Enjoy Your Dog

It's not like I didn't like her, quite the opposite. I was obsessed with her, but as I trained to compete with Lumi I got caught up in self image, a lack of knowledge, and heavy self-criticism. It gave me no room to learn or grow and I was stuck in a cycle of being frustrated that I didn't magically have talent without practice or training, and then not wanting to practice or train because I was burnt out by that same frustration. I needed to take a step back and re-evaluate. 

I had to look at the bigger picture and ask myself "Why am I doing dog sports with her?" and the answer was so that we could have fun. Further reflection made me realize that if I was being critical of myself and getting mad that she wasn't perfect like the other dogs I see online, then what was the point in competing?

I don't ever want to do it for the trophies or the high scores if the entire journey was miserable. I want to look back at our competitions as a proud achievement, I want to be able to look back and remember how much fun I had with my dog, not how much I cried and resented her due to my own lacking. 

Dogs are only in our lives for a small fraction of time, and we only have that time to enjoy them and give them the best life they deserve. Everyone goes on their own journey of self discovery, but I want to jump the gun on that and remind people that above all else in your journey with your dog, remember to enjoy them and your time together. 

- Zoe