Most of the time, when I post here, it’s to share a new title, a pretty rally/obedience run, or just post pictures of my dogs playing. This weekend, Pieka and I showed in Open level obedience at the Monadnock Humane Society’s CDSP trial. We had two runs….and neither of them were qualifying. We only need one more leg for our Open title.
A friend was kind enough to video our runs. Here is one:
Pieka Open Obedience Run Nov. 2, 2014
For those of who aren’t familiar with competition obedience, we did not qualify because Pieka did not return OVER the jump for that particular retrieve. She’s supposed to take the jump on the way out and back. There were a couple of reasons she didn’t do it – it was a crappy dumbell throw, I probably should have prompted her earlier, and she was pretty stressed out in general.
Now, you might think that I would be mad about not qualifying. I’m human, so I am a little disappointed, of course. I’m competitive and detail oriented, so I see plenty for us to work on (good grief, the retrieves…). But, mostly, I see a dog who is working very hard despite being stressed out, who is generally happy in the ring (despite glaring at a perfectly innocent Doberman who was outside the ring), who seems to enjoy playing the game of obedience with me, and….clearly loves her retrieves a little too much! How can I be upset about that?
So, for the members of the Alta Tollhaus family who are new to competition (or thinking about competition), just remember: it’s not always about winning. Mostly, it’s about having a good relationship with your dog and finding a game that you can enjoy together. Celebrate your successes and look at the big picture – one mistake does not negate all the other good stuff. Don’t be afraid to get out there – everyone has bad days.
For us, the title will come. Maybe not on my schedule, but that’s okay!
Jamie, she looks beautiful, so nice and fluffy after her bath. You can’t be mad at a performance like that. Pieka clearly loves her Momma, loves working for her Momma, loves doing whatever Momma wants. She clearly thought she was doing what you wanted and was happy to oblige. I love seeing dogs that are joyful in their work rather than some of the precise and joyless runs that earn the Q. The ride is part of the fun getting to the destination. I’m sure she will have her final leg in no time.
I was so inspired by your post. We almost always post the accomplishments of our amazing AT beauties, but in reality, we and our dogs are not going to reach peak performance every time. We accept the risks of failing to accomplish our goals, as well as failure to even perform at our average level. As a USTA tennis player, I can use your advice both personally, as well as in my training with Dutch. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective, Jaime. It provides the kind of balance needed by every competitor, and every trainer.
“LIKE”
Jamie…..At first I was taken back by the title of your post……Yes it IS “ALL ABOUT THE Q”!
Hahaha ok in my house it is…..QWendi 🙂
Way, way in the olden days when I started trialing in Obedience….I’ll admit, it was for the pretty ribbons and such. It took me awhile to grow and learn the ribbons are the least of it…and yes, ofcourse I like to win. But, what is most important for me is the jouney of training and working/playing with my companion. Enjoying what we are doing and building a relationship/bond of trust and love. 🙂
NQs are the pits…..but dogs are dogs and most likely, it’s human error in play. They’ll happen, but you can’t beat yourself up over them, turn them into a learning experience….and question yourself…”hmmm, what could I have done or trained this differently……was my dog prepared…did I proof him enough”…..
Just my ramblings 🙂
Pieka looks super! 🙂 Silly old jump anyway!
Terri and QWendi (Inga/Gavin)
AMEN!!!
Thank you Jaime for your post and the words of wisdom.
Great to see the video Jaime. Pieka did a super job. She is so enthusiastic and happy to work with you.