Roy Janik, Artistic Director and dog owner here.
A while ago, my wife and I got a puppy. A cute, little crazy puppy.
We knew right away that she was smart… she learned how to sit on command almost immediately. We just had no real idea how to train her. So we went with a professional… Austin dog trainer Steve DeBono.
He taught Tuesday (our dog) how to stay, how to heel, how to jump through hoops (really!), and most importantly, how to listen and pay attention to us. It was invaluable.
So I was thrilled when Steve signed up for improv classes, at The Hideout because it meant that I could share improv with him in the same way he shared his dog-knowledge with me.
Steve has recently started blogging for Dog Star Daily, and for his very first post he wrote about his experience in level one at The Hideout. Here’s an excerpt:
STUCK IN A RUT? TAKE AN IMPROV CLASS!
There were about 15 people in the class. Each class would consist of a series of games. Our instructor would lay out the rules of each game, and we would play. Anytime someone made a mistake or broke the rules, he or she was encouraged to proudly throw their arms to the sky, proclaim “I’VE FAILED!” and take a bow while the rest of the class applauded.
How liberating! To be encouraged to fail! And furthermore, to be applauded for failing!
[…]A thorough knowledge of the rules of dog training is essential… the learning theory… the techniques. Knowing the rules is what makes us professionals. Just as important is the ability to be spontaneous and take risks while adhering to the structure of these rules. We can not be afraid to fail. We can not be afraid to make mistakes. When a mistake is made, we must acknowledge it, throw our arms to the sky and proclaim “I’VE FAILED!”. And do our best to never make the same mistake again.
Man, I really need to get into a Level 2 class soon!