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Surely YOU have $5000 to spare, right?


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I think she's brilliant. I mean if she can find people willing to shell out that kind of dough, she's a smarter person than I.

 

I, personally, would never pay that kind of money for a seminar because I live down here with 1% folks. But, if I could find some way to convince 5 people to pay me $5,000 to share my knowledge and training tricks, I'd be all over that. An extra $25,000 in my bank account would be a beautiful thing.

 

I actually am planning to teach running contacts to my yellow-phobic dog. But, I'll be doing it by reading free advice from others that have successfully trained them. That's how us wee little agility people do it. B)

 

ETA: Hahaha. Oops, I meant to say that I'm one of the 99%. Wishful thinking, I guess. Le sigh.

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Watched the whole thing, actually. Gagged a bit here and there. Did it bother anyone else that she has trained exactly one, (1) dog with this awesome, scientifically based method/methodolgy? Isn't there something, I don't know, common sense maybe? that says you don't parade something around as the Ulitmate Grand Supreme until it's been tested at least a few times? No? Hmmm.

 

Ruth

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Did it bother anyone else that she has trained exactly one, (1) dog with this awesome, scientifically based method/methodolgy? Isn't there something, I don't know, common sense maybe? that says you don't parade something around as the Ulitmate Grand Supreme until it's been tested at least a few times? No? Hmmm.

 

Not to mention, this is a puppy who has yet to run in competition.

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If most people had an unproven method to try, they would invite a small group to test it out on, record the results, tweak it and then produce it en masse. Of course, since that small group would be doing the person a favor, they surely wouldn't be charged for it. Utterly ridiculous IMO.

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I actually am planning to teach running contacts to my yellow-phobic dog. But, I'll be doing it by reading free advice from others that have successfully trained them. That's how us wee little agility people do it. B)

 

Yellow-phobic! I love it!

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Mary P, you are right it is genius if she can get people to buy in, but they have to be nuts.... :o

 

She send out a survey not long ago asking what % of your total agility expenditure you would be willing to pay for a particular class, I can not remember the percentages, but I did think she was living on a different planet when it came to the amounts that I would be willing to pay that for an online class. Obviously people are paying.

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I actually am planning to teach running contacts to my yellow-phobic dog. But, I'll be doing it by reading free advice from others that have successfully trained them. That's how us wee little agility people do it. B)

 

Flavaphobia - the fear of yellow. Latin

 

So THAT is what is wrong with my dog! It's not my training technique! :D

 

Jovi

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Jovi, I don't know that she specified.... What is the exchange rate at the moment? I assume our dollar still sucks, so it is more than $5000.

 

Previously, I'm fairly sure that her prices have been in CA $.

 

So that our US friends know what the value of 5000$ Canadian is... it's 5000$ US (to be more accurate 4987.75$ US but one needs to add conversion fees)

 

Not said if the price includes or not the 13% sales tax...

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Gotta say, I've done recallers, her online course and then gotta do it again for free because she offered it for free if we made a video, have gotten tons and tons of value out of it. Love the training, honestly better than any class I have ever taken and really completely worth it in the end. I agree that the running contacts course seems really high priced, and some of the constant emarketing is annoying, but recallers was totally worth it. Never met the lady, but recallers was really great. I do wish someone would pay $5K to take a class from me :).

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$5000? What the heck is wrong with people?

 

I'm in this sport because both my dog and I find it fun. That's it. I trial because trials are fun. Q's are nice, but that's not what it's about. So that raises the question: is a running contact really going to increase the amount of fun that me or my dog can have? The answer seems pretty obvious: no. The dog has no idea if they came in 1st at worlds or didn't even place. So what does it matter?

 

At the point that someone is willing to pay $5000 to shave split seconds off their time, they've lost sight of the purpose. I feel sorry for the dogs owned by these people. I'm sure they're well cared for physically, but only their ability to perform can endear them to their agility-obsessed handlers. Sad.

 

I'm also disturbed by what this says about the agility community. I detest AKC for many reasons, but first and foremost because of the attitudes they promote: dogs are status symbols, and winning dog shows with seemingly arbitrary criteria (breed standards) elevates one's status. While the criteria in agility are far less arbitrary, I think that the pursuit of agility ribbons as status symbols has no place in this sport.

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I'm in this sport because both my dog and I find it fun. That's it. I trial because trials are fun. Q's are nice, but that's not what it's about.

 

And I believe that the majority of the people who participate in the sport feel the same way. But, for a handful of folks, they are in it to win. Those top people have actually managed to make agility their livelihood, as well. It would be similar to a professional athlete. But, just because they take the competition more seriously than the average sport enthusiast, doesn't mean that they aren't still enjoying the heck out of the time they get to spend with their dogs. I have quite a few of some of the top agility performers that attend the same trials as me. They show their dogs every bit as much love at the end of a run regardless of whether or not they achieved a "Q" as anyone else.

 

So that raises the question: is a running contact really going to increase the amount of fun that me or my dog can have? The answer seems pretty obvious: no.

 

I am planning to put a running contact on my yellow-phobic dog. At least that's the plan. But, I'm not doing it to save seconds (though that would be fun, too) or achieve greatness (it's pretty clear that we will never achieve greatness). I'm doing it because 2o2o just doesn't work for me in trial situations. My dog stresses and jumps off. So, yeah, in a way, I think that a running contact will be more fun for both of us. I'm certainly not willing to pay $5,000 to get there, though.

 

At the point that someone is willing to pay $5000 to shave split seconds off their time, they've lost sight of the purpose. I feel sorry for the dogs owned by these people. I'm sure they're well cared for physically, but only their ability to perform can endear them to their agility-obsessed handlers. Sad.

 

I think it's nuts to shell out that kind of money, too, but I think that you are making quite an assumption that people who will pay that kind of money have a less sincere or real relationship with their dogs than you or I.

 

I'm also disturbed by what this says about the agility community.

 

I don't think this says anything about the agility community. I would bet that 99% of the "agility community" agree that anyone willing to pay $5,000 for a seminar on running contacts is nuts. So, are you saying that the 1% should speak for the 99%? Wait, where have I heard that before? :lol:

 

I detest AKC for many reasons, but first and foremost because of the attitudes they promote: dogs are status symbols, and winning dog shows with seemingly arbitrary criteria (breed standards) elevates one's status.

 

What does this have to do with the topic at hand? Agility trials and conformation shows are two different things. And AKC is only ONE of several agility venues out there.

 

While the criteria in agility are far less arbitrary, I think that the pursuit of agility ribbons as status symbols has no place in this sport.

 

Since when should ribbons have no place in sports?

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I don't think this says anything about the agility community. I would bet that 99% of the "agility community" agree that anyone willing to pay $5,000 for a seminar on running contacts is nuts. So, are you saying that the 1% should speak for the 99%? Wait, where have I heard that before? :lol:

 

+1.

 

And there's nothing wrong with playing to win, so long as you can accept that sometimes you are going to lose, and that you don't take it out on your dog when you do.

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I agree that the running contacts course seems really high priced, and some of the constant emarketing is annoying, but recallers was totally worth it. Never met the lady, but recallers was really great. I do wish someone would pay $5K to take a class from me :).

 

What kind of things did you work on in that class? I noticed a while back that she had a recallers class and was curious about it because Quinn has been the most challenging dog I've ever tried to put a really reliable recall on. All my other dogs just grew into fantastic recalls with some basic obedience training along with lots of rewards and repetition. Quinn is going on 7, we've done multiple "refresher courses" over the years, and I am still not entirely confident of his recall. So that class sounded very interesting to me, especially since I loved her book Shaping Success and also loved her 2x2 method (missing out on any secret or new details didn't cause problems for me).

 

I find it a shame that Susan is no longer interested in publishing books or DVD's and instead is going this on-line, expensive (in the case of the running contacts course, amazingly , wildly expensive) route. Obviously, this approach must be very profitable to her and just as obviously it is her prerogative to choose how she shares information. I guess I will just look elsewhere for training inspiration and ideas.

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Gotta say, I've done recallers, her online course and then gotta do it again for free because she offered it for free if we made a video, have gotten tons and tons of value out of it. Love the training, honestly better than any class I have ever taken and really completely worth it in the end. I agree that the running contacts course seems really high priced, and some of the constant emarketing is annoying, but recallers was totally worth it. Never met the lady, but recallers was really great. I do wish someone would pay $5K to take a class from me :).

 

Susan definitely has some good stuff and she is a good trainer for her dogs, lots of people that don't like her agree on that point, but some of her stuff is ridiculously priced, but if people want to pay it, so be it. I can't stand her crate games - I have seen too many dogs develop major crate agression issues. Yes, any dog can have crate agression issues, but these dogs never developed it until they started playing Susan's crate games. I think it was one of her greatest marketing scams. Sorry, but you don't need a crate to teach start lines, rear crosses, front crosses, create drive in your dogs, etc. As well, there is a ton of crate game stuff that she does that she didn't put on the DVDs - just like the 2 x 2 weave pole method.

 

Unfortunately, she is very egotisical, and doesn't treat people very well, and she does't treat her dogs very nicely either. I have been ringside at Nationals when she comes out othe ring, and if she has handled her dogs correctly and they have a clean run, she keeps them with her. If the run isn't good, she hands the dog off to John and tells him "get her the hell out of my sight".

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I don't think this says anything about the agility community. I would bet that 99% of the "agility community" agree that anyone willing to pay $5,000 for a seminar on running contacts is nuts. So, are you saying that the 1% should speak for the 99%? Wait, where have I heard that before? :lol:

 

No, I don't want the 1% speaking for all of us, But if the nut jobs willing to pay $5000 are the most active and vocal bunch, then they end up representing the whole community, at least in the eyes of outsiders.

 

 

What does this have to do with the topic at hand? Agility trials and conformation shows are two different things. And AKC is only ONE of several agility venues out there.

 

Yes, agility and conformation are different. But elite cliques that you have to pay thousands of dollars to join? That reeks of, well, elitism...which I would argue the AKC had cornered up until now, with regards to the dog world. One of the best things about agility is that it's generally open to everyone, regardless of breed, social status, or income (think of the early trainers who built equipment from spare parts). I don't want that changing anytime soon.

 

 

Since when should ribbons have no place in sports?

 

Since the better half of the team sees no value in them.

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No, I don't want the 1% speaking for all of us, But if the nut jobs willing to pay $5000 are the most active and vocal bunch, then they end up representing the whole community, at least in the eyes of outsiders.

 

Honestly, I think that highly unlikely.

 

Like all big names, she has a group of people who follow her. I would be willing to wager that those who are going to pay the money are part of that crew. And they don't even represent the hypothetical 1%.

 

The ones who are speaking the loudest are saying the same things that we are saying here.

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Since the better half of the team sees no value in them.

 

Doesn't that apply to a lot of things we expect our dogs to do?

 

I'm not competitively minded and don't care about winning but the idea of a "sport" where success is irrelevant seems very strange to me.

 

If it weren't for people wanting to compete and see something for their efforts agility wouldn't exist, even for those like me.

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