Showsight - May 2022

HOW DO WE RESPOND WHEN THINGS GO WRONG? THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

W hen things don’t go according to plan, it can be tempting to seek comfort in the fact that we tried our very best to do the right thing. “A” for effort, we tell ourselves. For the most part, however, being good enough in the dog game isn’t generally good enough. It takes more than “trying hard” to succeed in the show ring, and nobody has ever succeeded in the sport simply by being motivated to win. Learning to successfully navigate losses as well as wins is essential when long-term goals are on the line. So, does making a claim to have had the best of intentions absolve us of our responsibilities when things go wrong? DON’T MAKE EXCUSES Let’s face it, losers tend to make excuses. When exhibitors find their dog out of the ribbons—or leave the ring with a red, yellow or white ribbon—it can be easy to focus on the things that are some- one else’s responsibility, such as judging procedures, ring condi- tions, or a fellow exhibitor’s behavior. For example, when a profes- sional handler’s dog wins, it’s easy to blame it on “politics.” When the show grounds are a muddy mess, why not just criticize the show chair or the superintendent? And when the dog on the other end of the lead misbehaves in the ring, surely, it’s okay to accuse the ram- bunctious child sitting ringside. Right? Well, no. Not ever. Those reactions are merely poor excuses made in response to our own limitations or lack of preparedness. Instead of using deflection, consider incorporating ways to learn from the experience. Remem- ber, deflecting blame achieves nothing. It doesn’t compensate for a failure to practice and it cannot explain a lack of conditioning. Take every loss as a reason to start training smarter. TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY There’s nothing like showing an inexperienced puppy or a bitch in season to remind us that we are not in control. Feeling a bit frazzled, after all, is part and parcel of showing dogs. (Even the most experienced handlers are tested by their charges from time to time, although their training challenges are usually resolved at home and not in the show ring.) When we take accountability for things that don’t go our way, we move beyond simply having had the best of intentions; we assume responsibility for the results of our actions (or inactions) in the ring—and we move closer to our own greatness. By becoming responsible for the results that are determined in the show ring, we tap into the source of our own

BY DAN SAYERS

"WHEN WE TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THINGS THAT DON’T GO OUR WAY, WE MOVE BEYOND SIMPLY HAVING HAD THE BEST OF INTENTIONS; WE ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RESULTS OF OUR ACTIONS (OR INACTIONS) IN THE RING—AND WE MOVE CLOSER TO OUR GREATNESS."

168 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2022

Powered by