The Agony of Defeat
Nothing feels better than the thrill of victory, yet it is
the agony of defeat that makes us better, that is, if we learn from our
mistakes.
Thank god for failure and
disappointment!
After Zeke fully recovered from his TPLO surgery and
achieved his “Seasoned title” in HRC, we were ready to play in the big leagues,
going for his “GMPR title” in the APLA and his “Finished title” in HRC. Quite
frankly, I wanted to be like Wendell Wright & Roxy, and take my talented
little puppy and sail through the GMPR title without a hitch.
In our first attempt for the GMPR, Zeke and I looked
atrocious; I mean it was that ugly. I was embarrassed. We went out in the first
land series after about 2 minutes, and it was a relatively straight forward
test. We normally do tests like this with ease, what happened? We were allowed
to run in the upland test, his domain, but it wasn’t much better there either.
What happened, I actually thought Zeke was ready? I expected to get a ribbon
that day, or at least put in a good showing, how could I be so wrong?
Being a professor of marketing and working with many fortune
500 companies, much of my experience is in TQM and Six Sigma, two philosophies
that study failures and taking the appropriate steps to eliminate failures in
the future. I believe we can learn a great deal from our failures, more than
our victories, yet it is really difficult when you are the one who failed. It
is much easier being a consultant and studying other peoples’ failures!
The Retrieving Land Test
After seeing the test dog, I was sure that Zeke would nail
this test. He is a great marking dog, and his initial line on blinds has really
improved. It was a double mark where the dog had to run through a ditch to get
both birds. The go bird was through the ditch at a 45 degree angle, and I knew
many dogs would flair to the left when they hit the ditch. Zeke held his line
perfectly and stepped on the first mark. I wanted to do a back flip or a
victory dance, but held my composure in check.
When he came back to me, he healed perfectly and had perfect
mouth habits. We had addressed both of these previous problems in training and
it had paid off. I then asked him, “Where’s your bird?” He looked unsure, not
his typical lean of the shoulders, looking determined at the target. I
panicked! He looked a little left, a little right, and then at the mark, I
quickly sent him when he looked at the mark. He was heading straight for the
bird, only 10 yards away from stepping on his mark when he made a 90 degree angle
left turn, and made a mad dash back to the old fall. Uh oh, this is trouble and
very unexpected.
So unexpected and shocked, I didn’t have my whistle in my
mouth. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He never, ever returns to the old
fall, not even as a pup. By the time I found my whistle, Zeke was 80 yards away
from the mark and the judges had informed that our run was over.
What Happened?
First, it was a long and depressing ride home, 10 ½ hours to
be exact. I questioned myself and my abilities, and asked myself the dreaded
question, “Do I really want to continue and try and get his GMPR, maybe this is
a Pro’s game after all?”
After the emotion and heartache subsided, I got down to
business and conducted a root-cause analysis, identifying the real issues and
they include the following:
-
- I was incredibly nervous and my “bad mojo” had
traveled down the lead and Freaked out Zeke the Wonder Dog. The only other time
he has ever done that, a 90 degree angle turn going to another mark, was also
in a hunt test. My first seasoned test where I was incredibly nervous as well.
Do you see the trend here?!?
- I am a reasonably good trainer, yet a horrible
handler in tests.
- Being a type A personality, one who drinks too
much coffee, I rushed Zeke on the 2nd bird instead of letting him
remember and settle into his line.
-
The whistle was NOT in my mouth, what was I
thinking?
-
I did NOT recognize the “pitfalls” of the test
and did NOT anticipate what could go wrong. When it went wrong, I was NOT ready
and had no clue what to do!
- I did not
establish the area of the fall ahead of time. When he missed the mark and left
the area of the fall, I did nothing, and when I did, it was too late.
I would love to blame Zeke, but my root-cause analysis leads
back to me and rests directly on my shoulders. I am the weak link in this team!
Plan of Action
-
Problem: Nerves at the line. Solution: Get
control of the nerves! I speak in front of hundreds of people without any
problem, I can do this! The plan is to take away all expectations and just have
fun competing and running Zeke. This is supposed to be fun, not a race! At the
next event, no supporters, no expectations, just the enjoy the process and have
fun. Whatever happens, happens.
- Problem: I am a BAD handler. Solution: Get
coaching. I sign up for 2 weekend seminars where they train me to become a
competent handler, but the courses aren’t until late July and August. I sign up
with Hunter’s Marsh for 2 weekends of their challenge course. Great coaching
and incredible grounds and water - I refuse to be the weak link!
- Problem: Did not let Zeke settle into
remembering his marks. Solution: Simply slow down and only send him when I am
confident he knows where the mark is. When he looks in the right direction,
maybe a little unsure, confirm the direction with the “good” cue. While this
only happens every once in a while, give him confidence that he is heading in
the right direction.
- Problem: Whistle NOT in mouth. Solution: Keep
whistle in mouth at all times.
- Problem: did NOT anticipate pitfalls and traps
of the test. Solution: Evaluate the test and identify the traps of the test,
the number of possible dog reactions that are likely. Then, develop a plan for
each anticipated problem. I won’t be surprised again, at least I hope not.
- Problem: When do I blow the whistle and handle
on a mark? In practice, he rarely needs to be handled on a mark. Solution:
Establish the area of the fall. If he leaves the area of the fall, blow the
whistle and handle him to the bird.
First HRC Finished Test
Will it be redemption or more
disappointment?
In my first finished test, it was truly the toughest test I
have ever seen! On the water series, 7 of the first 10 dogs break, it was one
of those tests. The first 2 birds come out, one long mark and the other mark is
a breaking bird, just 10 feet away. After a 25 second delay, the 3rd
bird is thrown. The delay is what got most dogs and we hadn’t trained with
delays.
Also, they found 2 holes in my training program. Hole #1:
dog must watch the marks from a platform, we’ve never done this. Hole #2: a
single, mostly white decoy is just 30 yards from the blind. Being as visual as
Zeke is, this is going to be a problem. But remember, I am just going to have
fun and enjoy competing with my dog.
We heel to the line and Zeke is under control, a perfect heel!
I am proud of this because this used to be our main weakness and now it is our
strength! We get to the platform, I tap it and say, “kennel” and Zeke jumps
like we have done this a 1000 times. So far, so good.
The first two marks are thrown, Zeke is intense but sits as
steady as a rock. I reload, and 25 seconds later the go bird is thrown and I
fire twice. Zeke steps on all 3 marks, and I am beaming with pride. At this
point, I finally acknowledge that we belong here, and that we can play at this
level. He was the only dog to this point that was flawless on the marks.
Now to the blind, and what an evil blind they had planned.
To the left of the bird, about 30 yards away was a single white decoy. I had
trained Zeke initially to run blinds with a white flag, but never de-trained
him on this concept, uh oh! We have trained with decoys, but never a single
decoy, uh oh. Additionally, he had to swim by a scented point (we have trained
on this), the same area of the go bird. Zeke came to line, looked at the single
decoy and in his way said, “I got it, I see it!” I “no” him off the decoy and
he listens. I line him up and he explodes into the water, taking a perfect line
for the first 60 yards.
He hits the scented point and area of the old fall, gets a
nose full of duck, and shows me that he wants to hunt the area. I blast the
whistle and I give him a left back, unfortunately, I should have given him a
right back. He blows by the scented point, but now is heading for the single
white decoy. I stop him and give him a right 45. He turns to the right but slowly
scallops back to the decoy. I stop him again and give him another right 45. He
turns to the right, but again slowly scallops back to the decoy. This happens
one more time before I give him a right over, followed by a right back and he
picks up the bird.
Concerning our first water series, he stepped on the marks,
but the blind wasn’t pretty. I figured that we would have to shine on the land
series, especially with the blind. The judge, a newly appointed Grand Judge,
informs me that the 3 cast refusals (I gave a 45, he took a back) are our
undoing and we are done for the day. OUCH, 0 for 2 in the big leagues. I feel
we deserved a chance to stay alive until the next series, but the judge is
known for being a stickler (only 4 dogs passed that day!).
In the land series, he lines the
blind and steps on the marks. Go figure!
What Can I Learn this Time?
While we fail again, I actually feel great about our
performance. I now know that we can play at this level. Once again, better
handling and I think we pass. That night, I assess my performance and identify
more root-cause problems:
-
I train alone and often get into ruts or
patterns. I now question how many other holes are in my training program
(platform, single white decoy, mowed paths, scented points, etc.). I need to
surround myself with more knowledgeable people and even though I live 3 hours
from the closest HRC club, it’s time road trip more often.
-
I still need to anticipate the traps or pitfalls
of the test much better. Test management is still a weakness. I need to
identify and anticipate what dogs (my dog) will do, then have a plan of action
ready to go. I got caught off guard again.
- Zeke’s “backs” and “overs” are reliable, but his
45s are iffy, especially if there is heavy suction. To this point, I have used
Lardy’s literal casting method in training, giving mostly 45s when running cold
blinds. This may not be a good test strategy, and I now question the use of 45s
in tests. I now question the use of 45s altogether. I need to give a cast that
will be taken reliably, otherwise it’s a refusal, and as I just learned,
refusals cause test failures.
Second HRC Finished Test
Once bitten, twice shy! We are now 0 for 2 in the big
leagues, but for some reason I feel ready to go. Zeke was “wired” from the
previous test, so I bike him 2 miles in the morning to drain his energy and hopefully
keep him from getting too high.
The land series is pretty straightforward: 3 marks, a blind
that runs through an old fall and along a side hill, followed by an honor.
Once again, he heals perfectly to the line. When the gun
fire starts, he intently watches each mark. He is wired, but it is under
control. He steps on each mark, and I am beaming with pride!
When I line him up say “dead bird,” he leans forward and
can’t wait to explode. As he runs the side hill, I notice that he “shoulders”
the hill and maintains his line, that a boy Zeke. When he gets to the old fall,
he caves a step or two, then self corrects and shifts into high gear, that a
boy Zeke! His line is perfect but he is flying at Mach V, and I am scared he
will run right by the bird, I hit the sit whistle. He sits 2 feet from the
bird, yet doesn’t pick it up until I give him the command. The Judges and crowd
is impressed, and then Zeke honors like a perfect gentleman.
We nail the morning test! In fact, I view Zeke’s run as the
best of the day so far. Can we keep it together for one more test?
Now we are off to the afternoon water test: The 3 marks are
reasonable, a long memory bird in thick cover, but the blind is really
difficult. I am not worried about the marks, definitely Zeke’s strong point.
But, I do plan this time for everything that could go wrong. In fact, most of
the anticipated issues occur, just with other dogs. Additionally, I will give
Zeke plenty of confidence (the “good cue”) on the long memory bird and let him really settle into remembering the bird. As
anticipated, he steps on all the marks.
To get the blind, the dog has to swim by a major cattail
area on the right, exactly where the second mark fell. If you hunt with your
dog, it looks exactly where a wounded duck would hide! There is really thick
cover on the left as well, not too mention a tempting bank to run. To do well
on this blind, the dog has to get a good initial line. Essentially, there is a
small channel for the dog to swim and the dog has to ignore the cover. Oh,
there is also bird scent in the cattails.
The first 5 dogs go down in flames and never get the bird, the
scented cover and old fall is just too tempting. I do feel good about
anticipating the pitfalls of this test. 3 dogs caved into the old fall in the
scented cattails, and 2 dogs took the bank and heavy cover on the left, as
anticipated. None of these dogs got a good initial line.
After picking up the marks, the
moment of truth is here and
now. To give us a better angle at the blind and to eliminate any
worries of
pulling to the bank and cover on the left, I heel Zeke 18 inches into
the water
and line him up. This will prove to be a good move on my part, maybe I
am starting to learn a thing or two. He initially looks at the scented
cover, and I “no” him away
from the cover. He accepts and takes a new line, one that is perfectly
in line
with the blind. After giving him the “dead bird” command along with the
“good”
cue, his shoulders lean forward and I feel confident. I send him and he
explodes on a straight line.
20 yards into his line, he wavers and looks at the scented
cover for just a second. Tempted to blow the whistle, I don’t and he self
corrects. All that channel swimming is starting to pay off as Zeke ignores the
cover on the left and right and takes a b-line for the bird. 80 yards out and I
hear, “he’s gonna line it!” He starts to show signs of wavering, so I blow the
whistle and give him a right back. He takes it and picks up the bird.
As I put Zeke on lead, I know the curse has been lifted and
we have just got our first Finished pass!
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
While no one likes to fail, it can be the greatest lesson
and motivation in the world!
As I assessed the reasons for failure,
they were solely my issues. Now, I must train my dog and educate myself
on how to become a better team. We are not there yet, and maybe we will
never get there, but we are working our butts off. But as the website
says, "there is no try, only do or not do!"
Disappointment and failure is a great thing, as long as you
are willing to learn from your mistakes!
Zeke
