25 years, WOW!

I had the pleasure of auditing a great seminar last weekend, Knowing to Win, Showing to Win, presented by Sandy Weaver.  When asked to introduce myself, I said I had been showing for 25+ years and after saying that, my question to myself was, “how had it been that long?”

My next thought was, wow, I have been at this a minute, but yet here I am at a conformation seminar. 

Being a lifelong learner is so valuable in dog sports. Just because you have always done it that way doesn’t mean you can learn or discover new things. The old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is an outright lie.  You can learn something new every time you interact with your canine partner.

Now, for me, I came to dog sports in my mid-30s, and I was a much more physical person . Now, in my 60s, I am showing using a mobility scooter.  I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I was to have shown Marcher to his championship, handling him to all his points, but guess what, he is a nice dog and judges found him despite my handling.  Because of that, I have to continue to learn new skills and I have to teach Marcher new skills. Life-long learning is needed because I can’t do what I have always done.

Aside from learning the physical and mental part of dog sports, how about being a lifelong learner about the human side of dog sports.  Covid and Social Media have changed how people behave at dog sports. Covid gave people “permission” to show and go, and social media have given people  both an outlet and the courage for negativity and entitlement.

Back in the day, as we say, a new person would find a mentor or find written material, rule books to learn about their sport. But now many new people skip the fact finding mission and jump on a social media platform to ask the most basic questions, why? Because it is easier than reading and research. But does it give you the correct information? Lots of time, the answer is a big NO, keyboard warriors who want to be seen as knowledgeable for clicks and likes spout information that may not be 100% correct and lead new folks down the wrong path.  Let’s not be those humans. New people, work for yourselves and learn and come in with answers that may need clarification. Tenured people, be generous with sharing, but make sure you are sharing facts that are true or let it be known it is your opinion if not facts. Tenured folks continue to be lifelong learners. Newer folks know stuff, too.

Let’s talk about how it looks today to be a lifelong learner. When I started, believe it or not, it was two fictional mystery series (and a crazy German Short-haired Pointer) that started me on this wonderful journey.

Susan Conant’s Holly Winter mystery series sent me to the Rio Grande Obedience Dog Club, and Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis mysteries sent me to my first All-Breed dog show. It was at these places I met the humans that would guide me on the start of my dog sports journey. A special shout out to one of my first guides in the dog show world, Phyllis of Singltrak Shorthairs. She was always generous with her time and knowledge, but I still needed to learn what I needed to learn.

The breeders I got my first show dog from, Linda and Kevin Flynn, Keltic GSPs, were across the country from me, and this was before internet use, and long-distance phone calls cost money. We spent hours on the phone together, and we watched the Westminister Kennel Club show on TV together. It was a learning opportunity and one I didn’t take for granted. I had a library of books, I went to seminars, I stayed at shows and watched dogs, I Stewarded for different sports. I didn’t just show up and expect to win. Did I want to win? Hell, yes! I wanted to win, but I needed to learn how to win.

Lifelong learning is work, regardless of if you are the teacher or the student. No one knows everything, and you learn something from one.

So, newer folks, now is your chance. Find a mentor. This is where social media can help, read people’s post, look at photos, see how they interact with people, and what they expect. Don’t expect to be spoon-fed information. Good mentors will challenge you, expect critical thinking, and sometimes some tough love.  Once you find someone, introduce yourself and set some expectations on what you need and want.

Tenured folks, share your knowledge, be nice, don’t expect new people to become your acolyte. Learn from new people, don’t just discount their ideas out of hand.

In summary: never stop learning, don’t expect instant knowledge, use real resources, share what you know, be kind, be helpful, and remember you have the best dog.