We all have our own “style” that we are comfortable with. Our own way of walking, talking, dressing, and doing things. Invariably, certain styles will be popular and trendy, while others will be viewed as “dorky” or not accepted by the popular majority. I have always defied trends and just do things my own way. My way is not always right, but I prefer to learn things through my own experience, and sometimes my way works even if it is not the widely accepted way of doing things. While I am certainly open to constructive criticism if there is a better way of doing things, I tend not to respond well if I am simply told “you can’t do that.” Why? I need reasons and justifiable proof.
My border collie Xander and I are a new team. Since he is my first long-legged, “big dog”, we are still learning the best ways to communicate and run together. I fully embrace this process and want to learn how to be the best handler for him. In a previous post, I mentioned not bending way over if it pushed him away from an obstacle. However, in my experience, there are some cases in which bending over pulls him closer while standing up pushes him further away. I am an intuitive person. I do what feels right to me. When I run my dogs, I want to be so in tune with them that I almost wish I could be at eye level, running right alongside them. This is how I feel “connected” in a run. Standing straight up is a move that works to keep my dogs away, as if my upper body is “pushing” them out away and showing them where to go, while bending over and getting in their space keeps them close and connected during an intricate maneuver or a turn I am trying to indicate. I was criticized this weekend for “bending over” as I run, and that I am only in the habit of doing this because I am accustomed to running little dogs (i.e. the corgis). But I tend to use the same methods for running them: standing up to send, bending over to work close. Sure, this looks dorky. Also, I am very tall, and when looked down on from the stands of a stadium, my bending over looks even more dramatic. However, I have been successful in my runs and haven’t fallen forward or tripped myself doing this. My center of gravity is unique to me, as is true of all people, and this is how I am comfortable. I have been teased for it for years, called Quasimodo and the like, yet it still works for me, and I still do it.
When I was told “you can’t do that”, I reacted with my natural stubborn tendency to say “why the hell not?” When I wasn’t given a convincing answer, I was determined to defend myself. Being the logical person I am who tends to win arguments with proof, I went out to collect the proof I knew from hours of previous research was out there. Thus I present to you the video footage of three renowned handlers and their world champion dogs.
Video 1: Marcus Topps and Juice, AKA my agility gods. They have won more awards and championships than you can shake a Frisbee at. Watch how Marcus, a tall man, stays connected to his dog.
Video 2: Silvia Trkman and Bu, AKA my hero and idol. I literally worship the ground Silvia walks on. She is amazing and a brilliant dog trainer. Note, Silvia is not tall, so her bending over is not as dramatic, but still noticeable.
Video 3: Ashley Deacon and Luka: TALL man and LITTLE dog. Majorly fast, bent over running. They have won everything together. Does he look a little goofy? Maybe. But are they having a blast together? I am guessing yes.
So there you have it. There may be certain flashy, cool looking ways to do things, but they are not the only way. I see people doing all sorts of silly things while running their dogs, and they still have successes and enjoy the experience.
I have a LONG way to go to be world champion, but I am happy with where we are headed. Xander earned four 1st places out of his five runs this weekend, and while we are only in Open, his startlines, jumping style, weaving, and focus have all been delightful. We certainly have room for improvement, but that’s where the fun is. If we were perfect right off the bat, there would be nothing to work for or look forward to!
Also, I finally have learned to use youtube! So you like, you can check out my channel and I will be uploading more videos as I have time. Thanks for watching!
No one puts Bonnie in a corner!!
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