The agility class got me thinking about class structure in general. This is for folks who have taken a group class before, everything from a beginner level class in Petco to a highly specialized or high level sports class.
I appreciate, and will continue to pursue, taking group classes from as many instructors who train with ethics I am comfortable applying to my dogs. I enjoy the class experience, and I also learn a lot about how other trainers structure their lessons.
I'm curious what your experiences have been (positive and negative). I also would love to hear what aspects of certain classes you really appreciated and what aspects of classes you dislike the most. What do you look for when searching for a class/instructor?
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My experiences...
I have taken an agility class a decade ago with Soro, a freestyle class by Joan Tennille, observed a Nose Games, (tricks-type), and basic manners class by Pat Miller, and taken a nosework and agility class by my local competition instructor. I enjoyed my first instructor for her straight-forwardness. But if I knew what I know today I probably wouldn't have taken a class from her since she was the person who put a prong collar in my hand (which was ineffective for Soro at the time and enabled angry/abusive training on my part) because Soro was whining out of excitement in class; she also showed me and had me practice pinning him by stepping on the leash and pulling (also ineffective given Soro's size/strength relative to mine, and I was a teenager at the time).
So obviously, ethics matter to me.
I really enjoy training under people who have a broad and applied base of knowledge, with a good balance of pride and humility. I take classes to do fun things with my dogs, to expose them to group class settings with the goal of having my dogs be calm demo dogs in my own classes, and to observe how other trainers structure their classes and interact with students.
I've found that the setting of a class is not as important to me. I've trained in dirt horse arenas, tiny indoor spaces, large indoor spaces, grassy outdoor spaces... I see the space as a challenge for me to use it in the best way possible. I guess if I had to choose, I prefer larger spaces. One thing in my class that seems to be very different compared to other classes I've taken, is we shift a lot between inside and outside. I can see the advantages as being able to work on a specific skill in a more predictable setting, then taking it into a more distracting setting. But I don't think classes that take place in one space are lacking, comparatively, in any way.
My least favorite thing about group classes (and this is likely completely due to my personality), is when there is a lot of talking and turn taking. I am not an auditory learner, so when an instructor talks for a long period of time it is really hard for me to focus. Thankfully, I can multitask by doing something passive with my dog. But I think it's partly the reason why my dogs are so busy in classes when I stop doing things with them. I'm antsy, so they're antsy. This is much less pronounced in Brae since I've been challenging myself to shape settling behaviors during lecture portions of class, and doing so without looking at him or giving him my full attention. Soro acts like he's in a 1 hour shaping session. If I stop with him, he will nose me, change positions, growl at me, etc...
I am a kinesthetic learner first, then visual, auditory last. I think that affects how I participate in classes and how I teach my own classes. I definitely stack the time in favor of doing a lot, demoing a little, and talking even less. Within reason, of course... Step by step instruction is provided and I love answering questions. But I don't feel the need to provide countless stories of my own experiences with my dogs. It baffles me when I walk away from a class and realize we only worked on two or three things. I am not annoyed by it. If anything, I think it is a great subconscious marketing strategy... If I could talk more and do less, I could spread out the content more and sell more classes. But the balance between instruction, stories, taking breaks (which to me, happen during lecture), and actually doing things, is something I am always thinking about.
I appreciate, and will continue to pursue, taking group classes from as many instructors who train with ethics I am comfortable applying to my dogs. I enjoy the class experience, and I also learn a lot about how other trainers structure their lessons.
I'm curious what your experiences have been (positive and negative). I also would love to hear what aspects of certain classes you really appreciated and what aspects of classes you dislike the most. What do you look for when searching for a class/instructor?
--------
My experiences...
I have taken an agility class a decade ago with Soro, a freestyle class by Joan Tennille, observed a Nose Games, (tricks-type), and basic manners class by Pat Miller, and taken a nosework and agility class by my local competition instructor. I enjoyed my first instructor for her straight-forwardness. But if I knew what I know today I probably wouldn't have taken a class from her since she was the person who put a prong collar in my hand (which was ineffective for Soro at the time and enabled angry/abusive training on my part) because Soro was whining out of excitement in class; she also showed me and had me practice pinning him by stepping on the leash and pulling (also ineffective given Soro's size/strength relative to mine, and I was a teenager at the time).
So obviously, ethics matter to me.
I really enjoy training under people who have a broad and applied base of knowledge, with a good balance of pride and humility. I take classes to do fun things with my dogs, to expose them to group class settings with the goal of having my dogs be calm demo dogs in my own classes, and to observe how other trainers structure their classes and interact with students.
I've found that the setting of a class is not as important to me. I've trained in dirt horse arenas, tiny indoor spaces, large indoor spaces, grassy outdoor spaces... I see the space as a challenge for me to use it in the best way possible. I guess if I had to choose, I prefer larger spaces. One thing in my class that seems to be very different compared to other classes I've taken, is we shift a lot between inside and outside. I can see the advantages as being able to work on a specific skill in a more predictable setting, then taking it into a more distracting setting. But I don't think classes that take place in one space are lacking, comparatively, in any way.
My least favorite thing about group classes (and this is likely completely due to my personality), is when there is a lot of talking and turn taking. I am not an auditory learner, so when an instructor talks for a long period of time it is really hard for me to focus. Thankfully, I can multitask by doing something passive with my dog. But I think it's partly the reason why my dogs are so busy in classes when I stop doing things with them. I'm antsy, so they're antsy. This is much less pronounced in Brae since I've been challenging myself to shape settling behaviors during lecture portions of class, and doing so without looking at him or giving him my full attention. Soro acts like he's in a 1 hour shaping session. If I stop with him, he will nose me, change positions, growl at me, etc...
I am a kinesthetic learner first, then visual, auditory last. I think that affects how I participate in classes and how I teach my own classes. I definitely stack the time in favor of doing a lot, demoing a little, and talking even less. Within reason, of course... Step by step instruction is provided and I love answering questions. But I don't feel the need to provide countless stories of my own experiences with my dogs. It baffles me when I walk away from a class and realize we only worked on two or three things. I am not annoyed by it. If anything, I think it is a great subconscious marketing strategy... If I could talk more and do less, I could spread out the content more and sell more classes. But the balance between instruction, stories, taking breaks (which to me, happen during lecture), and actually doing things, is something I am always thinking about.