Clean Run - May 2020 - 11

What It
Really Means
to Work the Dog
in Front of You

"Work the dog in front of you." Anyone involved in the
world of dog training is probably familiar with the phrase.
It's regurgitated constantly, drilled into our heads by fellow
trainers, competitors, and veterans in our field. At face value, the concept is pretty self-explanatory: treat each dog as
an individual and alter your training methods to help that
particular dog succeed. But I think there's an aspect of the
phrase that is consistently overlooked, and that at its core,
"working the dog in front of you" is more just than an adjustment of your training; it's a reflection of your character.
Today's version of dog training is, quite honestly, a bit overwhelming. Not only do we have our own dogs to focus on,
but social media ensures that we are simultaneously reminded of what everyone else is doing as well. While platforms like Facebook and Instagram are perfect for showcasing and documenting your training, they're also a stark
reminder of the progress that other people are making
with their dogs while you may be struggling with yours.
It's certainly happened to me before. I end a training session with my dog feeling a little frustrated with where
we're at-our engagement needs work. My timing was off.
We struggled with correct positioning. After putting my
dog up, I grab my phone and log onto Instagram as I head
inside, and the first thing I see is someone else's progress
video with their pup. It's gorgeous, of course. Beautiful focused heeling in perfect position. The dog naturally re-engaging with her handler after being rewarded. Flashy obedience and flawless handling. It's wonderful content and great
training, but watching it somehow leaves me feeling worse
than I felt before I opened up the app.

By Mackenzie Goshorn

There's a phrase that I think perfectly encompasses the
way a lot of us feel after spending too much time on social
media: "comparison is the thief of joy."
It truly is. All too often, when we watch other teams work,
we spend that time comparing our dog or our training to
theirs, whether it's intentional or not, and it is the fastest way to suck all the joy out of training. We allow oneminute videos on social media to dictate the way we feel
about ourselves, our dogs, and our training, with no real
context as to what that person's session actually looked
like outside the confines of the video. Of course, it happens outside of social media too. It's just as easy to watch
a team work at club training or at a trial and feel the same
twinge of jealousy you feel when watching an Instagram
highlight reel.
Do I think that there's an inherent issue with social media and the way it affects our mindset during training? No,
I truly don't. In fact, I think it's become a bit of an excuse. I
do, however, think that a lot of us need to be honest with
ourselves about how we're approaching other people's
content, both online and in person.
How many of us watch other teams work with the intention of learning from what we see? It is so easy, and often
times seems like the default, for us to harbor resentment
when we see good training. Why? Because it looks better than our own, and that's not always the easiest pill to
swallow. I know I cannot be the only one who has watched
another handler working with their dog and immediately
thought to myself, "my dog doesn't do that."

Because we are not in the right mindset when we're
watching other people's content.

I think this is where a little inner reflection becomes necessary. If we're in this for the right reasons (and I think most of
us are), our first step should be analyzing why our dogs don't
do that. We should be recognizing first and foremost that
our dogs are all very different. They all have different genetics, they were raised in different environments, and they have
received different training and handling.

Because as much as we love to preach about it, we do not
always "work the dog in front of us."

It is okay to want your dog to look like "that person's" dog
does-there is nothing wrong with seeing something that

Why?
Because it's hard to watch someone else effortlessly succeed when you're struggling.

May 20 | Clean Run

Clean Run - May 2020

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