“See?” I said, “Chalcy keeps missing the weave pole entrance.”
“You should have taught her initially using the two-pole method” advised the nationally ranked agility coach. “Dogs who start with the two-pole method never miss an entrance.”
“Well, we didn’t.” I admitted, “We trained a different method. So this is where we’re at now. How do we fix it?” I asked. She shook her head.
“Oh, it’s too late now,” said the coach as she walked off.
This coach was of the opinion that since I’d screwed up my dog by using the wrong training method, I should cut my losses and make a fresh start with a new agility dog. In other words, don’t waste your time fixing something when you can buy a newer, shinier one for cheaper!
Needless to say, I didn’t give up on Chalcy. I can’t begin to list all the training mistakes I’ve made with her over the years. I’ve taught her wrong things, using wrong methods, while giving wrong feedback. Sure, I’d messed up in our training, but we fixed it! We went back and retaught skills and relearned rules. It’s a little harder this way, granted, but certainly possible. I don’t expect my dog to be a machine, and I’m not one either. We try, we learn, we fail, we succeed. We work together and afford each other endless second chances. We still miss the occasional weave pole entrance, but we never miss the opportunity to give it one more go!
Whether your dog is young or old, athletic or lazy, quick-witted or dumb as a rock, he’s your dog and his success need only be measured in your eyes.
I hope this book inspires you to not only teach tricks, but to “Do More With Your Dog!®”
—Kyra Sundance and Chalcy
