What are your strengths and weaknesses....... - Page 1

When I got together with my new group, I explained a little of the dog world. I told them that I have significant experiences in some areas and very limited in others. I told them that everyone was that way and one of the positives of training in a group is we can help each other.

I have found it very rare and challenged them to find or think of a trainers that says, "I don't know?" In my experience that almost never happens. I told them they would be asking questions and some times I would say, "Hell, I don't know, but we will figure it out."

So I would like to hear what people consider their strong and weak points as trainers or handlers, I'll go first............

Positives........

1) Experienced in a variety of sport venues as well as police service, not just one sport.
2) Good at building drive
3) Good with puppies
4) Good at table work.
5) Good at puting real stress and civil work on experienced dogs
6) Very experienced in suit work
7) Good at introducing environmental stressors, esp in young dogs
8) Not afraid to "back up" in training if need be
9) Experience with "off breeds" esp Bull breeds
10) Good with softer dogs

Weaknesses......

1) No formal training with a sleeve and Sch training
2) Could improve at building grip
3) Sometimes have difficulty during a dogs "adolecent" phase
4) Would like to improve my knowlege with an E-Collar
5) Need to improve my leg work in a suit
6) Sometimes I "jump all over the place" ie move to somthing different when I should stay with what we are working on
7) I can "get happy" with a good dog and have to make sure I don't go to fast
8) I can get frustrated with handlers who are having problems or not picking things up as fast as I would like.
9) Zero knowlege of tracking
10) Need to improve in OB and learn things such as "touch pads" using a place board, etc

Strenghths: 1.Picking a good working prospect from a litter. 2. Raising a puppy for schutzhund: socialization; confidence-building; drive-building; grip development; puppy bitework; problem-solving "games" to build confidence and adaptability; imprinting. 3.Ability to learn. Weakneses: 1. Dislike tracking 2. Not having the well-developed handling skills consistent with the type of high drive, powerful dogs I prefer. 3. SCARED to do helper work with the type of dogs I like (although I work puppies and think I could work weak, soft dogs from certain lines). 4. Impatient 5. Not in god physical shape. 6. Dislike tracking 7 Sometimes too analytical. 8. Dislike tracking.

Ok, I'll bite:

Have some experience with SchH dogs.  Done helper work for both SchH dogs and Police dogs.  A far better training helper than trial helper.  I need to work on catching fast dogs on the courage test.  I always worry about jamming them, though I rarely do. 

Love to track, feel I can teach my dogs to track well.  Made lots of mistakes with my first SchH dog and had to totally retrain him.  I learned a lot about tracking from that dog.  I have a good system for teaching the fundamentals and instilling as good foundation in tracking young dogs and puppies.  I have a lot to learn about obedience, especially high end competiotn obedience.  The more I learn, the more seminars I go to the less I realize I know.  Ob is definately my weak point.  There are lots of points to lose in SchH obedience.  I can have a high 90's tracking dog, high 90's bitework dog and get mid 80's in obedience.  I am focusing more on obedience lately trying to learn how to straighten myself out. 

Far better with sleeve work than suit work.  I've been lucky to have high drive dogs over the years, however, I think I never made some of them reach their full potential.  I was always holding them back.  Not gonna make the same mistake with my current dog, I hope.  Many knowledgeable people have said he is a national level dog; and if they had him he would be.  He's a great police dog, but I don't want to waste his unbelievable talent and genetics.  I want to compete with him.  We'll see what we can do.

 

Jim 

my strengths:
I have alot of passion for the breed
I am always looking for things to learn
I enjoy learning from older breeders/trainer.  I'll pick your brain all day long if you give me a chance :)
I have a very good eye for picking out the good ones
I can train good obed. and started bitework
I can do area search better than I can formal tracking


my weaknesses
I can be hard on a dog. I try to be easier on them, but its just my personality. I can not own a really soft dog
my body can't keep up to my spirit anymore, and I doubt myself too much.  If I wouldn't second guess my self, and If I wouldn't worry about what other people think, I could have already titled several of my own dogs.
I've had no formal training with the sport though I have spent some time at clubs when I've been able to go.


I am a better breeder than a trainer.  I enjoy the breeding aspect, planning litters, going over pedigree's, whelping and raising a litter.  I love holding newborn puppies, and have been known to have entire litters on my bed for hours at a time while we watch movies and such.

I tend to think alot of my strengths also kind of mirror my weaknesses :

My Strengths :
1) I am determined and dedicated
2) I like Projects
3) I'm an Idealist
4) I'm pretty good at convincing people to help me out despite alot of the things against us (white fluffers)...which isnt so much a handler/breeder skill...but sure does come in useful sometimes!
5) I'm hard working
6) I'm an optimist so I tend to keep at things even when we have dissapointing moments.
7) I love to learn, and as a result I have picked up on alot of information in the past few years from online and from alot of the local boys.
8) From a pet OB standpoint, I see and am able to work through alot of the dogs that come through the pet classes that have some nerve problems.
9) I'm almost always willing to try something new as long as I have someone there to show me how.
10) I can generally work through my fear issues (I'm terrified of taking some hits off some dogs...but I'm learning to do it anyway.

My weaknesses :
1) I am determined to be pigheaded at times...because I am so focuesed on what I am doing with my whites I have passed up a couple of opportunities for some awsome dogs :(
2) I can be very judgmental of folks I feel have done wrong...and as a result have missed some good information in the past.
3) I'm sometimes so much of an idealist that I miss out on reality in terms of dogs....thankfully I have guys around me who are all to willing to shoot me down in a nice manner.
4) I'm very dedicated to building a working line of dogs in a breed that most folks feel are useless.
5) Completley Uncoordinated
6) Kind of a ditz -- which does on occasion mix my uncoordination and cause problems like falling over my dogs.
7) I'm sometimes slow on the uptake, which, added to my inexperience in training sometimes causes problems with my dogs....and I still have aloooooooot to learn!
8) I'm very stage-shy -- which means I can do a pretty good job training my dogs in a parking lot behind a building where no one can see me....but I get very nervous in front of other people...which I think tends to channel down through a leash.
9) I have doggy ADD -- I think I try to take on too much at one....like combining herding and SchH at the same time...I think with my dogs their herding is improving but their SchH isnt so much.
10) I am sometimes very hesitant with my corrections...which occasionally means I have some trainers cranking on me to crank on them.

~Cate

Strengths....         Dedicated to my dogs, patience, good at teaching the beginning stages of things (still working on polishing things up better)

Weaknesses....    Can be wishy washy in my handling at times and not giving that clear black and white picture, early on (not so much now) maybe just the dog I was working, could kick her into avoidance.   Live and learn and know how to avoid that.   Sometimes, babysitting them too much.  What I mean by babysitting, is oh, my sweet little female can't handle that kind of thing.  LOL 

I too work too many things at once.   Schuthund and herding, but they are getting a break from both at the moment, since I'm about to pop out a baby any second!   LOL    However, my male is retired from schuthund and just does herding, only comes out for fun.  :) 

working that balance of the two with my female though.    Lofty goals, as I want to trial in the HGH again this fall as well as get her Schutzhund 1.  

My strength is my natural way with animals, all animals not just dogs.  Sounds lame but its always been there.

My weakness's are my lack of formal training and my bones that grow older by the day.

The worst thing I do these days is get lazy and tired, I let things slide sometimes that I shouldn't.

And now that I'm older and most of the people around me are older, its hard to find the right kind of helpers.

One more pup to raise then I'm pretty much played out, gonna finish up with what I have then sit back and enjoy them as long as I can.

Cate,

May I ask for a bit of clarification?  What breed are you developing a working line of?  Always interested in other breeds...  I don't get the 'white fluffer" reference, either. 

I've got White [Swiss] Shepherds -- my avatar is of my dutch bred girl.

~Cate

 I,m too fat to look good on the field with my dog, AKA "nice picture"

 I need to be twice the trainer my dogs feel i am.

   

I will do anything to improve my dogs any distance and amount.

I can listen and learn.

I realize I don,t know near what I should and I can learn from anyone from top competitor to novice handler everyone can contribute.