The Best Of…

With dogs of different ages, my definition on The Best Of…is all about perspective.  For 12 year old Lacey, the best right now is good health and soundness.  For 8 yr old Breeze, it’s about peak performance for us as a team.  At his last trial, he was just phenomenal – a nice place to be with Nationals around the corner.

For 2 yr old Tai, it’s about finding those best moments and nurturing them.  It’s also about believing that those moments will happen more and more often as Tai matures, gains experience and we grow together as a team.

It’s officially Spring now although we hardly had a winter this year.  Tai turned 2 years old on New Year’s Day and since then we’ve done three trials, two great seminars – Nancy Gyes and Susan Salo – and spent 2 weeks at the beach.  A good balance.  Tai’s trialing has been limited to T2B, Fast and Jumpers.  It hasn’t yielded much in the way of qualifying but has been invaluable in providing experience for both of us.  Here is a newsflash for you…handling a long-striding border collie is a lot different than handling a small sheltie!    Well, that difference has got me on the path to becoming a better handler, for sure.

With lots more to work on — including proofing contacts before we begin trialing in Standard Classes — I decided to take some time to celebrate some of “The Best Of…” Tai’s moments over the last few months.   I’m a firm believer in holding close what is going well, while acknowledging what needs improvement and continuing to strengthen skills on both our parts.  So, enjoy this video and I hope you will embrace your “Best” moments too.

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