"Don't worry about dumbbells or scent articles," my instructor said. "You're not ready for that."
We were at Pax's third obedience class, and I had asked my instructor for help choosing the right sized dumbbells. At the time I suppressed a smile, but I really do understand my instructor's hesitation. This is a basic obedience class for pet dogs. Why spend money on equipment for a level of AKC Obedience I might ultimately decide I don't want to pursue?
She had another concern too. From her point of view, the formal retrieve and scent discrimination are many class levels away. She introduces the concepts of retrieving and scent discrimination as early as this basic obedience class, but dumbbell work is far down the road. She doesn't want to rush it, because fixing mistakes can be a lot harder than teaching a behavior right the first time.
I agree with that, but as a clicker trainer, I'm not horribly afraid of mistakes. I think they're part of the learning process, both mine and my dog's. She begins with a cultivated play retrieve, which she will eventually refine into a formal retrieve. I prefer to leave Pax's play retrieve sloppy and fun and instead shape a separate, precise formal retrieve from scratch. Her way isn't better or worse than mine; it's just different.
So I smiled when she tried to dissuade me and told her that I'd like the information anyway, because my husband was going to buy the equipment for me for Christmas. I'm looking forward to having "real" articles and dumbbells to work with. I've already been working on shaping a controlled "take" of various types of objects, including metal. Soon I'll start extending the hold. By the time we get to these exercises in my instructor's classes, retrieving and scent discrimination will, hopefully, be old hat to us.
