Mindfulness 101 How to Win the Game

by Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton, Esq./Mediator

Originally published: September 2014

For those of you reading this article, raise your hand if you are able to do one thing at a time to completion? Impossible? I am not so sure, but we believe we must multi-task to get everything done in a day. However, it does take commitment to remain completely focused on a project from start to finish.

What is the outcome of being mindful at a dog show? It enables you to tune in more fully to your dog. This connection can provide you with the presence to present them at their best. Being mindful, at every stage in your dogs development and presentation, can give you that winners edge, providing a tool which will consistently enable you to present yourself and your dog as winners.

Have I caught your attention? I hope so. What you will read below, if practiced, may help you to be a more effective breeder, owner and handler of your beloved breed. Personally, when I engage in mindfulness with my dogs incredible things happen.

Mindfulness is the art of clearing your mind of all distractions by meditating or being fully present where you are and what you are doing. It helps you focus and clear your mind of the extraneous distractions that come with life. It may sound Zen or Buddhist, yet recent scientific studies show that the brain expands and tests at a higher level of cognitive resource for people who practice mindfulness.

Let me fill you in on what mindfulness is according to the experts. According to Kate Pickert, the author of The Art of Being Mindful published in Time magazine’s February 3, 2014 edition, “Mindfulness is simply the giving of your full attention to what you are currently doing.” For we in the dog show world, loosely translated, mindfulness means being present in the ring, the set-up or the kennel and limiting multi-tasking.

Google brought mindfulness to Silicon Valley, where IT distractions run rampant and focus has become something highly desired. Google created and supports a program called Search Inside Yourself, a seven week program that teaches employees attention-focusing techniques. Wisdom 2.0, was created by techno enthusiasts as an annual mindfulness retreat for Silicon Valley leaders. In 2009, 325 people attended. This year attendance is expected to be seven times that of 2009. Both programs teach techno-consumed employees how to focus on single solutions. They practice the art of mindfulness, which in turn creates space for awareness of new technological innovations they can then bring to market. By eliminating distractions, they become more aware of solutions, creating outcomes and solutions that are a win/win for all.

Elizabeth Stanley of Georgetown University teamed up with Amishi Jha of the University of Miami to create a program on mindfulness for an elite US Marine Corp group. After completing their mindfulness training, the Marines’ effectiveness in stressful situations was significantly heightened and, based on these results, the NIH agreed to fund millions of dollars in continuing research.

If the above research intrigues you and you’d like to know more about how you might apply mindfulness into your own world of dog shows, focus on the following tips:

First, focus on one task at a time, become mindful of your thoughts.

Second, start with a simple observation. Begin to filter out distractions that are taking your energy away from the completion of the task at hand.

Third, if you find yourself constantly distracted by the ‘ooooh shiny’ things in life, actively refocus. Mindfulness helps you do this and creates the pathways for your brain to start slowing down.

Mindfulness also helps you see all you want to achieve as you prepare your dog for competition. It helps maintain your equilibrium. Equilibrium helps you compete at a higher level and keeps your dog balanced. Having the competitors on both ends of the lead at ease provides leads to better results for all.

By applying the three techniques outlined above you will be able to recognize when your focus drifts and this will help you actively choose to refocus. This can make a huge difference in your presence in any venue. These tools can help you win consistently, pick the best puppy from a litter, and prepare a dog for the show ring.

How do I know this? I recognize I am often mindful by accident. When I look back at my biggest successes, it occurs to me that I was singularly focused. One example of my being mindful occurs when I have puppies. I take the time out of my busy day to sit and be present with the puppies. This is where and how I learn about their personalities, movement, natural conformation and reactions to outside stimuli. I do this alone. I know what I am looking for in the puppy I intend to keep and the puppies I place with others.

I find when I remain mindful and limit outside distractions, things work out for me. An example of this was the Irish Setter National Dog Show in 2000. I went to this dog show at the last minute, remained off-site and connected with my two entered dogs the entire time. I showed these sisters myself, one in Bred-By and one in the Open Class. We won both classes. I went back in the ring on my Bred-By for the Winners competition. A wonderful junior, who co-owned my Open Bitch went in on her for Winners. My Bred-By bitch went winners and my Open Bitch went Reserve.

I realized much later that this show was the first time I had been totally focused on one thing. Mindful by accident. All the stressors of the National were surmounted because I stayed focused on what I had come to do. Distractions did not pull me off of my appointed task.

If you would like to try applying mindfulness techniques in your breeding, handling or exhibiting practice it can be as simple as clearing your mind of all distractions, focusing on the task at hand, and recognizing that when your mind drifts you have the ability to pull it back on task. The latter is the most important piece of mindfulness.

Try grooming with soft music playing in the background or turn off reality TV. Keep a hand on your dog being completely present with them. Sit in the whelping box alone and just look, listen and feel the differences in each puppy. Intuitively you will see things much clearer than you can with the naked eye.

Mindfulness 101 – It is not as new age as you may think. Science now shows it frees up mental space enabling you to focus on being present with your dog and what you are doing right now. Increased focus, heightened presence, a more balanced response and synchronicity with your furry companions make it worth a try.

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=277133

Posted by Liz on Dec 1 2023. Filed under Current Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.