tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post6029730476162497974..comments2023-12-31T17:47:27.217-08:00Comments on Taj MuttHall Dog Diary: Related to the Same SubjectElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-58630665512003416112011-02-18T20:56:22.995-08:002011-02-18T20:56:22.995-08:00@Wendy: sure.@Wendy: sure.Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-41810143649774292302011-02-18T17:31:48.742-08:002011-02-18T17:31:48.742-08:00@cedarfield, can I share your last comment with so...@cedarfield, can I share your last comment with someone?Wendy Krehbielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147361371789177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-79339409545547180182011-02-18T06:44:41.067-08:002011-02-18T06:44:41.067-08:00Elayne: "perfomance goals are neccessary if y...Elayne: "perfomance goals are neccessary if you want to do well in any sport" is the message that most of us receive and I was encouraged to believe by more than one mentor that in order to "do well" I had to have goals like place in the top 10 at Regionals or Nationals, earn an ADCH, qualify and attend AKC Nationals. None of my mentors, instructors, or seminar presenters (except Kathy Keats)ever suggested that those weren't the "right" goals for everyone.<br />Contrast that with the NACSW whose message seems to be "Fun first and foremost". Yes, they are totally different sports and no, I'm not suggesting that all dogs and people should be able to earn an agility championship. But, I think that the message of having fun, relaxation and friendship has been drowned out by the voices that say "have performance goals", "set your sights high", "get a Border Collie so you can be more competitive", "work on your mental game so you can compete more successfully". <br />Maybe I'm just nostalgic for when the sport was young and there was a good deal more cameraderie and less competition.Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-49161958410322220772011-02-17T18:09:26.318-08:002011-02-17T18:09:26.318-08:00In 2011 I'll be doing quite a bit less trialin...In 2011 I'll be doing quite a bit less trialing and think my decision for doing so may in part have been from following your blog... the osmosis thing. Just this coming weekend actually there's a trial within my 2-hour driving distance that I chose not to enter and definitely don't regret that decision. Also the out-of-town trials this spring I'll only be doing one day instead of my usual two -- still have something to look forward to and enjoy, but also have some down time and a lot less money coming out of the bank.<br /><br />Hope you're able to find the right balance for you and your merle girls.Muttsandaklutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05551047401085562752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-22480651405727339702011-02-17T17:35:19.460-08:002011-02-17T17:35:19.460-08:00I find that hard to do. If it's a competitive ...I find that hard to do. If it's a competitive sport, I want to compete. If there are scores, I want them to be good. Anyway, I think that's exactly what C is trying to do--teaching, taking classes, and maybe a local trial here and there, and enjoying that.Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-64380397316238258132011-02-17T16:42:32.451-08:002011-02-17T16:42:32.451-08:00I think goals ARE good if you're treating this...I think goals ARE good if you're treating this like a 'sport' that you want to improve at. However if the goals you set put you on a journey that you're not going to enjoy (ie lots of time trialing) then it's not a good goal. Also there's nothing wrong with not reaching a goal if you enjoyed the journey along the way. There's also no reason that you can't enjoy agility as an activity in and of itself and not worry about performance goals or getting better. It's all about what you want out of it and what you're willing to put in. Hmmm, I should do my own blog post rather than hijack your comments.Elaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-92145818777828122112011-02-17T16:13:18.307-08:002011-02-17T16:13:18.307-08:00Cedarfield: I don't know of anyone, but I don&...Cedarfield: I don't know of anyone, but I don't have the lists of instructors who are working on their certification. There is an option on our "Contact Us" page (http://www.nacsw.net) to ask if there are group classes in your area. The email will go to someone who has the info. I'm pretty sure that the upcoming workshops will be our first time in NC, so unless someone has travelled to do workshops elsewhere, there may not be anyone teaching it yet.Wendy Krehbielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147361371789177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-48639040266796469052011-02-17T15:50:04.239-08:002011-02-17T15:50:04.239-08:00Wendy: great! It's not often I get a chance to...Wendy: great! It's not often I get a chance to meet a blog buddy in person.<br /><br />btw, do you know of anyone in or near NC who gives NW lessons?Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-78483301476236051042011-02-17T14:10:19.695-08:002011-02-17T14:10:19.695-08:00@cedarfield - you'll have a blast at the works...@cedarfield - you'll have a blast at the workshops with amy and jill. I heard camp was tons of fun too. If you stick with the sport I'm sure we'll run across each other at some point. I'm working behind the scenes for the NACSW and am now also a certifying official for trials...<br /><br />@ellen - Sunday class at downtown dogs is now full. You'll have to wait for the next opportunity. Maybe that will ease your mind as the decision is made for you (for now)Wendy Krehbielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147361371789177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-67895239621603527502011-02-17T13:32:41.079-08:002011-02-17T13:32:41.079-08:00LOL! I like the comparison to gambling. Also an ad...LOL! I like the comparison to gambling. Also an addictive thing. ;-)Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-83340270311331599402011-02-17T13:26:28.575-08:002011-02-17T13:26:28.575-08:00Elayne: I think it's a bit like gambling. I ha...Elayne: I think it's a bit like gambling. I had some success with Jaime (my BC) and wanted more. I thought if I increased the amount of time I spent training, going to seminars and classes and trialing, I would increase the amount of success. It didn't happen that way but I had just enough success that it kept me thinking if I just put little more time, effort and money into it, I'd get where I wanted to go. Plus, the people I spent the most time with back then all encouraged me to set performance goals. They were excited about going to Regionals so I thought I should be, too. It puzzled and worried me that I didn't enjoy it the way they did. I thought maybe I'd enjoy it more if I was more successful.<br /><br />Last Fall I decided to set a goal of trying to qualify my dog for the AKC Nationals. I thought having a goal was good, it seemed that everything I read and heard was about how you had to have goals or you might as well not train at all. Unfortunately, I bought that line of thought and in trying to reach it put too much pressure on myself--and even worse, my dog--and became progressively less happy about going to trials.<br /><br />I hope I find that I can have a good time trialing again but even if I can't, I still love training my dogs and teaching so I'll contine with thise activities for as long as they're fun.Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-53096336290751681902011-02-17T12:57:08.898-08:002011-02-17T12:57:08.898-08:00Wendy: yes the one in the Poconos. And I'm doi...Wendy: yes the one in the Poconos. And I'm doing an intro day in Asheville in March. <br /><br />Ellen: Someone pointed out that there still aren't many NW trials so even if you're going to class, you won't be spending every weekend trialing. Plus this is a great way to amuse your dogs when it's too cold or wet to take them outside to play. Check out some You Tube videos--especially those of the dog "Parker".Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-45933187340006469582011-02-17T10:30:14.433-08:002011-02-17T10:30:14.433-08:00Yeah, balance, absolutely. But I know from C's...Yeah, balance, absolutely. But I know from C's earlier posts that she's evaluated what she likes and doesn't like about it and is giving up the parts she really doesn't like. Like, getting up at 4 in the morning in the cold and the dark to drive for hours to do agility. I have come so close lately to just turning off my alarm and going back to sleep. It is not a pleasant experience, and it has gotten so old that it no longer even has the excitement that it once did of doing something different/unique enough to make it worth that misery.<br /><br />Which would limit me to maybe 4 or 5 trials a year, "sleeping in" until 5:30 or even gasp 6:00, which doesn't seem quite as bad, but still, there are the fridays taken up with packing (it always takes a couple of hours, no matter how well organized i am) and going to bed early, so every agility weekend is a 3-day weekend, so every pre-agility week feels shorter and more compressed. Which would be fine if I had only done that occasionally, but again now it feels onerous instead of unique and exciting.<br /><br />As C said: If you always maintain balance, you're probably good. Once you've overdosed, you'll no longer feel the same about it.Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-70238160684556564402011-02-17T09:40:07.747-08:002011-02-17T09:40:07.747-08:00I'm a little puzzled here. Seems like it'...I'm a little puzzled here. Seems like it's a simple matter of balance. Why are the only choices to trial almost every weekend or to give it up entirely? I do a LOT of stuff other than agility but I still love to go to trials. It only takes over your life if you let it.Elaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-27030606186260451972011-02-17T08:50:51.258-08:002011-02-17T08:50:51.258-08:00@Cedarfield: Wendy has been teaching nosework here...@Cedarfield: Wendy has been teaching nosework here in the bay area. It appeals to me, too. Waffling on signing away my sundays (for a more local class than wendy's).Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-45384011279311168922011-02-17T08:49:13.801-08:002011-02-17T08:49:13.801-08:00@Diana: Ditto what Cedarfield said. I got to the p...@Diana: Ditto what Cedarfield said. I got to the point where I wasn't doing anything else that I liked to do because I was either trialing or trying to catch up on basic chores and errands that I hadn't been able to do because I was doing agility. And it wasn't just the weekends--had to pack and go to bed early fridays, so that was out. And had to sometimes work more earlier in the week to accommodate friday. And (for a long time) two nights a week were class. So my whole life was agility and nothing else, and I got to resenting it. Basically: There can be too much of a good thing.Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-22438779075931522702011-02-17T08:19:52.862-08:002011-02-17T08:19:52.862-08:00Cedarfield: Which workshop are you going to? I as...Cedarfield: Which workshop are you going to? I assume you're going to the poconos for camp?Wendy Krehbielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147361371789177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-10573898392741094392011-02-17T07:33:42.283-08:002011-02-17T07:33:42.283-08:00Wendy: I'm having a lot of fun with Nosewok, t...Wendy: I'm having a lot of fun with Nosewok, too. I love Tracking but it requires a lot more time and effort than NW. I can set up finds in my garage on my lunch break from work and the dogs love it. I'm even going to a seminar next month and a multi-day camp in Sept.Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-3208677165557601062011-02-17T07:23:59.873-08:002011-02-17T07:23:59.873-08:00Diana, you can probably avoid it if you can avoid ...Diana, you can probably avoid it if you can avoid getting caught up in the "must enter every trial available" syndrome that I did. And make sure not to neglect the people in your life in favor of doing agility.<br /><br />I actually was encouraged by my agility instructor to enter as many trials as possible so that I could get as much ring time as possible. Seemed like good advice at the time but if I had had more time to think about it, I would have realized that just trialing more won't neccessarily solve your performance anxiety problems.Cedarfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02822477553207119803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-78971555965651051172011-02-17T06:53:18.286-08:002011-02-17T06:53:18.286-08:00Kinda sad. I hope I dont get to that point.Kinda sad. I hope I dont get to that point.Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16378710392378543981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-22915822572339185792011-02-16T14:47:50.570-08:002011-02-16T14:47:50.570-08:00I was going to say, I wonder whether it's hard...I was going to say, I wonder whether it's harder if you're forced into the decision. But you preempted me. I think you're in the AA group on the rare occasions when we manage to go hiking together when there's an agility event going on. Ummm... so... when?Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-21912680033949053202011-02-16T14:43:50.376-08:002011-02-16T14:43:50.376-08:00Just wanted to add that I think it may have been e...Just wanted to add that I think it may have been extra hard for me because I didn't really choose to get off the bus. My dog chose it for me. I never dreamed that I would be thinking about not getting back on it with the next dog. I so need to join the AA group :)Wendy Krehbielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147361371789177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-83376546053325444202011-02-16T14:42:13.949-08:002011-02-16T14:42:13.949-08:00I am now 2 or 3 years post agility and I have fill...I am now 2 or 3 years post agility and I have filled my life with other things. I've actually had the thought that I might not focus on agility with my next dog (OMG did I really just type that?). I can't imagine giving up my new activities. The first year was hard - I had the same getting off the bus feeling that Cedarfield so accurately described. Nose Work is a great sport in that there are at the moment only 2-3 trials per year in a region. That will grow with time, but it will be ages until it's 3 trials per month!Wendy Krehbielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147361371789177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-27928391452891548632011-02-16T12:23:16.247-08:002011-02-16T12:23:16.247-08:00And AA would work for us, too--Agility Anonymous.And AA would work for us, too--Agility Anonymous.Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730801.post-27269794075824046212011-02-16T12:22:36.078-08:002011-02-16T12:22:36.078-08:00Wow, yeah, I can imagine. I have boxes & boxes...Wow, yeah, I can imagine. I have boxes & boxes that I keep meaning to line up, take photos of, and then dispose of. All it takes is time... [ complete thought with the usual litany of busy-ness].Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01827436807468320435noreply@blogger.com