Taking Direction from the Dalai Lama
It was the Dalia Lama that suggested “When you lose don’t lose the lesson.” So with every disappointment I am faced with in my life I search for a lesson. Some are more obvious then others but I find they are always there.
In today’s video I will share with you some of my more disappointing rounds at the WAO. I certainly wasn’t disappointed in my dogs but I sure wish I could have been better for my Canadian teammates during our team rounds and better for my dogs in the individual events. In all of these rounds there are take away points for myself.
Encore, Feature, Lynda and I heading to our crating area.
1. First of all even though I have put some weight on I think my worry of it effecting my running effected me more than the weight itself. I felt I ran pretty good, however I am back at it, working to get into better shape before the next World Championships in September.
2. I learned to come home and practice pressuring my dog’s line without having them change direction in response to that pressure.
3. I came home and worked on my pull throughs (my mechanic were sloppy on two rounds that resulted in NQ’s for my dogs.)
4. But mostly I think my fault lied in not being completely focused for the entire weekend. Not my normal self anyway. Heck I don’t think I put my ipod on once! Not like me at all.
5. I needed to remember to visualize the small details. Sometimes, particularly at an important event, after I walk a course and think “I love this course” I sometimes get too excited to get in there and give it a go. I have to be more patient and do my normal preparing– visualizing. For someone like me, my visualizing is the key to everything.
6. Now that I am using more verbal cues in my handling when I do my visualizations I need to remember to hear those cues and see how my dog reacts to them. That was a big take away for me.
7. I need to remember to trust my training and my dogs. My girls are brilliant I know it, but twice I used last minute verbal cues “get out” with Encore when she was heading for the correct obstacle and I sent her out to an off course.
8. I need to comitt to these big events way in advance and prepare myself and my dogs the way I know we should be prepared.
Regardless I enjoy watching these runs; even if the outcome continues to be less than what I wanted:). I am so happy to see my handling is aggressive without being careless. My dogs are driving hard and focused on the course but still responding to me and Encore gave me some beautiful nose touches when I didn’t release her from the seesaw:). Most of all, I am so pleased that regardless of the outcome or the disappointments I faced over the weekend I am so thrilled that my dogs never knew anything different when we left the ring. I am so crazy about my dogs, they are just so amazing and try so hard for me.
But everything is left at the gate when I exit. The highs of winning the lows of losing. I love my dogs and I think that is why I can continue to play at this level after all of these years. It is how it works for me.
I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson it is a good one to keep in mind any time you step out of the ring with your dog;
“Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change.”
As some of us head into two more weekends of “important” events (the Ontario Regionals are this weekend and the USDAA SE Regionals in Perry Georgia are the following weekend) this is something worth keeping in handy place, available for quick reference.
Today with it pouring rain outside, I am grateful that for our RV garage attached to the house allowing me to pack the motorhome and stay dry:).
Related posts:
Lori says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 8:41pm
You are such an inspiration! Some of my most memorable and enjoyable runs don’t include qualifiers. Thank you for all you do! You put so much energy into helping others that it is understandable why you weren’t able to prepare for this competition like you would have. You’ll get ‘em next time!
Lori
Jenn says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 9:09pm
Encore & Feature are both such beautiful & talented dogs! And I love that even when you expressed disappointment at the mistakes, both just looked at you eagerly awaiting the next cue & ready to continue. Bobbles or not, that was such a treat to watch a compilation of both your girls running. Thanks for sharing!
Kristi says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 9:47pm
Today, I am grateful for having a brilliant teacher who is such an awesome student! Sharing your takeaway from your competition experiences is very generous. Thank you.
Megan says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 9:57pm
Thank you for sharing this! They look like they are having such fun.
Debra says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 10:14pm
Susan, I can’t help thinking that you were consumed with us Recallers 2.0. That alone would have done one in! You know how much I admire you as an instructor and even more allowing us to watch you embrace your holes and teaching us from them. I so enjoyed watching your runs…it thrills me to think that one day I may have the opportunity to run my pup and see her have so much fun as Encore and Feature!
Susan says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 10:44pm
@Debra, no excuses. That is my responsibility to bring balance to my own life:). I don’t want any recallers thinking they were part of my lack of focus. Totally up to me no one else but thank you for your concern.
Mary M says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 10:22pm
I beleive in you Susan….probably because you instill belief in each one of us, this comes naturally for me to believe in you.
Powerful stuff to show the mistakes and use them to teach, thank you!
Linda says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 11:21pm
Thanks for the timely blog entry! This weekend will mark our first big agility event ever and I take into it all the lessons I’ve learned (picked up, gathered, tripped over, absorbed through osmosis… you get what I mean)from you over the last year and I know that no matter what happens we will already have achieved so much.
Don’t forget your ipod! I’ve got Katy Perry’s Firework on mine!
barrie says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 11:36pm
Just the image of you with Feature holding her target on the teeter is worth everything
Sarah Kevin says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:25am
Thank you for being this great a teacher, it’s easy to teach when you win, but teaching from “failure” is hard. I am just learning to walk a very simple course, and I was astounded to think about walking at the speed I would take it just to work out steps, the things to think about seem overwhelming.
I love this sport and I want to become the handler my dogs deserve, but I worry about weight and stamina and being perfect. So my take away is if someone this successful isn’t perfect I need to lighten up and have fun with my dog.
Di Rose says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 3:16am
Inspirational. Thanks for sharing.
karin says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 3:44am
Kristi says:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 9:47pm
Today, I am grateful for having a brilliant teacher who is such an awesome student! Sharing your takeaway from your competition experiences is very generous. Thank you.
Yes Kristi…very true..
Susan, thank you..
Debbi says:
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 5:48pm
Karin I think your comment is spot on and profound!
IT IS the awesome student who makes the brilliant teacher!! And Susan is awesome as well as brilliant!!
Aren’t we lucky to have her?!
Emily says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 5:07am
Can’t watch the video
Would you post it on your FB-page pretty please??
Kristi says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:08am
If you can, try a different browser. I had no luck watching on Safari, but it popped right up on FireFox.
Emily says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 8:23am
Thx! That might be the problem as I’m in Safari
Shelley says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:20pm
Thanks for the tip Kristi, am just sitting here with lack of video, will switch to firefox!
cath Christie says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 6:09am
Loved watching, more please, thanks Cath & Poppee
A&J says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 6:58am
Wow, thanks for sharing the self-analysis… PoA triggers?
Ingerid says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:13am
Thank you for sharing even the not-so-good moments!
Made my head spin between the necessity of loving to win in order to becoming a winner, in contrast to the fact that there is only one spot on top of the podium…
Ingerid says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:15am
Becoming – become. Language difference in my head leads to spelling mistakes sometimes. Gah! Got to learn to live with that
Ann Garcia says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:18am
Hi Susan, You remain a great source of inspiration and attitude channeling, whatever dog sport one pratices, for the bi-ped and for the pup through to adult dog. THANK YOU.
Trudie says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:45am
“…my dogs never knew anything different when we left the ring”
I love this phrase. It says it all.
At a trial last weekend I overheard someone(looked like someone with years of experience) complaining loud and long to her husband about her disappointment in her dog, after a course that didn’t go right, it was awful to hear, I had to get out of hearing because it was so toxic. How is it possible to have such attitude, and your dog not feel the humiliation, where is the joy?
Kelly says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 8:09am
Dear Lord, those dogs are talented and exceptionally well-trained, and you were running like a sprinter. Lovely, despite the errors. Awe-inspiring, in fact.
Bonnie says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 8:26am
Thank you for always sharing Susan, you truly are the epitome of good sportsmanship and a poster child for the beauty of continual growth and learning!!
Esther says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 8:44am
Wow, two very inspirational quotes you mention in this blog. Thanks for sharing your ups and downs and the PLEASURE in life that never seems to fail to shine through, whatever the results.
denise says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 9:36am
Your girls are awesome! They have the most amazing drive around agility courses yet still are so responsive to your directions. I look at your runs (the successful and not so successful) and know that’s what I want….not interested in the level of competition you participate in but I want that connection
Jan says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 12:17pm
I loved watching your runs posted on fb. Competing at that level takes, well, I was going to say commitment but it obviously takes a whole hell of a lot more than just commitment:)
Thanks for being so honest and open and letting us all learn from you. I also love my dogs so deeply and their errors are only a reflection of my shortcomings, however, they sense my frustration (with myself) when things go south and the sensitive dogs take it to heart. It is never about them-but they don’t know. I am going to read and reread this post then print it and put it in my agility bag. My dogs deserve it;)
BEST of luck at your future events!!
Zoe Freedman says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 12:57pm
I thought you seemed quite focused – I didn’t dare say “hi”! – I did speak to your husband – love the fact he still has some of the accent from here!
Lynnda L in Minneapolis says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:01pm
Thanks for taking the time to share. You and your dogs are brilliant. Such fantastically trained dogs! With their smooth response to your every cue — running at squirrel sped — you have no room for a wrong step in handling. This is a great problem to have! Looks like you could be more on your toes when you run. Thanks again for taking the time to share all this “stuff”.
Crystal says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:19pm
That sounds like a very important lesson for anyone who competes in any sport to take away. We can set goals and wish for an outcome, but it doesn’t always happen, for whatever reason, so the best thing to do is have fun while there and then come home and train so it doesn’t happen again.
shelley says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:29pm
Video was well worth it
Thanks for all the time you spend and allowing us to learn – what you teach is always so much more than ‘just’ dog training.
Gina says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 3:16pm
Susan, as usual you are a pleasure to watch in motion with the girls. They are beautiful athletes and exude their love for you and the competition during the runs. Your self analysis and ownership are humbling. You are truly magnificent and deserve all the accolades showered above. Look forward to seeing more in the future.
PS. Who knew when you were such an athlete yourself in school that you also had such musical wisdom (your song match-ups are the BEST)
Barb says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 3:20pm
Thanks for being human. And giving me permission to not waste time being hard on myself for not preparing as well as I know I need to, but just resolving to do better next time. I will do better. Thanks for your candor.
Essie says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 4:02pm
You still inspire me, every day.
Lisa says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 4:04pm
Susan, Thank You. I really needed hear that from the Dalai today, ”when you lose, don’t lose the lesson”, because right now I have lost and been lost. But having that in my head is going to really help me through some dark days
Evelyn says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 5:41pm
just wow !! sometimes I think you are just too fantastic to be true !!
I still have so much to learn !!
Yara says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 11:10pm
Thank you Susan for such an inspiring post and for sharing your lessons and your deep love for your dogs.
I am thankful for your generous sharing and the opportunity to learn and be inspired by you.
Ellen Clary says:
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 11:16pm
Thank you for being willing to show the less than perfect runs as we learn just as much or more from those (this is true of the Recaller’s videos as well). Plus, you’re right, the dogs can’t tell the difference if you’ve done your job right and you have.
Though I do think you put an extraordinary amount of pressure on yourself.
Sue Hurley says:
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 6:48am
Wow, Susan. You ROCK!!! Thanks for sharing the great moments, as well as the lessons you’ve learned. THANK YOU. My dog and I are entering our first competition in a few weeks and I’m terrified.
Thanks for teaching me about how to enjoy the great moments and to learn from the times when we’re struggling. Thank you. You’re an awesome trainer. Good luck at the regionals.
Nancy says:
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 1:26pm
Susan,
Just thinking… visualization would make a great topic for IC webinar…
Katarina says:
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 2:02pm
I second that! I’m so sorry I missed last years mental game course. Could we get some tips in the IC? That would be amazing!
Linda says:
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 4:47pm
Oh I love the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. You come up with the best ones!
Kathy says:
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 12:13am
Don’t think you look like you’ve put on weight, perhaps nimble and speedy would be more apt. Love watching you work w you dogs. And that you love one another regardless of outcome. Great song choice for video on prior blog!
Sharon Normandin says:
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 1:09pm
Beautiful Susan! I wish I could watch the video in slow motion, with the course map right in front of me, so I could analyze what didn’t go right. Notice I didn’t say what went wrong, I wanted to stay a little more positive.
Kim Bosworth says:
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 9:41pm
I truly admire you attitude and outlook on life, agility, competing, and your dogs!!! Good Luck in all of your upcoming competitions, and thanks so much for sharing
spotted-dog says:
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 1:09am
Susan — Awesome runs by you and your canine partners!! Breath taking to watch. Thank you for sharing!
spotted-dog says:
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 1:11am
@Lisa — Brighter days are around the corner. As they say: when one door shuts, another one will open. Have faith.
Hilary says:
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 4:50am
thank you thank you thank you! that is such an inspiring piece and the video gives me goose bumps every time I watch it!
Alison says:
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 6:26am
I loved watching your runs. What are your dogs obstacle times on the dog walks? It just blows my mind how quick they are! Certainly something to aspire to!
Linda says:
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 3:13pm
Thank you for giving such a meaningful quote. It goes hand in hand with “The Journey”–which I watch frequently to keep me focused on why I’m doing agility with Cairns. After returning this weekend from attending my beautiful redheaded granddaughter’s high school graduation, I realized that “The Journey” also applies to children and grandchildren. As parents and grandparents, we are grateful if we are included in each leg of their journeys down life’s road.
Krista says:
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 6:19pm
…Thank You!
Gretchen says:
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 8:31pm
The value in learning from failure is immeasurable! It is the fool who can not take lessons away from what went wrong. In my previous dog sport of SchH, there is a frequent attitude of poor sportsmanship towards others. You would enter a trial, and could just FEEL the eyes of those from all across the country who were waiting of word of your mistakes. It made trialing miserable. Scores were always published in the Natl magazine, there was no hiding from what was (or wasn’t).
Agility, and specifically my phenominal NovA dog (who was SchH2 when we started agility) taught me the value in failure, and finally dispelled that dread/fear of the trial. What an incredible release!!!! I learned to look back at a particular run and say “yeah, but did you SEE our weave entry?!” To see what went right, what we’d struggled with that finally came together………sometimes those moments felt better than a Q would have. There is no shame in failure, and I feel so badly for those still trapped in that belief.
I’m so thankful to the sport of agility, and the wonderful New England crowd for teaching me so much. I’m very thankful to have found a world class trainer such as yourself who is an exemplary teacher, coach, and who is willing to show their human side too.
groenendael says:
Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 7:28am
Hello Susan! I’m playing Crate Games with my 1 year old belgian sheepdog and I’m sad that I didn’t found it eralier!!! She has big drive, she wants to work work work and she wants to do it with me. Even without your games I never had a problem that she didn’t stay, she can stay even when I’m throwing a ball, we did a lot of training with self control, because from her first day it was easy to see that if we don’t start – she will be totally crazy in the wrong way. She has great recall, she comes back even when she’s running for someone’s ball, no problem. We did 3 first stages of crate games with no problems, I did it again and again and again with the best meat she could dream about. But…When we come to agility class, she totally doesn’t want to go to her crate! Yes, when finally she come in, she will stay until I tell her to go out, but she doesn’t want this! So I started to modified your games
)) It is the same in every place with distractions, she is very sad about the crate. She is motivated with toys (so much!) not in food, so we are buildind the drive firstly 
)) We are making Changed My Mined game in diffrent places, so she started to love going to the kennel! I will do all the rest and then we are going to back to the beginning:)))) If you have any advice, I will be thankful. I’m waiting impatiently for recallers course, why couldn’t you do it erlier than 2012?? Maybe christmas gift for us, please?? Sorry for my mistakes in english and greetings from eastern europe!
Gale says:
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 11:35pm
Ah to have the legs and heart to do what you do. I get winded watching, but oooooo what a beautiful ballet!
A BC is too much dog for me, bu the Cavalier lets me at least keep up
Theresa says:
Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 2:05am
Susan,
YOur honesty and lack of ego in sharing all is truly an inspiration. Oh, the agility runs with your beautiful dogs are incredibly inspirational as well.
A blessing to the planet.
Jan says:
Friday, July 1, 2011 at 9:40am
Due to significant downtime, I’ve gotten somewhat heavier than I should be (OK, maybe a LOT heavier). We are 2 months away from September as I write. Could you share your program for weight reduction?