Forums » Smalltalk » AMA - Has Shown Dogs for More Than a Decade

I've been involved with dog shows since middle school, actively participating in Agility, Obedience, Barn Hunt and Conformation (mostly Conformation these days). I started out by wanting to "fix" a dog I'd adopted with behavioral problems and then just fell into it, I have now proudly been an exhibitor in the fancy for many years and would be happy to answer any questions!

Do you specialize in working with particular breeds?

I've shown several but my breed of choice is the Chinese Shar-Pei!

Which is your favorite type of competition to train for?

That's so hard! I think they honestly each have a different quality that I enjoy.

Conformation training is the art of subtle, everything you do as the handler has to accentuate the dog and at the same time be almost invisible. So it's about finesse and execution.

Agility training is a game of speed and endurance, it's brain games and repetition. I love it and wish that my old body could still handle it, but I still do basic work with all of my dogs.

Obedience training is probably the second least complicated one. I love to put obedience training into play, so we'll be interacting and include basic cues etc. in that play so it's fun for everyone. It's not labor intensive and it's fun to watch them learn.

Barn Hunt is pure instinct and it is a JOY to watch a dog figure things out and find the little ratties!

Is there significant difference in trainability between puppies and adopted dogs?
Not necessarily for shows, more in general.
I'm told that training puppies is generally easier because they don't have bad habits to unlearn?

It really depends on the dog and the dog's background. Puppies are basically the easiest to mold because they likely haven't bad experiences or been trained differently.

Sometimes older dogs come with knowledge that new owners don't know about, they may use different verbal commands or even hand signals. The other thing is with older dogs it requires a bit more patience, figuring out how best they learn and what they will and won't respond to sometimes can take a while especially as you have to bridge trust with them.

I would say training is what you make it, more than anything else. Approach it with patience and a willingness to learn just as much as you teach and the difference between adults and puppies should be very small.

If someone wanted to get started with agility, what would be the most important single thing for them to buy?

Oh that's a great question!!

If you're a bookish person and want to deep dive I'd recommend that the single most important thing you could buy would either be Foundation Fun and Games: Play your way to agility success or From The Ground Up - Agility Foundation Training for Puppies and Beginner Dogs.

If you just want to hit the ground running I would totally recommend one of the agility equipment in a bag kits.

Or if you're lucky enough to be in an area with an agility club or training center, classes for sure!

Oh wow, prices have come way down on the equipment since the last time I looked Thanks for that link!!