Sunday, February 15, 2009

Lessons we learn

Tonight I attended an agility club banquet...Klink ended up as the dog with the most titles for the year.

I had to laugh when the President stated "Loretta used to cuss up and down about Klink"...and it made me think...she was so very right.

Klink is naughty----she is over the top and jumping clean was not in her skill set :) I admit...I blamed her...instead of figuring out WHY she wasn't jumping clean, I just didn't care..I wanted those bars up. Her first 3-4 trials of her career were horrible...bars down, flying off teeters etc. I wanted PERFECTION. And she fell VERY short of that..

Klink isn't an angel---she is quite the opposite, but she has so much heart. She TRIES to do the right thing...but her drive can overcome her ability to think about what the rules are...

I got mad at her one day during a lesson I was having with a person that has seen her from a pup until now....it was about a month before USDAA nationals and she was knocking bars like crazy...I was upset, she was trying HARD...and that person told me a very important thing that day---Your dog has so much heart, and is trying very hard to figure out what you want...she is a damn good dog and if you don't like her, I will take her home...show her what you want, and stop expecting perfection.

This hit me like a ton of bricks--so much I ended up crying....I thought I was being fair...bottom line, I wasn't. That day I changed my thought process and that changed EVERYTHING.

We became a team and I now understand what that person meant that day. Klink ended up the 4th Individual Team Dog in the 22" height at USDAA Nationals...she was a Grand Prix Semi-Finalist and I couldn't have been happier with her. Our first time in AZ and she gave me everything. She is very close to her ADCH and I know we will get that in time :)

Please love your dogs,and listen to those that have been there...sometimes when you don't expect perfection---it makes it so much easier for your dog to get close :)

I find it so funny that in agility I was not able to do this...but in herding my mindset was different...and Klink was always amazing on stock.

She has always been amazing in agility as well...my search for perfection just covered that up.

Thank you Klink for teaching me a very very important lesson. I love you Stinky--thanks for putting up with me :)

4 comments:

THE Princess Diaries said...

sniff sniff that was SO heartning:))) I went through the whole wanting perfection too as you did and am over that now as well..Thanks to you!!! I am glad that person told you that that day because you definitely transferred that over to me as well!!! Thank YOU!!
Katie

D said...

Great Post! Words to live by! Klink of course is an inspiration to me...makes me think Logan could do great things too someday. Ok...he is handler challenged, but I'm getting better. Now of course...all I want is a dog like Logan and Klink, they really are alot of fun (eventually). Congratulations on the award at the banquet..you and Klinky worked hard for those titles!!!

Sarah said...

great post, congrats on your award - and on your great teamwork with her, she sounds like quite the girl!!

LMH said...

I had someone tell me the exact same thing about my dog and the way I was expecting perfection out of her and she was running better for me than anyone he ever saw run her. I don't suppose there is any way the same person was involved??? Probably not. But it was still great advice.