by Megan Foster | Mar 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
I want to talk about Handling Systems for just a second. I don't want to hash out which is better or which is easier for the dog or for the handler. In fact, I don't want to call it a handling system. I want to call it a Cueing System. Instead of talking about how...
by Megan Foster | Mar 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
What is cue escalation? This is what happens when a handler gives a dog a cue, and the dog responds with the “wrong behavior”, and when the handler reattempts to give the cue, the cue has changed. It has gotten bigger, louder, slower, faster, more obvious, etc....
by Megan Foster | Mar 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
My least favorite thing about agility is that the standard practice is to teach the humans and the canines at the same time. Not only is this incredibly inefficient, it can be frustrating for all involved: instructor, handler, & dog. It’s time to change this standard,...
by Megan Foster | Mar 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
When we are setting up a training session, we should be paying close attention to the following details: Antecedent: how are we going to arrange the conditions so that the desired behavior is most likely to occur? Behavior: what behavior are we looking for from the...
by Megan Foster | Mar 13, 2020 | Uncategorized
If you’re taking an agility class, you’ve probably heard your instructor say “reward your dog”. Many times, this is because the handler has perceived an error (either our own or the dog’s), and the handler has momentarily forgotten that they have a dog with them, and...
by Megan Foster | Feb 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
Over the years, I have had the chance to prepare for many of training sessions and competition runs, with a wide variety of dogs. They have all needed something different from me, and overtime, I've become very open to having my dogs tell me how ready they are. I...
