to handling and training at an advanced level. Frankie is in my class and there are plenty of weeks when the material is too advanced for her right now. But it's the level of challenge that several of the other students need. 

I read books. I listen to podcasts. I sign up for online seminars and webinars. I subscribe to two (expensive) training programs (Bad Dog Agility and Agility Nation) so I can keep up with new training protocols and get ideas for classes. I even keep a Facebook account solely to get access to course maps. I put a lot of my own time and money into making sure I am delivering useful and current agility training information. 

I also teach a class that I created back in 2020 that I call Teamwork. I saw a big gap between the formal, old-school obedience classes that formed the bulk of the club's class offerings and introductory rally and agility classes. Handlers were coming into those dog sport tracks without any understanding of how to train a dog. Teamwork is all about training the handler and teaching them how to communicate consistently with their canine partner. The dogs come along for the ride, and they just love it. In contrast to the old-school obedience training offered at the club, I only use positive training methods and high rates of reward/reinforcement. No pinch collars. No electric shocks. No leash yanking. No verbal corrections. Sounds reasonable to you? I can assure you, Teamwork is still viewed as subversive and radical, even after five years. I also upset the old guard by insisting that I teach it on Sunday mornings inside the building. Wailing, gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments ensued. What if someone decided they needed to train at 10am on a Sunday? How could they possibly do that if I was teaching a class? Turns out all those folks who said Teamwork would cut into their training time don't actually come to the club on weekends. I collected the data to prove it. That space was viewed as sacred, only to be used to punish, er, train dogs for formal obedience competition. Here I was, jumping around, treats flying, clickers clicking, dogs and handlers happy as clams. Subversive indeed. 

I teach Teamwork 5 or 6 times a year in 8-week sessions. It is one of the most popular classes offered at the club. The class fills every session with club members and non-members both. I get rave instructor reviews.

I love teaching agility. I find it exciting and challenging. But I really love teaching Teamwork. Usually around week 4, the shift in the relationship between dogs and handlers becomes obvious. I love seeing that. 

Four of the old guard are taking Teamwork from me this coming session with their young dogs. I think they know, in their dark, cold hearts, that I am right, that positive training is the correct and ethical way to train. I've alerted my assistant instructor that we are in for a wild ride. I absolutely will call them out if they revert to their punishment-based training methods in my class. But I have to give them a tiny bit of credit for being willing to brave me and sign up for it.

 Teaching revives me. It is an important social activity as well as one that gives me emotional and intellectual satisfaction. I teach because I like to learn. I succeed when my students succeed. I guess that's why they keep signing up.