Vickie Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 (edited) As companions, my goal is to have well behaved dogs who are happy to just hang out when I am not asking anything of them. First and foremost, they are all my companions and we enjoy each others company. In training, my goal is primarily the enjoyment of my dogs. I want to be fair, consistent and motivating. I want them to want to train with me more than anything else in life. I set specific training goals and work my way through them. I try to recognize and work through any holes in training as I see them. I competition, my goal is to test my training and aim for the same level of enjoyment and success that I achieve in training. I don't care so much about titles or even about places, but I enjoy friendly competition with other competitors whose training I aspire to. I generally have a soecific goal on each course and am happy if I achieve that goal even if I fail somewhere else. I don't breed, but I think I have a young dog here who may just be the whole package in terms of temperament, structure & working ability. Time will tell, but at this point, if she continues the way she is going, I may choose to breed her later (with a lot of help from people I respect). Edited August 15, 2012 by Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Our two dogs are first & foremost our companions & our whole life revolves around them, now that all the kids have left home & we are retired, it gives us the freedom to travel with our dogs, either competing at trials or just chilling out at some beach somewhere. I just love camping with the dogs. I would hope I have two very well mannered dogs who are welcome anywhere & the feedback I get, is that they are exactly that. We are both in our sixties, so the training of the dogs & trialling go a long way to keeping us fit both mentally & physically. Who knows what we would be doing if we didn't have our two mates. I am so lucky that OH shares the same love of them as I do My goals in trialling (OH hasn't started yet) is to put into practice the training that I have done & I am just loving the Masters courses as it gives me more opportunity to try out new things. Trialling also lets me know where I might be able to improve or practice a new move. There is nothing more exhilarating or satisfying than to have a good run with my dog, even if we (I) stuff up. I am not into winning places, as I know I have a "challenging" dog, I am only a first time agility handler, & the competition in her height category is great, but when we do snag the odd place it makes me so proud of her :) As mentioned, I don't have the most perfect dog for agility, but that makes the training more challenging & more rewarding. When I bought her as a pup, I hadn't even heard of agility :laugh: Now OH has his dog & will start trialling next month, I am enjoying training him, the handler, to train his dog. To sum it all up ...... our goal is to enjoy the journey, wherever it leads us. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sares Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Mine is to have a happy, healthy dog who is my companion. I don’t show or breed so dogs are purely pets and have always had dogs in my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 As companions, my goal is to have well behaved dogs who are happy to just hang out when I am not asking anything of them. First and foremost, they are all my companions and we enjoy each others company. In training, my goal is primarily the enjoyment of my dogs. I want to be fair, consistent and motivating. I want them to want to train with me more than anything else in life. I set specific training goals and work my way through them. I try to recognize and work through any holes in training as I see them. I competition, my goal is to test my training and aim for the same level of enjoyment and success that I achieve in training. I don't care so much about titles or even about places, but I enjoy friendly competition with other competitors whose training I aspire to. I generally have a soecific goal on each course and am happy if I achieve that goal even if I fail somewhere else. I don't breed, but I think I have a young dog here who may just be the whole package in terms of temperament, structure & working ability. Time will tell, but at this point, if she continues the way she is going, I may choose to breed her later (with a lot of help from people I respect). Well said Vickie. I feel exactly the same way :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Loving this thread. We really are a group of like minded people on DOL. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 1 .I want to maintain balance. As many have mentioned, priority is to enjoy living with my dogs. Something I think that sometimes gets 'lost' when people start getting 'into dogs' and the numbers start to rise. I want to make sure I continue to enjoy them as part of my home, life and lifestyle which means I have to ensure that number stay manageable and that sometimes I have to 'limit' what I do and be sure I have other interests as well so that I don't lose sight of why I got the dogs in the first place. . 2. I want to understand the breed. I want to 'see' that instinct and functionality and see the dogs in action and understand how they work. I spend hours just being with the dogs (my own and others) and observing how they 'operate' and learning how they react and think. Hours researching and learning about how the breed works, how it operated historically (beyond the popular lip service potted history), how their structure and nature supports that function (e.g. WHY should they have a sloping croup or small low set ears, or the back of the skull is an oglive shape ). To me that is an important part of understanding the breed and determining what my goals will be. 3. A lot of lip service is often paid with lines like 'breeding for health, temperament and structure' etc. I won't use that line as half the time I am not sure people really understand what they mean by that when they say it. It can also mean lots of different things to diferent people. my goal here though is to understand what health issues are in the breed, to try to know to the extent possible how my dogs and their lines 'stack up' health -wise and to use the resources available to me to determine that. This means health testing and understanding what those results mean and using that information in my decision making. It also means looking to the overall health and wellbeing of my dogs through the best possible diet, exercise and lifestyle I can give them. It means understanding what makes a 'sound dog' in mind and in body and working to produce that. It means working to produce a 'unctional dog' (see goal two). 4. To teach people about the breed and how it is not just (or not even) a 'big fluffy white dog'. There is a LOT of misunderstanding about the breed out there and I want to represent it well. 5. To look ater the welfare and future of the breed. All the above goes into this one. I see my involvement as part of a long timeline stretching forward and back. I want to be part of the stream that carries the breed forward and makes a difference, not a murky backwater or offshoot from the original design and purpose. this means ensuring MY goals are the BREEDS goals and (as my motto says) putting the Breed before any thought of my own ego and design in being a 'breeder'. 6. while it would be nice to 'win' in the showring, my goal is not to produce a generic big fluffy white show dog (which is NOT what the breed is or should ever be), but to produce good, functional, traditional examples of the breed. If that results in wins, that is nice but my main aim when in the ring is for people to see the breed and to represent the breed. I am sure there is more, but that will do for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showpony Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Think this sums it up for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kia Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 1 .I want to maintain balance. As many have mentioned, priority is to enjoy living with my dogs. Something I think that sometimes gets 'lost' when people start getting 'into dogs' and the numbers start to rise. I want to make sure I continue to enjoy them as part of my home, life and lifestyle which means I have to ensure that number stay manageable and that sometimes I have to 'limit' what I do and be sure I have other interests as well so that I don't lose sight of why I got the dogs in the first place. . 2. I want to understand the breed. I want to 'see' that instinct and functionality and see the dogs in action and understand how they work. I spend hours just being with the dogs (my own and others) and observing how they 'operate' and learning how they react and think. Hours researching and learning about how the breed works, how it operated historically (beyond the popular lip service potted history), how their structure and nature supports that function (e.g. WHY should they have a sloping croup or small low set ears, or the back of the skull is an oglive shape ). To me that is an important part of understanding the breed and determining what my goals will be. 3. A lot of lip service is often paid with lines like 'breeding for health, temperament and structure' etc. I won't use that line as half the time I am not sure people really understand what they mean by that when they say it. It can also mean lots of different things to diferent people. my goal here though is to understand what health issues are in the breed, to try to know to the extent possible how my dogs and their lines 'stack up' health -wise and to use the resources available to me to determine that. This means health testing and understanding what those results mean and using that information in my decision making. It also means looking to the overall health and wellbeing of my dogs through the best possible diet, exercise and lifestyle I can give them. It means understanding what makes a 'sound dog' in mind and in body and working to produce that. It means working to produce a 'unctional dog' (see goal two). 4. To teach people about the breed and how it is not just (or not even) a 'big fluffy white dog'. There is a LOT of misunderstanding about the breed out there and I want to represent it well. 5. To look ater the welfare and future of the breed. All the above goes into this one. I see my involvement as part of a long timeline stretching forward and back. I want to be part of the stream that carries the breed forward and makes a difference, not a murky backwater or offshoot from the original design and purpose. this means ensuring MY goals are the BREEDS goals and (as my motto says) putting the Breed before any thought of my own ego and design in being a 'breeder'. 6. while it would be nice to 'win' in the showring, my goal is not to produce a generic big fluffy white show dog (which is NOT what the breed is or should ever be), but to produce good, functional, traditional examples of the breed. If that results in wins, that is nice but my main aim when in the ring is for people to see the breed and to represent the breed. I am sure there is more, but that will do for now. Such a well thought out response Espanay2. Something for all breeders to stop and think about with their breeding program. So many times we hear that breeders aim to 'improve' the breed. But are we? With so many changes to breed standards over the years many breeds aren't what they use to be when the orgininal standard was written. My goal is to produce puppies who are going to be wonderful family members, who are long lived and mentally and physically able to do any thing that their owners would like to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Think this sums it up for me That number on her sleave could be for any dog sport - I certainly don't do agility for my ego. We're going training tonight and I'll only get to bed after 11pm. I do it for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 That number on her sleave could be for any dog sport But that jacket would only be worn in one - I certainly don't do agility for my ego. We're going training tonight and I'll only get to bed after 11pm. I do it for him. Agreed! We do it because our dogs love it! Mine love to cuddle like that, but they would prefer to be working sheep or running agility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Think this sums it up for me That number on her sleave could be for any dog sport - I certainly don't do agility for my ego. We're going training tonight and I'll only get to bed after 11pm. I do it for him. I believe you're doing it for him - but surely you must enjoy it too I'm not back in the ring yet, but we train every day because it's bonding - we both love it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 What is your goal with your dogs? Titles? Wins? Other achievements? Health? Fitness? Life skills? Do you have a goal? Do you have a philosophy that guides your efforts in dogs? 1 .I want to maintain balance. As many have mentioned, priority is to enjoy living with my dogs. Something I think that sometimes gets 'lost' when people start getting 'into dogs' and the numbers start to rise. I want to make sure I continue to enjoy them as part of my home, life and lifestyle which means I have to ensure that number stay manageable and that sometimes I have to 'limit' what I do and be sure I have other interests as well so that I don't lose sight of why I got the dogs in the first place. . 2. I want to understand the breed. I want to 'see' that instinct and functionality and see the dogs in action and understand how they work. I spend hours just being with the dogs (my own and others) and observing how they 'operate' and learning how they react and think. Hours researching and learning about how the breed works, how it operated historically (beyond the popular lip service potted history), how their structure and nature supports that function (e.g. WHY should they have a sloping croup or small low set ears, or the back of the skull is an oglive shape ). To me that is an important part of understanding the breed and determining what my goals will be. 3. A lot of lip service is often paid with lines like 'breeding for health, temperament and structure' etc. I won't use that line as half the time I am not sure people really understand what they mean by that when they say it. It can also mean lots of different things to diferent people. my goal here though is to understand what health issues are in the breed, to try to know to the extent possible how my dogs and their lines 'stack up' health -wise and to use the resources available to me to determine that. This means health testing and understanding what those results mean and using that information in my decision making. It also means looking to the overall health and wellbeing of my dogs through the best possible diet, exercise and lifestyle I can give them. It means understanding what makes a 'sound dog' in mind and in body and working to produce that. It means working to produce a 'unctional dog' (see goal two). 4. To teach people about the breed and how it is not just (or not even) a 'big fluffy white dog'. There is a LOT of misunderstanding about the breed out there and I want to represent it well. 5. To look ater the welfare and future of the breed. All the above goes into this one. I see my involvement as part of a long timeline stretching forward and back. I want to be part of the stream that carries the breed forward and makes a difference, not a murky backwater or offshoot from the original design and purpose. this means ensuring MY goals are the BREEDS goals and (as my motto says) putting the Breed before any thought of my own ego and design in being a 'breeder'. 6. while it would be nice to 'win' in the showring, my goal is not to produce a generic big fluffy white show dog (which is NOT what the breed is or should ever be), but to produce good, functional, traditional examples of the breed. If that results in wins, that is nice but my main aim when in the ring is for people to see the breed and to represent the breed. I am sure there is more, but that will do for now. This is pretty much what I'd like to answer, except this response is so well articulated I had to quote it instead. Replace "big fluffy white dog" with "big shorthaired grey dog" and that's my answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmate Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 My goal would be to not have to work and take my dogs on hospital and aged nursing home visits i used to do this years ago when i was at school in the school holidays and i really miss that feeling you get when a special person reaches out to your dog. they tell you the same story everytime you visit but i loved it i was only 16 at the time and it made me really value life. So i would love to get back to it but not until we finish paying the mortgage and kids have finished school and i can go part time at work or win lotto.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showpony Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) Think this sums it up for me That number on her sleave could be for any dog sport - I certainly don't do agility for my ego. We're going training tonight and I'll only get to bed after 11pm. I do it for him. I believe you're doing it for him - but surely you must enjoy it too I'm not back in the ring yet, but we train every day because it's bonding - we both love it :) Hi, Of coarse I enjoy what I do with my dogs.......but I make sure my ego doesn't get in the way eg when I'm asked the question how did you go today, I never say I won, I always say my dog won......and my dogs love showing too Edited August 16, 2012 by Showpony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayly Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 To enjoy the time we have together, and make sure it as long as possible. Too many dogs are taken well before their time, I want to appreciate the time I have with my girls, and make sure they are enjoying their time here too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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