do't be frightened to go back a step

We all love to make progress in our agility training, but sometimes we need to stop and take stock. If something is not working for you, why is it not working? Is it your body language, or does the dog simply not understand your command?
A simple example of this is when you ask your dog to turn left and he turns right. There are many reasons why this might happen, but the two common ones are that either he doesn't understand the verbal command, or your body is actually telling him to turn right even though you verbally asked for a left.
Both these cases need you to take a step back and review what is wrong so you can correct the problem. There is no point in screaming "left, left,left!" at your dog if he doesn't understand you. A useful aid is to get a friend to video you running your dog. You, (or your trainer) can then look at this later and analyse what is going on, and how to put it right.
So this month's training suggestion is: look at what you're not happy with in your partnership and put it right! This is the time to correct those blips in your training ready for next spring and the new season, which will be here before you know it!
So Happy Christmas everyone, and Happy Training - remember, a happy dog is one who knows exactly what you want him to do, so he can do it with confidence and speed!