The Agility Challenge Podcast With Daisy Peel

Is your training actually productive? Do you enjoy it? Or do you view it as drudgery, something to be suffered through?
In this Challenge Tip, I'll dive in to how you can really get to the 'sweet spot' in practice and training, and how to get away from the unproductive swamp of 'shallow practice'.

• Never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes, Spotify or by RSS
• Help improve the show by leaving a Rating & Review in iTunes (Here’s How)
• Join the discussion for this episode in the comments section at the website for this show

Teaching, just like anything else, is a skill that must be developed. GOOD teachers are those who have practiced good teaching skills. There are a lot of instructors out there in our sport who have not paid as much attention as they could to the practice of actually TEACHING. Here are 5 ways to pick a teacher or coach who will actually help you improve and GROW your skills.

• Never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes, Spotify or by RSS
• Help improve the show by leaving a Rating & Review in iTunes (Here’s How)
• Join the discussion for this episode in the comments section at the website for this show

It's so often that we think of talent as something that we're born with, like the color of our hair, or the color of our eyes. We assume that the surest sign of talent is early, instant, effortless success, i.e., being a prodigy. Basically, this is just not the case - there's a well established body of research that shows that our assumptions about talent are just...false. Early success turns out to be a weak predictor of long-term success!

• Never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes, Spotify or by RSS
• Help improve the show by leaving a Rating & Review in iTunes (Here’s How)
• Join the discussion for this episode in the comments section at the website for this show

We've been talking about hard skills and soft skills as though they're entirely separate, but in reality, most talents are not exclusively one or the other. They're some combination of the two. You have to have the hard skill of good front cross footwork and the soft skill of knowing when to start that footwork in relation to your dog on course to successfully execute a front cross, for example. However, in his book the Little Book of Talent, author Daniel Coyle suggests we prioritize the hard skills, because in the long run, they're more important to developing your talent.

• Never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes, Spotify or by RSS
• Help improve the show by leaving a Rating & Review in iTunes (Here’s How)
• Join the discussion for this episode in the comments section at the website for this show

As a dog trainer and handler, you're not only a student (of the game, of your instructor, etc.), but you're also a coach for your dog. And, good coaches, whether it's to your dog or to your own agility students, share a knack for transforming the most mundane activities - especially the mundane activities - into games.

• Never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes, Spotify or by RSS
• Help improve the show by leaving a Rating & Review in iTunes (Here’s How)
• Join the discussion for this episode in the comments section at the website for this show