The World of Competition:

From SHYANN'SPERSPECTIVE

Since my mom and I have been competing in Agility lately, I have become increasingly aware of the different attitudes of Canine competitors. After thinking about it a lot, I decided that it was probably worth writing about. I know that from watching humans and being with my mom and dad, that competing in activities whether it be doggie activities or sports or contests or whatever the case may be, causes us to be very competitive by nature. We canines can be just as competitive as our human friends. We may not show it in the same way, but we certainly love competing and trying to be the very best. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't think there is anything wrong with being competitive as long as this attitude is held in check and kept under control. I think that sometimes we forget that what we are doing is supposed to be fun. I was watching one of my Canine friends run an agility course a few weekends ago and he was trying his very best. Towards the end of the run, a bar was knocked down causing the team to be eliminated. The human companion was so mad she called the canine "a stupid mutt", gave him no praise, no pat on the head, and worst of all no cookie. This Canine received nothing for completing 19 of 20 obstacles perfectly. I was slightly angered at this and I also think it touched off an emotion in my mom- mom grew up in sports. She has been competitive her entire life playing basketball, running track, playing tennis and who knows what else. I think she saw herself at that moment in time and did not like what she saw. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the competitiveness of the activity you are participating in. You want to have the fastest time, have the best run, have the highest score, be the fastest team etc. but we must not get lost in that and miss what is most important. What is important is that you are doing something together with the person or canine that is your companion throughout the course of your life and that companion may not be on this earth tomorrow. Webster describes a team as "to yoke or join together and be as one, rather than individuals." That is what you and your canine companion are, "A Team". One does not succeed or fail without the other. If one on the team makes a mistake, it is up to the other to help pull them through it and to provide support and confidence. We all make mistakes and Lord knows I have certainly made my share of them. There have been times especially on the agility course where my mom has gotten so mad at me because of mistakes that I made. But I never got mad at her even when she pointed me to the wrong obstacle and I did what she told me to do even though it was wrong. By loving her and , giving her kisses at the end even though I knew she was upset, she forgave me. My mom told me the other day, that she would never again get mad at me when I made a mistake. She would help me to understand why I made the mistake and teach me how to do it correctly the next time. I can already see a change in her. We were running an Excellent course in Hutto not too long ago and it was a really hard course. I was doing the very best I could, but by the time I made it to the end, I had 3 mistakes. Two knocked bars and a wrong obstacle. I know that my mom was disappointed but you know what she did? She loved on me and told me that it was OK and that she knows that I tried my very best. It just was not meant to be that day. I loved her so much for that. We are truly a team now. No matter what activity you participate in with your canine friend, please don't let the competitiveness of the moment destroy what has taken a lifetime to build. Trust, Love, Devotion, Teamwork, and Respect are so hard to get back once lost. To be a team is to act as one cohesive unit. You help each other, you support each other, you love each other. No sport is worth loosing any portion of that bond you have worked so hard for. We canines are not perfect. We will always make mistakes and sometimes we have bad days just like you. We don't yell at you and call you names when you are having a bad day so I think it is only fair that you bestow the same courtesy on us. We will always love you, watch over you, protect you no matter what. We will always do our best for you and we hope you will do the same for us. Winning is not the most important thing. Learning, competing, socializing with your friends, sharing wonderful and not so wonderful moments, is what makes competing in Canine activities fun. If the fun ever goes away then you should no longer be involved. Life is too short to waste it on something that your canine partner does not enjoy nor that you enjoy. Treasure the time you have with each other for that time is very, very short. Now each time before we run, my mom and I say a little prayer together. It is a prayer basically asking God to let us be the best we can be at this moment in time, watch over us and keep us both safe. But most of all, help us to be tolerant of each other's mistakes, don't dwell on the disappointments, help us to be good winners or losers and just help us to keep loving each other I know that I have said this many times before, but I am such a lucky dog. I have a mom that loves me so very much and is thankful for each day that we have together and the bond that we have developed. I would do anything in this world for her and will always do my very best at whatever we attempt to do together. So to my mom I say, I love you with all my heart!