I was so naive
“I’m going to enter her in obedience competitions. I know she’ll do great! She’s fully trained now!”
I laugh when I think back to what my inexperienced self told me long ago after our first dog graduated from puppy class just after the turn of the century. Dory did well in class and we’d “mastered” all the exercises fairly easily, so I figured she was “fully trained.” Sit, down, come, heel, stay - checkmarks for all! What more could there be? She was now ready to take on the world… or so I thought…. I figured I could enter obedience trials and easily clear out my competition. BWAH ha ha!
“Fully trained” was a concept I vaguely understood and “sorta kinda” embraced, but it didn’t sit well. (What is the official definition, anyway?) I prided myself on my exceptional training skills. Later, this sense of pride took a significant hit when the reality that Dory, being an easy dog, was a big reason why we were so successful, bigger even than my very elemental training skills.
I was obviously not the least bit familiar with the world of dog sports. Mostly, I had no idea what was possible. This was pre-YouTube, pre-social media, etc. It’s hard to imagine those “pre-days” now; it was more difficult to see what was out there, what people were doing with their dogs… and how to do it. Now we are drowning in a turbulent sea of information and the challenge is filtering out the least helpful parts, e.g., 90%.
But I was curious. I took agility classes at Tree Frog Farm for years, and Dory and I loved competing. I digested training and ethology books, attended workshops and conferences, started a dog walking business, boarded dogs, got my training certification, etc., etc… It was the typical path of somebody who has found her passion and wants to dive in and learn as much as possible.
“Training is an ongoing conversation with your dog”
Somewhere in there, 2011 to be exact, I was invited to write the monthly “Training Tips” column for Downeast Dog News. This was an extraordinary opportunity and something I will always be grateful for. We are lucky to have a dog-centric publication of its caliber available to us! It has been a valuable exercise for me to practice weaving (hopefully relevant) information into a tight package of limited words and space, to put into words what I do in practice, to try to convey concepts, ideas, and specific training methodology onto virtual or tangible paper. I highly value the readership and the contacts I’ve made through the column. Thank you!
Farewell
But it’s time for new faces, new ideas, a fresh look. I will still be here in North Yarmouth running my classes, serving as Puppy Central, and putting more focus on my favorite dog sports: RallyFree and freestyle. I will still teach foundation classes and offer individual in-person and on-line sessions. And I look forward to reading the new “Training Tips” in this paper. You may see me there from time to time, so it’s not “adieu” yet, just a temporary “farewell.”
By the way, I never did enter Dory into an obedience competition. I discovered lots of other more interesting - to me - dog activities along the way.
Thank you for these many years of celebrating dog together!
Be curious. Honor your dog. Keep the conversation going.
Happy Training!
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed
Pet Connection Dog Training, North Yarmouth, Maine
www.dianalogan.com | 207-252-9352