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Impossible vs Difficult

11K views 43 replies 34 participants last post by  Steve Shaver 
#1 ·
I have read with great interest the recent threads on how impossible Field trials are and the Field Trial vs Hunt Tests threads. By no means am I an expert in either venue but I will admit to titling dogs in both venues. Was it easy? Of course not. Impossible, certainly not. As a complete and utter newbie, I started Hunt Test with Tollers. As I didn't really know anyone that had this breed that was running successfully at the upper levels, I neglected to do my research. If i had done some research I would have learned that there were no Master Hunter Tollers. In fact, Tollers were not an AKC breed. So in order to play the game I did NAHRA and I went to Canada and ran CKC Hunt tests. Thank goodness no one mentioned to me that I had undertaken an impossible task. Was it tough to get good assistance? Of course. No one really wanted a San Francisco Bay Area House Wife and her 32 pound red fluff ball. But one trainer, did. I am forever grateful to Jim Dobbs for NOT] sending me away and telling me not to bother, telling me I would NEVER succeed. It was impossible. Instead, Jim said, let's give it a try. So we did.

I guess that saying where there is a will there is.........That dog ended up getting Master titles in three venues. Enter, a black lab puppy. She was left over from a litter. No one really wanted Lily. She was small, from a good Dam and a good sire, but not a well known breeding. I took her. My first Field Trial dog, FC/AFC Knollwood Sweet Lily and she qualified for two Nationals in spite of battling injuries from about five. Lily is pretty much retired now. Oh, then there is Shooter, my next Toller, both CKC and AKC Master titles. Passed the Master National in both the US and Canada. Now for the truly impossible, Qualified All Age.

Did I have great mentoring? You bet I did. Did I work hard? Yep. Have I been lucky? Unbelievably Lucky. Did I have the resources to play? Yes, I did. But Impossible. Nope.

Everyone starts with that first dog. Of course it is easier if that first one is a good one. But the road to titling dogs has been traveled by many and everyone started at the beginning.

Please understand that I absolutely did not list my accomplishments to solicit kudos, but rather to encourage not discourage people from trying. I am sure that i was voted least likely to continue in the sport from many who saw me and Halsey back in the year 2000. I take great pride in the "trying".

I don't think any of the Athletes competing in the Olympics would tell you that it has been easy. They have worked unbelievably hard. Field Trials are hard. Lot's of disappointment. The journey, unbelievably rewarding.

If you want to get better, you will. If you want to go far, you can. I do agree you must have the right dog. You need good training, good grounds and all the right stuff, but it is NOT impossible.

A great quote by Robert F. Kennedy. "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."


I am so hesitant to post this. I am not very thick skinned. I don't want lots of awful things said to me. I am going to post this hoping that one more person gives the impossible a try. What a ride.

All the best to all of you that love your dogs and dare to dream. In fact, I'm all about dreaming again with two young dogs.

Respectfully,

Nancy White
 
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#2 ·
I have read with great interest the recent threads on how impossible Field trials are and the Field Trial vs Hunt Tests threads. By no means am I an expert in either venue but I will admit to titling dogs in both venues. Was it easy? Of course not. Impossible, certainly not. As a complete and utter newbie, I started Hunt Test with Tollers. As I didn't really know anyone that had this breed that was running successfully at the upper levels, I neglected to do my research. If i had done some research I would have learned that there were no Master Hunter Tollers. In fact, Tollers were not an AKC breed. So in order to play the game I did NAHRA and I went to Canada and ran CKC Hunt tests. Thank goodness no one mentioned to me that I had undertaken an impossible task. Was it tough to get good assistance? Of course. No one really wanted a San Francisco Bay Area House Wife and her 32 pound red fluff ball. But one trainer, did. I am forever grateful to Jim Dobbs for NOT] sending me away and telling me not to bother, telling me I would NEVER succeed. It was impossible. Instead, Jim said, let's give it a try. So we did.

I guess that saying where there is a will there is.........That dog ended up getting Master titles in three venues. Enter, a black lab puppy. She was left over from a litter. No one really wanted Lily. She was small, from a good Dam and a good sire, but not a well known breeding. I took her. My first Field Trial dog, FC/AFC Knollwood Sweet Lily and she qualified for two Nationals in spite of battling injuries from about five. Lily is pretty much retired now. Oh, then there is Shooter, my next Toller, both CKC and AKC Master titles. Passed the Master National in both the US and Canada. Now for the truly impossible, Qualified All Age.

Did I have great mentoring? You bet I did. Did I work hard? Yep. Have I been lucky? Unbelievably Lucky. Did I have the resources to play? Yes, I did. But Impossible. Nope.



Everyone starts with that first dog. Of course it is easier if that first one is a good one. But the road to titling dogs has been traveled by many and everyone started at the beginning.

Please understand that I absolutely did not list my accomplishments to solicit kudos, but rather to encourage not discourage people from trying. I am sure that i was voted least likely to continue in the sport from many who saw me and Halsey back in the year 2000. I take great pride in the "trying".

I don't think any of the Athletes competing in the Olympics would tell you that it has been easy. They have worked unbelievably hard. Field Trials are hard. Lot's of disappointment. The journey, unbelievably rewarding.

If you want to get better, you will. If you want to go far, you can. I do agree you must have the right dog. You need good training, good grounds and all the right stuff, but it is NOT impossible.

A great quote by Robert F. Kennedy. "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."


I am so hesitant to post this. I am not very thick skinned. I don't want lots of awful things said to me. I am going to post this hoping that one more person gives the impossible a try. What a ride.

All the best to all of you that love your dogs and dare to dream. In fact, I'm all about dreaming again with two young dogs.

Respectfully,

Nancy White

Nancy thank you for your post, thank you. This was well stated and I couldn't agree more with what you state here. I truly understand your hesitance to post as many here seem to imply "how dare you, you do this without getting their approval". Thank you! Hopefully this will provide the encouragement many "newbies" need without the bashing they often get here,

BW
 
#22 ·
Nancy thank you for your post, thank you. This was well stated and I couldn't agree more with what you state here. I truly understand your hesitance to post as many here seem to imply "how dare you, you do this without getting their approval". Thank you! Hopefully this will provide the encouragement many "newbies" need without the bashing they often get here,

BW
Hi BW,

We exchanged notes privately. I'm now asking you publicly.

Let it go. Please let it go. I welcome you here, but the ongoing jabs at this forum and its users needs to stop.

Why not lead by example? If you want to influence the forum users to use the resource reasonably and to add value, please do the same and don't keep falling back to the same old negative stuff.

Fair enough?

Thanks, Chris
 
#4 ·
I have read with great interest the recent threads on how impossible Field trials are and the Field Trial vs Hunt Tests threads. By no means am I an expert in either venue but I will admit to titling dogs in both venues. Was it easy? Of course not. Impossible, certainly not. As a complete and utter newbie, I started Hunt Test with Tollers. As I didn't really know anyone that had this breed that was running successfully at the upper levels, I neglected to do my research. If i had done some research I would have learned that there were no Master Hunter Tollers. In fact, Tollers were not an AKC breed. So in order to play the game I did NAHRA and I went to Canada and ran CKC Hunt tests. Thank goodness no one mentioned to me that I had undertaken an impossible task. Was it tough to get good assistance? Of course. No one really wanted a San Francisco Bay Area House Wife and her 32 pound red fluff ball. But one trainer, did. I am forever grateful to Jim Dobbs for NOT] sending me away and telling me not to bother, telling me I would NEVER succeed. It was impossible. Instead, Jim said, let's give it a try. So we did.

I guess that saying where there is a will there is.........That dog ended up getting Master titles in three venues. Enter, a black lab puppy. She was left over from a litter. No one really wanted Lily. She was small, from a good Dam and a good sire, but not a well known breeding. I took her. My first Field Trial dog, FC/AFC Knollwood Sweet Lily and she qualified for two Nationals in spite of battling injuries from about five. Lily is pretty much retired now. Oh, then there is Shooter, my next Toller, both CKC and AKC Master titles. Passed the Master National in both the US and Canada. Now for the truly impossible, Qualified All Age.

Did I have great mentoring? You bet I did. Did I work hard? Yep. Have I been lucky? Unbelievably Lucky. Did I have the resources to play? Yes, I did. But Impossible. Nope.

Everyone starts with that first dog. Of course it is easier if that first one is a good one. But the road to titling dogs has been traveled by many and everyone started at the beginning.

Please understand that I absolutely did not list my accomplishments to solicit kudos, but rather to encourage not discourage people from trying. I am sure that i was voted least likely to continue in the sport from many who saw me and Halsey back in the year 2000. I take great pride in the "trying".

I don't think any of the Athletes competing in the Olympics would tell you that it has been easy. They have worked unbelievably hard. Field Trials are hard. Lot's of disappointment. The journey, unbelievably rewarding.

If you want to get better, you will. If you want to go far, you can. I do agree you must have the right dog. You need good training, good grounds and all the right stuff, but it is NOT impossible.

A great quote by Robert F. Kennedy. "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."


I am so hesitant to post this. I am not very thick skinned. I don't want lots of awful things said to me. I am going to post this hoping that one more person gives the impossible a try. What a ride.

All the best to all of you that love your dogs and dare to dream. In fact, I'm all about dreaming again with two young dogs.

Respectfully,

Nancy White
Nancy : we will always be grateful to you for believing in the our litter (FC AFC Hiwood Jaguar MH x Sweet Nola) and putting Lily in the spotlight by campaigning her to 2nd on the '07 Derby list and then putting an FC and AFC titles along with qualifying for the Nationals...You proved to be a very good student by learning from Mr Dobbs and then furthering your education and success with Karl and Cindy Gunzer..

Lily went to the right owner, she went to YOU...Congrats on a great career for your gal

Thanks again,

the Mallari family (Clint, MaryKent,Bon)
 
#6 ·
I am sure that i was voted least likely to continue in the sport from many who saw me and Halsey back in the year 2000.
As someone that judged you and Halsey back in the NAHRA days and later in AKC tests, I have to disagree with this statement. That little red dog did impressive work. It took lots of commitment to get any retriever to that level.

Russ
 
#8 ·
Impossible vs Difficult your dreams could be your dog's nightmares. It's amazing what we make our dogs do to stroke our egos. Was it worth it from your dog's point of view? I doubt it. We have gotten so far from hunting situations, especially field trials, that we can hardly make the connection between them and we expect the dogs to cope with it. I hope your dog gets as much out of being a titled dog as you do. I'm not criticizing you but just viewing things from the dog's point of view. We should stand back some times and make sure we have our dog's best interests at heart while we are on the road to even more accomplishments.
 
#9 ·
I've never seen a titled dog that wouldn't rather train than live. Most also hunt and love that just as much or more, but duck season is only 60 days. Training can be all year. That dog doesn't know if it has any titles,but I guarantee you the dog enjoyed the journey.
 
#10 ·
Thank you Nancy.
As a person who got a dog never intending to enter this world I'm now on dog #2 and can't wait for the next. Your post reminds me of the famous "Road to Ithaca" poem where its more about the pursuit of dreams than the destination.

Eugene
 
#12 ·
This poem was recently printed in RTFN.

"What is a title really"

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores; a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in the world can remain. And though the dog herself doesn't know or care that her achievements have been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count. A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.



In addition, a title says that you love your dog. That you loved to spend time with her because she was a good dog and that you believed in her enough to give her yet another chance when she (or you!) failed and in the end your faith was justified. A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few. That in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return.

And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend. Volumes of praise in one small set of initials after a name. An obedience (agility, flyball, herding, tracking, lure coursing, conformation) title is nothing less than the true love and respect, given and received and recorded permanently

Respectfully

Nancy White
 
#13 ·
In Part

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.
 
#14 ·
Beautiful thread, Nancy, lovely inspiration.
 
#21 ·
I guess that saying where there is a will there is.........That dog ended up getting Master titles in three venues. Enter, a black lab puppy. She was left over from a litter. No one really wanted Lily. She was small, from a good Dam and a good sire, but not a well known breeding. I took her. My first Field Trial dog, FC/AFC Knollwood Sweet Lily and she qualified for two Nationals in spite of battling injuries from about five. Lily is pretty much retired now.
It was a joy watching her run weekend trials in Georgia, and then in 2011 in Cali at the Nat. Open. (I still wear the lucky sweat shirt the 3 of us got) Lily was a very impressive girl, and I'm sorry to hear she is retired. You've worked hard with your dogs, and deserve every bit of success you achieve and more.

Thanks so much for your post...

Take care-
 
#26 ·
Thank You Nancy for your story.

Like you I have ran several different venue, I always say you have to find your own success in these games. If the only success is winning you will be sadly disappointed playing these games.

Every time I got my a$$ sent home packing, was a good opportunity to reflect on what we need to work on.

Thanks again David
 
#27 ·
jonathan and dr. ed,
classic simultaneous opinions.

cooper,
horses know they are in a race. dogs know they are in a trial. they also know if they win......if only by our reaction to their performance. i think the males who win a lot know they are special because they get lots of sex!

thanks nancy!
 
#28 ·
I have read with great interest the recent threads on how impossible Field trials are and the Field Trial vs Hunt Tests threads. By no means am I an expert in either venue but I will admit to titling dogs in both venues. Was it easy? Of course not. Impossible, certainly not. As a complete and utter newbie,
I shortened the post though I agree with it to bring you this from Nancy's early endeavors. She's @ Warm Springs which can get fairly cool in the fall, complete with her CA wardrobe of very light clothes. My thought at the time - she'll either change her wardrobe or won't be around long. She changed her wardrobe :cool:. It's funny the things you remember about this sport & the individuals who stay.
 
#34 ·
Miss Nancy your post is a delightful read to me. I got in this sport because I loved dogs. I also liked sports. The idea of competing with the dogs just went hand in hand. I never had any huge successes but the action has kept me going. I don't run much now but this spring I am judging 4 events to give back to this great game.. Thank you for helping newbies understand this thing we do...,:D
 
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