I’ve just returned from Clicker Expo, and every year it’s the same — I come away feeling excited, energized, and full of the recognition that I’m really a slacker.
Someone asked this weekend if any of the conversing group felt like they were “faking it,” learning more about good clicker training but not yet implementing all that we have available to us — “except for you, Laura.” But then, my hand was the first up! Yes, hello, my name is Laura, and I’m a slacker clicker trainer.
Every Expo I see so much that’s being done, and it’s fabulous. Ken Ramirez collected hard data on dogs’ ability to truly mimic (it’s impossible, according to conventional wisdom, but their very worst session was 22/26 successful). Alexandra Kurland showed a brief clip of a horse long-reining in beautiful collected form, shoulder in, amazing form — but there were no reins in fact on the horse at all. And me, well, this year I’ve made a tiny bit of progress in gunshot desensitization. 😉
But I am freshly inspired, and there’s more that I want to do. I’ll still have to battle for time to fit it all in, of course, and I’ll still feel guilt about dividing my time between the three dogs, but I’m inspired nonetheless! I’m also motivated to work on the several projects I have conceived and even started, but not yet ready to share with the world.
Stay tuned for further developments!
