• We are still offering one-to-one lessons (one instructor and one handler and dog) in the outdoors, pending further advice.
• Rodna and I are working on video-based hints and demos to share with you at no-cost. (Stay Tuned for upcoming info on this.)
• Ask us a training question and we’ll do our best to answer it – email amanda@jenkins.net
• Murphy the Border Collie, Ripley the Whippet, and Emmy the Spoodle took home hula hoops for home-based DIY Agility practice from our Agility+Rally-O workshop.

Be your own coach - Video your Training

You’ve heard us speak before of Susan Garrett.  Susan is a Canadian dog trainer who runs an array of online training courses.  She strongly recommends videoing your dog training.  There’s lots of reasons for doing so but let’s look at the top two reasons:

• When did you deliver the reinforcement (food reward/praise)?
• How did you deliver the reinforcement?  (Above the dog’s head, behind the dog’s head.)
• Where was your dog looking when you delivered the reinforcement? (Was your dog looking up at you and paying attention or was s/he mentally focused on that butterfly in the bush.)
• Did your hand signals vary or were they consistent?

• What is your dog's Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture telling you?  Susan calls this the dog’s T.E.M.P.   Is your dog engaged, stressed, excited, bored?  (For guidance on reading your dog’s body language, checkout iSpeakDog  and Victoria Stilwell’s guide)
• Assess whether/how your dog’s response to different training activities varies: is energy "low" or "high", is your dog confident and sure or tentative and uncertain with particular exercises?

Videoing your training will help you adjust your next training session to set both of you up for even more success.  Plus, your kids will love 'making movies'.

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