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System Bashing
Jul. 22nd, 2009 09:01 pmAnyone who is a part of the Clean Run Yahoo group has seen the recent debate that has been going on.I hate seeing people get so worked up about handling systems. The Greg VS Linda stuff is getting out of hand. This is dog agility people. It's not life or death. Both systems--ANY system--can work effectively if you apply it correctly and your dog understands your cues.
That being said I have an obvious preference for APHS (Though to clarify I've never actually worked with Linda herself). I think it is a great system it because it is natural and very flexible. There are are 6 different cues you can give your dog and it is your job to figure out the way in which to apply those so that your dog knows exactly where to go. There isn't "you have to handle that this way" or "you can't do it like that". You can use those cues in whatever way you think would communicate the best to your dog. You can get creative!
Perhaps even worse than those who pit systems against one another are those who simply hate systems in general. Like "system" is a bad word. People who say that learning a system is only for people who want to "win" and not for people that just want to have fun with their dog. I don't mind if people use this or that system or no system. But a system is not some crazy strict rule-centric way to handle dogs (at least APHS isn't, like I said it is very flexible). It's simply a way to be a consistent handler and make sure your dog is not getting conflicting signals from you. It doesn't make agility any less fun or any more serious. I dare say it makes it MORE fun, since you and your dog are in sync and really understand one another. I don't want my dog to be confused as to what I want, and *I* don't want to be confused about the signals I'm giving my dog.
Understanding and learning a handling system was a way for me to consciously realize what cues I'm giving my dog, natural or learned, so that I can apply those effectively and get around a course. I *know* I still have a lot to learn (and there will always be something else for me to learn), especially with a dog that relies on split second cues from me, but learning is part of the fun. I just hope we can all do what works for our dogs without getting into a huff arguing about what is best.
With that I'll leave you with two awesome runs by two awesome handlers.
That being said I have an obvious preference for APHS (Though to clarify I've never actually worked with Linda herself). I think it is a great system it because it is natural and very flexible. There are are 6 different cues you can give your dog and it is your job to figure out the way in which to apply those so that your dog knows exactly where to go. There isn't "you have to handle that this way" or "you can't do it like that". You can use those cues in whatever way you think would communicate the best to your dog. You can get creative!
Perhaps even worse than those who pit systems against one another are those who simply hate systems in general. Like "system" is a bad word. People who say that learning a system is only for people who want to "win" and not for people that just want to have fun with their dog. I don't mind if people use this or that system or no system. But a system is not some crazy strict rule-centric way to handle dogs (at least APHS isn't, like I said it is very flexible). It's simply a way to be a consistent handler and make sure your dog is not getting conflicting signals from you. It doesn't make agility any less fun or any more serious. I dare say it makes it MORE fun, since you and your dog are in sync and really understand one another. I don't want my dog to be confused as to what I want, and *I* don't want to be confused about the signals I'm giving my dog.
Understanding and learning a handling system was a way for me to consciously realize what cues I'm giving my dog, natural or learned, so that I can apply those effectively and get around a course. I *know* I still have a lot to learn (and there will always be something else for me to learn), especially with a dog that relies on split second cues from me, but learning is part of the fun. I just hope we can all do what works for our dogs without getting into a huff arguing about what is best.
With that I'll leave you with two awesome runs by two awesome handlers.