If I Knew …

If I knew then what I know now …

I wish I had known then how good Kim was and spent more time developing her skills instead of bemoaning her faults.

She’s athletic, her jumping skills are truly wonderful even compared to a dog with years of foundation jumping work behind it, she’s enthusiastic, and she put up with my terrible training and handling. She was able to adapt the competitive environment despite finding it initially stressful, overwhelming, and anxiety-inducing (which I didn’t recognise then, but do now), she retained all her dog and people skills, she was (and is) willing to go wherever I choose to wander. She’s “good” in every sense of the word, not just as an agility dog.

If there was one thing I wish I could teach, it was to get people to appreciate the dogs they have and to see all the potential just waiting to be released. I think a lot of people, especially those with their first agility dog, only see the negatives.

Don’t look back and think “I wish I knew then how good my dog was” and wish you’d spent more time training/playing/building a relationship with that dog. Do it now!

See http://dog-agility-blog-events.posterous.com/ for more information on Dog Agility Blog Events & Action Days!