[Judi W]

Why? What you should have done………

Most of us who have been training and trialing dogs for any length of time are quite accustomed and comfortable with being told “what you did wrong” or “what you should have done”. We appreciate the information because it improves. It might be something in the training that an observer can see we could improve on, or it might be something we did in the ring that made it harder for the dog or even made the difference between success or failure. This information gives us something to practice and to keep in mind so that we don’t make the same mistake in the future.

That same philosophy should apply to those who present a problem and are told they “should have done” something different than they did. The reason for the “should have done’s” is that one can then have a picture of a better choice the next time the same or a similar incidence arises. If you have a picture in your mind of a better way of doing something then you can quickly act on it instead of fumbling around and perhaps end up in a serious situation. In some cases, actual lives are at stake. The dog’s life can be forfeit should the owner/handler make a bad decision in managing that dog. This can apply to such things as leaving gates unlocked so dogs can escape and get hit by a car, to mismanaging an unstable dog and allowing it to be put in a situation where it bites someone. Usually we get off without too serious a consequence and count it lesson learned, but that lesson does little good if an alternative is not decided upon and determined to be acted.

So, please accept those “should have done’s” as education for future actions and decisions.