A Good Mentor Can Make All the Difference

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492 – June, 2022

By William Given

The importance of a good mentor to any person who is new to a breed or our sport cannot be over-emphasized. Good mentors are those amazing individuals who help instill the values we hold when it comes to breeding, developing our ability to evaluate dogs with a fair and impartial eye, and underpinning our devotion to the breed and not just our own dogs. They contribute significantly and equally to our success in the whelping box and the conformation ring. And, in the long term, they even impact–positively, I think–to the things we ultimately contribute to our breed.

Give and take

For many years now, the lack of experienced mentors has been greatly lamented and sometimes the topic of heated debate. Often heard and equally alarming are the concerns of veteran exhibitors that the novice is not really interested in learning, simply that they want to win and, with some, at any cost. So, the situation is definitely not new and each side makes some valid points.

We all want to win and most are willing to work diligently toward that end. The competitiveness of humankind has not changed, nor is it ever likely to change. After all, who wants to lose? It sucks to lose; there is just no ‘feel good’ in it.

Likewise, who wants to devote hours to schooling a novice only to have any advice given summarily dismissed. Though the problem is certainly not a new one, the current climate in our sport has emphasized that issue to a much greater extent than it used to be, and it continuously seems to be exacerbated by some on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Keep It Casual

Click here to read the complete article
492 – June, 2022

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jun 6 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.