Tell Me Thursday
Late, as always.
1. What is one lesson you’ve learned this week?
Knowing that I’ve done parts of the training doesn’t mean I can assume I’ve done all of the training. Or, don’t be lazy.
2. Who or what might you have been in another life? What might you be in a next life?
Part of me would very much like to believe in past lives and future lives but I can’t. We only get one life. I feel slightly wistful and somewhat pitying that I can’t even pretend anymore, my childhood self would be devastated.
3. What unusual things do you like the smell of but don’t usually admit?
Coffee, Bacon. Those are unusual for me since I don’t like coffee or bacon but I could inhale the smell all day. Petrichor, which is both true and geeky and must be included in all smell questions.
4. What are your thoughts on continuing on vs. retiring when a trial run is going badly? How do you decide? Where do you draw the line?
I very very rarely withdraw from a run. There is always something to be gained, even if it’s just a greater understanding of a boundary or stress level. With Dylan I think I’ve pulled out maybe once or twice when he had clearly reached the tipping point between his stress-enjoyment level for whatever reason.
I’ve pulled from runs before with Kim when I didn’t think she was jumping properly, or when I thought that the course would push her into an uncomfortable frame of mind. But that’s retiring before it gets bad.
Of course, I’ve retired from courses before when both dogs have been happy, enthusiastic and I’ve made a really bad handling mistake. I don’t have the kind of dogs where I can continue to work them for my benefit, so when I’ve done something stupid that I can’t recover from, we take the shortest route over the equipment to exit the ring. If I get lost on course, for example. That’s not a teamwork resolution, that’s me being an idiot. Rather than standing still and panicking about where the numbers are or where I went wrong whilst my dog waits for me to get my brain in gear, I’d rather just leave.
5. This is a call for questions or subjects you’d like to talk about – I’d appreciate suggestions (and please come link up so that I’ll be sure to see your post), so here’s your chance!
Um … so difficult! I like non-specific training questions, or questions that make me think about how I do things in a different way.
