Handing Yourself. Handling Others.

Handing Yourself. Handling Others.

One of my hobbies is running my Australian Shepard, Levi, in agility competitions.

When people see us run, their first comment is almost always -

"I love how your dog knows where do go. How did you teach him to follow the numbers on the course?"

I always smile.

No. Levi does not follow numbers. He relies on me, his Handler, to tell him where to go. If I don't communicate my intention, he will go off course and be eliminated.

In the agility world, we like to say, "Every dog has a Handler problem."

I've noticed the same thing in the human world.

If you think you are being tripped up by someone else, double-check to see if they are having a Handler problem.

Know what you want, where you want to go, and effectively communicate your goals. You will be amazed at how almost everybody will follow the numbers.