Clean Run - March 2020 - 35

Nothing
© karen hocker photography

Clank! Down goes a bar and not
just any bar, the first bar! The ageold question of which is worse,
dropping the first bar or the last
bar? Maybe, I can finally answer it,
or at least give you my reason why
the first bar is better.
When the first bar goes down
in a competition environment,
we are usually looking right at it
because we have just released
our dog. And unless you're a
rock (think professional poker
player), something in your
body language-dropping your
shoulders, a clenched jaw, maybe
a furrowed brow-will let our dogs
know we are disappointed. At this
point, most of us make one of two
choices, we either tense up and
the run falls apart, or-and this is
big-we relax and keep running
with no pressure. How many times
have you heard, "it was a beautiful
run, but we dropped the first bar?"
There is a reason for this. Contrary
to what many think, our sport of
agility is a team sport, and our
canine teammates are extremely
aware of our human emotions. Our
teammates are experts at reading
our mood, and the more relaxed
we are, the more relaxed they

to Lose
By Forest Hudson

are. We are all great in the backyard and the training ring we go to every
week. Why? We are comfortable in these places; there is no pressure to
Q, the treats are flowing, our team is relaxed and confident.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Fear defeats more people than any other
one thing in the world."
Being afraid of losing a Q keeps us from being the team we could
be. Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'll try this today in class, but I
wouldn't try it in a competition?" Now go back to that first bar hitting the
ground; as you head to the next obstacle, have you ever thought "I might
as well try _______ (insert that class-only move)?" I know I have, and
what I've learned is that when we are relaxed with nothing to lose, our
confidence during the run grows.
The fear of losing that Q tends to make us act with caution, play it safe.
When that fear is removed, a burden is lifted and gives us the freedom
to do those things that we may have never been willing to try otherwise.
Without having to worry about a Q, you have gained the freedom to relax.
The antonym of fear could be confidence. Most of us have worked
very hard to build confident canine teammates, but have we worked on
building our own confidence? We have a pre-run routine for our dogs,
do you have one for yourself? Are you not only physically ready for the
run, are you mentally ready for the run? Remember, our teammate is
watching very closely, not just that over-the-top Malinois that is finishing,
they are watching you. Are you relaxed and confident? Or are you telling
your teammate that you are over-the-top like that Malinois? Transferring
that relaxed confidence to the beginning of every run is what separates
the good or great from the truly elite teams.
We can't always control what happens in the ring, like the first bar getting
knocked. What we can control is how we respond to it. So, at your next
start, take a calming breath and remember that we get to compete in a
sport where our teammate is one of our best friends, and run like you've
got nothing to lose. D

Forest Hudson is a computer analyst who lives in Ramona, California, with his wife Betty and two Australian Cattle Dogs, Winston and Cora. Winston has retired from
agility competition after earning a PACH and attending a NAC. Cora is two years old and has earned an invite to two North American Diving Dog national events and
is currently working on her AKC agility and CPE Novice titles. Forest can be reached on Instagram at @winstonthecattledog.
March 20 | Clean Run

Clean Run - March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - March 2020