Blinks MACH
When Lisa recently asked me to write an article about Blink I really didn't know what I was going to write about. She suggested that I write about living with a small dog, but that can be summed up in one word ... easy! Until you have lived with a 5 1/2-pound dog you can't know what it's like. He only eats 2 oz per day, takes up hardly any space on the couch, bed, or in the car. He is going to be able to travel on the plane with me when we go to the AKC Agility Invitational. Enough said.
She also asked me about training a small dog. And again, the answer is ... EASY! Blink is a Border Collie in a small package. And I know first hand because I had a Border Collie. He could work all day, he loves repetition, and he is the smartest dog I have trained so far, although his sister is running a close second. Gotta get a plug in for those TFTs. They are the best-kept secret.
So what I have decided to write about (because I am asked this A LOT) is how at 2 years, 9 months, and from the time we started in Novice until his last double Q, it only took us 15 months. (For those who do not know, Novice, Open and Excellent are similar to Obedience in that you must earn 3 legs for each title. After that, 10 perfect, runs in Standard or Jumpers get your dog an MX or MXJ respectively. However, after the excellent title Double Qs are also earned. Meaning that the dog must qualify with PERFECT runs in standard and jumpers on the same day. Twenty of these are what's needed for a MACH, along with 750 points, one point for every second under time. In Blink's case he usually came in first, which means he also got double points, a bonus the AKC gives dogs that win their jump height. Blink finished his MACH with an excess of 1800 points).
First of all I would tell anyone that the length of time is immaterial. Every dog is going to be different. My Corgi started the same time as Blink; she has her MX and is two legs away from an MXJ. My IG started this year and has two MXJ legs and an OA. I highly doubt that he will have a MACH a year from now. My goals for this dog are much different than they were for Blink. I consider it a success every time he gets over the teeter, but that's a different article.
However, having said all of the above there are several training practices and words of advice I would give to anyone in the sport of Agility OR Obedience. Or any life endeavor for that matter. (If you care what I think.)
1. PRACTICE!!!!! I think I got the hang of this early in life when I was a musician and it has stuck with me like glue. Every week when I played for my professor, if it did not go well he sat in his chair with his glasses at the end of his nose and said in a low gravelly voice 'You didn't practice, did you?' I always hear from people how they did not have time to practice, and this may be true for some weeks. But, if your goal is to compete in an event, or excel at an activity, you must make time for it. That's just the way life is. We can't have it all.
2. There is a little saying that I heard once, actually when I worked for Weight Watchers that goes, 'If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got'. Again, in Obedience and in Agility I encounter people that keep getting the same results but will not change the way they do things. If your dog doesn't do the contacts then you may need to change the way you train the contacts, OR the way you handle them in a trial. It doesn't matter if YOU like the way you train the contacts, your dog isn't getting it.
3. Get out of your comfort Zone. This sort of goes with the above. You may not want to go to a run-through on a Friday night, in the rain, in Cudahy, and get home at 10 PM, but that may just be what your dog needs. Maybe you could get a Subscription to Clean Run or Front and Finish and just try ONE new thing. And quit telling yourself that you can't. YES YOU CAN!
4. Look at the experts and believe what they are doing has worked for them and deserves some consideration. So many times I hear people saying 'That's crazy, how can she suggest that, that can't possibly work.' Well, HER dog's on the World Team, or the ladies got 4 OTCH's and 3 200s, we MIGHT want to take a second look. If the training practices are not abusive, I might give them a try.
5. Don't ignore the basics, and I think this is more for Agility people than Obedience. Remember that recalls and stays are a HUGE factor in qualifying. Yes, you can and should have a start line. At one trial, when my dog broke his, someone suggested that I just learn how to run with him. Why? Like my dog can't stay in one place? And make sure your dog looks at you immediately when you say his name. This will save you a few off courses now and then.
6. And lastly, having said all of this, we need to assess our equipment. And I don't mean weave poles or dumbbells, but our dogs. Most experts of any field, dog related or not, would tell you to get the best equipment possible to be able to excel to the highest level. But in this case, it's a living-breathing animal. And one that most of us love. Blink was capable of getting a MACH fairly quickly. I knew that, so I did my part because I knew he would do his. I have other goals for my IG, and I have not as yet decided if I am even going to continue with my Corgi, because she just doesn't seem to really get into it. I think most dogs will and can excel to the level that THEY are capable of. It's our responsibility to know what that is. There is someone I see at a trial now and then that runs a Mastiff. Is her dog doing it? Yes. But badly. No, in my opinion it's not right. Not every dog is cut out for competition. So, there's a fine line I think, between that being an excuse, and a real reason to reassess our goals with our dogs. I always struggle with this in the case of my Corgi, Madeline. Could she excel, if I were a better trainer? Or, should I accept the fact that she has come as far as her character and temperament will allow her? And that perhaps, I was a good trainer to even get as far as we did. It's a quandary. But then, I am the human, and I have the thinking brain. It gives me something to ponder.
See Blink's 20th QQ to earn his MACH at Camp Bandy on You Tube ( www.youtube.com ).