LANGUAGE REFRAME: “THE HANDLER PRESENTED PROFESSIONALLY!” ARE YOU DISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE PROS?
BY LEE WHITTIER
W e sometimes hear the critique of, “The owner handler didn’t look like a pro.” Here’s a call to action: Let’s reframe the language. Reframe: “The owner handler didn’t present professionally.” Or even better, rather than, “the owner handler presents like a pro handler,” let’s give them the respect and credit deserved. Reframe: “The handler presents professionally!” DOES IT MATTER? I recently sat with an owner handler whose goal was just that. She believed that judges could not tell if she was a pro or an owner. She also imagined that it mattered. The questions for you are: 1. Is this a goal that is worthy of your time and energy? 2. Is this a goal that will propel your dog into the winner’s circle? And consider this, 3. Does it, in fact, matter to the judge? The answer to question one is yes and no. The answer to question two is yes and no. The answer to question three is, you guessed it, yes and no! If your goal as an owner handler is to be indistinguishable from a professional handler, it is not worthy of your time and energy because it is an external desire that doesn’t include your dog or your connection with your dog. It makes the competi- tion about people and not about the dogs. However, as you develop your talent, skills, and timing, and your understanding of the sport, you will enhance your own ability to show your dog to his best advantage, which is why it IS worth your time and energy. Remember, the core goal is not for you to be better than someone else. The objective is to be better for the benefit of the dog—to enhance his virtues in the eyes of the judge.
IS YOUR GOAL TO BE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE PROFESSIONAL HANDLERS IN THE RING?
150 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2022
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