19/05/2026
If you've hung around with me for longer than five minutes, you know I have a few sayings I like to throw around.
๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐จ๐ถ๐บ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐บ. ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐๐.
It's the same in the herding world. Lots of people dream of sending their dog up a hill for sheep. A few will actually figure out how to put their dog on stock for the first time. Out of those, a handful will make herding a regular part of their life โ because once you've seen what a dog is capable of, it works its way into you. Makes you think about sheep and dogs when you should be counting them as you try to drift off to sleep.
And out of those people who source the sheep, find the mentors, book the clinics, some will stick it out long enough to go to the post.
If you're reading this, you should know how far ahead of most of the world you already are.
You are already closer to winning the International Supreme than most of the world.
Even if your goals feel miles away and your dreams impossible โ you're ahead of the curve.
For a long time, I was laser focused on the NHL player side of things. I was going to win the USBCHA finals, make the world team, be a Big Hat. The funny thing is, the harder I chased the top, the more I struggled โ and more importantly, the less fun I was having.
Then I remembered what hockey with friends on a homemade rink actually feels like. Sure, the ice isn't always great. You lose a few pucks in the snowbanks. And there was no way I was ever going to be a Guy Lafleur. (That's an easter egg โ if you know, you know. And if you know, you also have a pretty good idea of how old I am and where I played shinny.)
So I went back to playing with my dogs. I let go of the scoreboard.
And once I did that โ not only did we start having more fun, but we got better on the trial field.
We still train. We still focus on fitness. What we don't do is obsess over problems. I work more on fundamentals than big outruns. I set up challenges that make the dogs think, rather than grinding cross drives. And when I'm not in the right headspace, instead of dragging my frustrations out to the training field โ we take a walk in the woods. Or we just hang out. Not really doing anything.
Maybe you're just at the beginning of your herding journey. Maybe you signed up for a free mini course with no idea what herding was really about โ just wanting to see your dog do what it was bred for. If you haven't signed up for my free mini course yet, guess what? There's a link in the comments. ๐
Or maybe you're further along and deep in the thick of it, where it starts to get hard. Where it's easy to forget why you started.
Think back to what hooked you in the first place. Focus on what brings you joy. You might find that by having fun, you reach your goals almost by accident.
