My dog having to learn a teeter or a table or a triple jump or a broad jump or a tire jump wouldn't be foreign too? Maybe that's a little unfair perhaps?
Depends on where you're standing.....
-Kyle
Literally anyone can get their dog around a barrel when handled up close. Not even comparable to the training it takes to do something like a teeter. That's why I don't care if they are in other classes, but I don't want to see them in Chances as part of a distance test (and I've been competing in NADAC for over a decade).
If you want to be in , say AKC, you have to train your dog in the teeter, etc. I think Kyle is saying that if you want to participate in NADAC, you have to train items like the barrel.
Thank you, Sheila, for clarifying - you are correct, I was trying to say that if we play in NADAC we need to train for a barrel. Exactly the same as if we play in other venues we'd have to/want to train for the obstacles not included in NADAC. Vive la difference!
I am always interested to hear folks like Karissa mention things like not wanting to teach a barrel from a distance. Many clicker trainers and trick trainers like to use a cone or a bucket (or whatever is lying around) as something for a baby puppy to go out and around when they are little. This is just an extension of that puppy learning experience to me.
Now, (someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong) I understand the dog will always be taking a path to the outside of barrel, so that makes it even easier. (This will not always be true for Bonus people depending on the Bonus area.)
Yes, Karissa, training a teeter is a bazillion times harder! I agree. What can we, in the NADAC Community, do to help you train your dog to do a barrel at a distance and be confident about it? I'm sure many of us have tips and ideas to help - tell us what you need and we'll do our best to be there for you!
-Kyle
