Republishing "Working Dog Training Groups" from Mar-Jun 2008 Newfprints

Several of us admired the vision Sue presents in this article. With her permission, we reprint this article to ensure it gets the exposure we think it deserves.

Working Dog Training Groups: Fun, Experience and Friendship
by Sue Marino

The Newfoundland Club of New England is fortunate and unique in that it has several training groups of devoted people working with their Newfs around New England. I’m not sure that our membership knows how wonderful this is or its advantages so I wanted to spread the word.

It begins with a common interest; training Newfs for water rescue, draft work, obedience, etc. Several members in a geographical area decide to get together to train their dogs. Usually one member coordinates the dates and locations but by no means dictates the decisions of the group. The group decides as a whole how often to meet, suggests locations where they would like to meet or volunteers to host a day and what type of work they will do. The person who is coordinating for the group sends a group email to anyone who has said they would be interested in working with the group, listing the dates and places for the practices. Often the group also plans to have a pot luck lunch or send out for pizza after they work their dogs. It becomes as much a social gathering as it is a working practice. One great, unplanned, advantage (besides the obvious training advantages) when working with a group is the wonderful friendships that form.

One very important thing to remember if you think you would like to join a group is that if you take of the groups time you must give back. If you plan to work with a group you must plan to support the group. In other words, if you want to train your own dog for water rescue, members of the group will help you by paddling the canoe, rowing the boat, pretending to drown, etc. Therefore, after your dog’s session is complete, do not plan to pack up your equipment and go home or sit on the beach and watch. You must also plan to row, paddle, and “drown” for other people’s dogs. The same goes for draft work. Plan to help others carry their equipment or set up a course and pick it all up when you are finished. A group is set up to help the members accomplish their individual goals but every member must support the goals of the group as a whole.

There are definite advantages of working in a group. Your dog gets to work in different locations, with different dogs and different people which helps to prepare them to enter a working test. Even if you never plan to enter a test it offers great socialization skills for your dog. It is also a great source of helpful advice.

Another member of the group might have more experience than you or have encountered the same training problem as you and will be able to offer advice. They may notice a problem in your training of which you might not have been aware or may be able to help clarify or explain the rules of a test. They can also help you evaluate the appropriateness of your equipment. Any extra help will always enhance your dogs performance. Some members of the group might make plans to get together for extra training sessions on a weeknight when a test is approaching.

Working with a group gives you extra support, help, friendship and a built in cheering squad when you enter a test. It is great fun to be at a test, whether you are entered or just spectating, and cheer on the efforts of a member of your group whether they pass or fail.

It is also a great advantage to work with more than one training group if you get the opportunity. I have been fortunate enough to train with all of the groups in New England and even a few in New York. There is always a new approach you can try or a new way to solve a training problem. Something your group might not have noticed or thought of might be pointed out to you at a different group. Each groups members have different levels of experience and expertise so you never know what new tips you might learn. There should be no issues about lack of loyalty when it comes to training groups. If you are invited to train with a different group or choose to do so on your own, your own group should look forward to the experience you will gain and be able to share with them in the future.

I like to hope that my regular group misses me when I am not at their training sessions but I love to take advantage of training with a different group. There is always something new to be learned or a different way to approach a training problem which only increases my ability to train my own dogs.

One other very important thing that training with a group will teach you is sportsmanship. I can’t remember when I last saw a member of a New England training group showing poor sportsmanship at a working test. We don’t allow it! Yes, we are all disappointed when we fail, especially if we have worked very hard to prepare but it is much easier to accept when your group members are there supporting you, sharing in your disappointment, encouraging you to continue and pointing out all the wonderful things that you and your dog did accomplish. Group members don’t tend to go around complaining and blaming the site, committee, stewards or judges for their failure. They accept the fact that things didn’t go their way that day, whether due to conditions or lack of training, and that they will work on their performance so that they will be better prepared to pass the next test. They also show that they still love their dog and don’t make excuses for their dog or chastise them. Just think about how that reflects on a person and their training group. If someone fails and says “Oh well, maybe next time” and gives their dog a big hug and tells them how wonderful they were for trying that day gives any judge, steward or spectator a great impression. Unfortunately this kind of sportsmanship is not always the
norm at tests. People who attend tests on a regular basis always express their surprise and admiration of our training group members when they witness their sportsmanship at tests.

I remember a very experienced judge and trainer stopping the test he was judging to witness the congratulations being given to a New England group member when they passed a test. A line of people had formed to greet this person as they exited the beach and each person had a handshake, hug or pat of congratulations to offer (even though the person and dog were very wet). He was amazed at the camaraderie of the group and said he had never witnessed it at that level anywhere else in the country. I am always so proud of our New Englanders when I see them loving their dog after failing a test and smiling as they leave the test area.

Of course I am also very proud of them when they pass a test! I know all of the hard work and dedication that goes into a passing performance. Our training groups tend to train for the fun and socializing first and the titles second which is an admirable practice and I think that is the basis of the wonderful sportsmanship that we see in New England. They know that the title is just the icing on the cake and
the bond that forms with your dog when working is the most important thing.

Thanks to all of the people who form our working groups and to those that take on the responsibility to coordinate the dates and locations. They are wonderful, dedicated groups of people and I enjoy training with all of them.

If any NCNE member is interested in joining or starting a training group they should contact Keith Mallinson, the NCNE Working Dog Secretary. Also, we are always looking for water sites that will allow us to train our dogs. If you know of any private ponds, state parks, public lakes, scout camps, etc that have areas where they might allow us to train please contact Keith.