In Sue Sternberg’s new book, The Dog-Driven Search coauthored with Dana Zinn, Sue credits my teaching of “body English” and movement as an important influence on her approach to the handling of nose-work dogs.
To be perfectly honest, I know nothing about training or handling nose-work dogs. But in the context of dog agility I teach that dogs understand movement like a spoken word. So, the “pure for motion” handler takes a lead in “the dance”.
A favorite YouTube video shows me running somebody else’s dog at a TDAA Judges clinic. I remember the young lady was struggling just to get this dog to do a sequence of three obstacles. And I told her “Stop handling like you have a Border Collie. You need to move.” So, she slapped his leash into my hand and told me, “Here. You run him.”
As a seminar leader I ran dozens of dogs over the years, especially if I saw the handler struggling with it. Though I don’t have many recordings to look back on them. YouTube didn’t even exist until 2005. And I don’t think I had my own channel until about 2010, or so.
Retrospect
I’m pleased and flattered that Sue Sternberg found value in my early teaching. Though I get a little chuckle out of the notion that I have no expertise in Nose Work and not much of an idea how what I taught applies to that sport.
Funny looking back on it now. My legacy as an agility trainer is probably my methodology for teaching independent performance (great distance work) to an agility dog. Almost forgotten I suppose are the many years I spent teaching “pure for motion” handling.
The onset of Rheumatoid arthritis naturally changed the focus and direction of my study and teaching of agility.
BLOG1641
Send your Questions Comments and Impassioned Speeches to Bud Houston, Houston.Bud@gmail.com.
Tags: animals, dog, dog-training, dogs, pets
Bud Houston's Blog 