DebnKirk Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 This post was lost last week so I thought I'd re-do it. I have a changedetection.com link set up for several websites, including the articles written by Patrick Shannahan. He just posted a new article whose second paragraph hit me like a ton of bricks: Many a student has said to me, “I feel so guilty. My dog could be doing so well with someone who knew how to handle him.” I calmly tell them that possibly the reason the dog is with you, is not to win trials, but to teach you about dogs, dog handling and sheep, so you can do well with your next dog. He then went on to explain how handling Riggs at the Nationals embodied this philosophy. You can read the article at http://www.patrickshannahan.com/unexpected.asp I have a young dog whose sibling(s) I am sure will be in the Nursery Finals this year. Meantime, we've had any number of reasons not to be out training, including a broken leg (hers, not mine.) I feel awful that she's not out there burning up the trial field, but in the meantime I've seen her do some work that my older dog wouldn't do, and my untalented dog couldn't do. And I'm finding out that *seeing* is the big first step to understanding, and doing. So I want to thank the breeder of my wonderful girl for entrusting me with her, and thank Patrick and the other clinicians who give unselfishly to us beginners as well as seasoned handlers. Debbie in WV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTDogs Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 Thanks Debbie, The article is wonderful & I got a little misty eyed when I read the selected paragraph. It really brings any issues with my current dogs into perspective. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 Thanks for posting. I have told my trainer that Devon is helping me learn more than I am helping him on more than one occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 Thank you for sharing, Debbie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.