Your dog gets absolutely nothing out of being competitive for you. Not a darn thing. Of course dogs are bred for specific jobs, or they’re bred to be athletic to a certain degree.
They have no idea how much money is added to the pot. They have no idea that this is a qualifier. They have no idea that this is the World.
And DESPITE us... DESPITE our nerves, our flaws, our incorrect cues, our huge emotions, they get the job done to their very best ability. Even when we fail them by letting our emotions get in the way, they come back and they try again. For US. Let that sink in. If only we could all be so understanding.
To think of an animal that is forgiving and flexible enough to put up with the repetition of practice, the intense nerves of the handler, the stress of hauling and they will still meet you at the end of their lead ready to go is MIND BLOWING.
If you haven’t done so lately. Thank your dog
If you’re successful, thank the dogs that put you there and made you. Thank the dogs that gave everything they had for you simply because you ASKED them to.
If you’re still on the journey to success, thank the dogs that made you fall in love with your sport and who have helped give you the confidence to want to learn more and be better.
We can never stop learning as dog men and dog women, and by continuing our education. Every dog in our future will be better off.
Next time you head to a show, or trial, leave your ego at the door and thank your dog!"

Is your dog a different animal when the e-collar is on verses when it’s not on ?
When you got to a competition does your dog act different ? When you air your dog with e-collar on does he air out properly ? If your dog is barking and you put a e-collar on him does he quit barking ? Is your dog super watery in trading then at a trial is very cheaty ? Is your dog super steady on training but wild at a competition ? If your dog fits in one or more of these categories he is most likely COLLAR WISE.
How does a dog become collar wise? Short answer is the trainer is over reliant on the e-collar. Let me also say that after 2-3 competitions all dogs are “collar wise”. We as a society are becoming extremely lazy. How often have u been calling your dog and he is ignoring you, then you get mad and finally catch him and slap the e-collar on him and start correcting him ? This is the absolutely worst thing you could do. Another scenario is in the airing yard or around the kennel your dog is not very obedient and you don’t try to enforce it much but when young o train you are super strict on obedience. Well obedience is obedience, no matter in the airing yard or the field. Another sure sign of a dog being collar wise is when you’re at a ft or ht and you have to pick him up for whatever reason and you yell “no here”does the dog either ignore you “collar wise”, “ come running back to you like nothing is wrong “collar wise”, or act like it’s in trouble ? The third option is the best response. Now, this dog is still collar wise, but it also respects the handler as the main form of discipline not some object hanging from his neck.
My dogs know from 8 wks on that I’m the one doing the correcting and I’m also the one paying them. I want my dogs to perform every single task with all their heart and soul. I want them to run blinds as fast as they run for a flyer. I can assure you that doesn’t come from the dog fearing the correction. That comes from the dog wanting to perform the task with his whole heart and soul. I think one of the biggest overlooked aspects in retriever training is a relationship with your dog. Pros are the worst at that because of the numbers we deal with.
I train a lot with no collar on. I also train a lot with collar on and no remote. Sometimes I have to walk all the way out into the field. I’m not saying I like it, but it’s very important for the dog to realize that I absolutely can still come correct you. Now obviously you must be smart about when you run with no collar. There are multiple forms of correction: e-collar, stick, prong, my hands, and also I use a ton of self discovery. Hope this helps some of you.