How animated are you?

quiet/shy?  er ... not me.  Never been accused of that my entire life *sigh*

No .. I have no trouble being animated.  toning it down? Yes. 

Kinda the same way the CGC says that when a dog greets a friendly stranger they can't show shyness nor agression .... still trying to figure out how we could POSSIBLY teach the Pug to *be* shy.  It's just not in her.

Seriously -- you made me laugh cos I'm at the other extreme and I *DO* have problems not being TOO animated.

 I have a hard time during class being more animated. I just get so worried about others watching me and what their thinking. I have to keep reminding myself their busy keeping their dog focused on them their not really paying attention to me. Ive been going to obedience classes for the past 4 months every Saturday so it's getting easier.

I am fine at home when no one is watching. I can be all goofy and happy when training and do notice the dogs do respond better with that attitude. The dogs are great in class but I know they wouldnt look so sleepy if I could be all goofy and happy in class like I am at home.

Really working on that! Especially since I want to compete in obedience with at least one of the boys.

calliecritturs

quiet/shy?  er ... not me.  Never been accused of that my entire life *sigh*

Seriously -- you made me laugh cos I'm at the other extreme and I *DO* have problems not being TOO animated.

Well, you definitely have an advantage there! I suppose I'm not quiet... just laid back I guess. Like I have no trouble approaching and talking to people. But I'm definitely not a coffee table talker either.

kle1986

 I have a hard time during class being more animated. I just get so worried about others watching me and what their thinking. I have to keep reminding myself their busy keeping their dog focused on them their not really paying attention to me. Ive been going to obedience classes for the past 4 months every Saturday so it's getting easier.

I am fine at home when no one is watching. I can be all goofy and happy when training and do notice the dogs do respond better with that attitude. The dogs are great in class but I know they wouldnt look so sleepy if I could be all goofy and happy in class like I am at home.

Ah-hah. That's exactly how I used to be. I think overtime I've been able to overcome that, but I do have my days. I learned through reading some books that most people are so concerned with themselves, that its pointless to worry about what others think of you. That notion alone helped me a great deal. And it's true, most people are really into themselves and hardly notice you. There's a good book by Leil Lowndes called 'Goodbye To Shy' that helped me in this area. If you can get it at the library, it's my recommendation for you. Even if you're not shy, but have some awkwardness with this kind of thing.

I am, generally, a laid back person, & initially, I did have trouble being animated in training.  Once I saw how my dogs responded to me in my more "fun" personality, it became easier.

Now, the quality of my dog's work is reflected in how I am handling them.  If I am having a lousy day, & am a bit flat, they will be flat.  If I an "up" and fun, then the dogs will usually work much harder for me.

 I am generally quite quiet and controlled when working on something with my dogs and it ticks me off when people want me to cheerlead. That's not how I work and my dogs are used to it thankyouverymuch. lol  That is not to say that I don't praise my dogs in a happy voice or play with them between exercises, but it's not something that I do unless it's really warranted.

Both of my ACD mixes like(d) praise and play with me, but not really while working on a task, so I respect that and don't force the issue.  Z loooves praise and play in training so we use them more. The look on her face when I'm talking goofy to her is reinforcement enough to keep me aware of how much verbal and physical interaction she gets while working.

When I'm working with my dogs on my own, I'm reasonably animated and outgoing (but not over the top), and have a lot of fun. But when I'm in a class setting, or there are lots of people around, I don't tend to be as animated as people would like me to be. I try, but I'm a pretty reserved person and am always uncomfortable being really animated with my dogs when people are watching, haha.

Jewlieee

I've never had a problem being animated with my dogs. I tend to be pretty silly and enthusiastic becuase I love the feedback I get out of them.

 

I'm this way with kids too.

 

Not worrying about what others think or taking yourself so seriously can be pretty liberating which can carry over in to other areas of your life imo.

That's me pretty much.  I do tailor my attitude to the individual dog.  Some dogs become too excited with too much animation and others respond well to it. 

The more animated I am, the better response I get. The right attitude gets me perfect scores. The wrong attitude gets me barely qualifying. It's a HUGE difference. I work on this, constantly.

I am having a huge issue with this right now.

 I am generally quiet and reserved by nature; I am not outgoing and goofy. It's not even that I care if people are watching or what they will think; it's just not me, it doesn't come natural at all.

 But Veronica does respond better when someone is energetic, and goofy and amped up.

 So...I am trying.

 If you have any tips on how to be successful; please share.

 Animation in moderation with Tootsie. The more excited I am the more amped she gets and then loses her mind. Not very conducive to training.

JackieG

Some dogs become too excited with too much animation and others respond well to it. 

I do not have issues looking ridiculous working with dogs or kids, do what works I say LOL