starkicker18 t1_itmicj0 wrote on October 24, 2022 at 7:04 PM

Reply to comment by mellowmardigan in TIL that the dogs in competitive agility don’t rehearse the course ahead of time. The courses are randomized at each competition, and the trainers (without their dogs) only see the layout beforehand on the same day. When the dog runs the course they are literally seeing it for the first time. by Pyraunus

Am a teacher, also worked with a few dogs on agility. I'd say the feeling when my students get something we've been working on, and the feeling when my dog gets something we've been working on are very similar. You feel so proud of them and you want to celebrate their accomplishments.

But the amount of trust you ask of your dog is just next level. You can communicate to your students to explain the what and why of a lesson. The challenge is helping them make the right connections so that they can do it on their own. When they finally do, it feels awesome as a teacher.

But with a dog you don't speak the same language and you can't explain what and why. You just try and teach them and show them they can trust you and one day it clicks for them "oh, you want me to do that!" and then they do! Then, if they are like my dog, they look at you like "wow you're really excited I did that... it wasn't really that big of a deal. Look I'll do it again. See! Easy" and by that point you're just fussing over them and rewarding them like crazy because the did it!