"Knock the 't' off the can't." George Reeves

Issue: January, 2003

Publisher & Editor: Diane Peters Mayer
Co-editor: Vanessa Klapper

A. PeakSpeak

Hello and welcome to all of our readers and the many new subscribers who have signed on.

It's hard to believe that this is the beginning of the second year of PeakNews. It's been a wonderful journey, and we're looking forward to making the upcoming issues informative and interesting.

It's fitting that PeakNews has some changes for the new year. First, Vanessa will be moving from New York City to southern California within the next few weeks. She'll be living on Balboa Island and working in Irvine, but still contributing to PeakNews. That said, we are in the initial planning stages of holding a six hour seminar for handlers and dogs in southern California, sometime in 2004. If any readers from that area know good training facilities that rent space please contact us at CAYPNews@aol.com Thanks.

Secondly, we are beginning a new column called Readers Corner, which will feature readers contributions of in-the-news stories, poems, editorial comments, or anything that you've found funny, poignant, inspiring, beneficial, etc., that you'd like to share. To start Readers Corner off, we feature "The Last Will and Testament" of a very special dog.

We'd like to remind you that we now welcome pictures of you and your fantastic canine companions along with your submissions. You can scan and email them to sheri@virtualhelpinghand.com or snail mail your photos to: Sheri Huffman, 2701 Creek Valley Dr., Garland, TX 75040.

January's Training Tip follows up on December's, that is, looking at what you want to achieve during this year, and how to begin to go about doing it.

BookPicks features Karen Pryor's, Don't Shoot The Dog.

PeakNews offers a unique format in which to engage and connect with handlers from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and South Africa on a topic that may be difficult to think about and discuss otherwise. We need you to share personal stories, questions and comments, poems, etc. Your confidentiality is assured if you request it, writing experience is not necessary, and length is unimportant. Submission deadline for the February 2003 issue is February 20th.

Please join us to become the handler of your dreams. Your dog will thank you!

Enjoy.

Diane & Vanessa

B. Training Tip of the Month

Fear of Failure

In the December 2002 short issue of PeakNews, we recommended that you look back at your 2002 training and competing experiences to see what you achieved, what you didn't and what needs work. (Click to see Dec. note)

Then we asked you to look ahead to 2003, and envision and define what goals you wish to achieve and how to begin to go about planning to attain them. We also suggested writing down the barriers that might stop you.

This month's Training Tip will take a look at a major hindrance to attaining success: The Fear of Failure.

Most of us can relate to how anxiety producing it is to set about achieving a big goal:

• you're afraid that you'll be soundly defeated, and never be able to reach it
  
  
• other life circumstances will get in the way, and you won't have the time or energy to follow through.
  
  
• you self-sabotage and fear you'll fail again.
  
  
• you can't tolerate the normal setbacks that occur.
  
  
• you are a perfectionist, and the natural ups and downs of the learning process may throw you into early defeat, or not even allow you to begin.
  
  
• you engage in negative self-talk and are constantly berating yourself with your limitations or inability to become successful.

What can you do?

Exercise: write down the following:

This exercise can be uncomfortable and difficult It is holding up a mirror and taking a long hard look at yourself. In order to overcome the Fear Of Failure, it is extremely important to be conscious and honest about your present expertise, your thoughts, mental images and behavior.

Though frightening to do so, it is the unexamined life that can trip you up, block your goals and ultimately keep you from success. So, hold up the mirror and look deeply into it.

C. Readers' Corner

The following was written by American dramatist, Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), author of: "Desire Under the Elms," "Mourning Becomes Electra," "The Iceman Cometh," etc. for his wife just before his beloved Dalmatian Blemie died of old age in December 1940. O'Neill was awarded the 1936 Nobel Prize in Literature. This is an abridged version. To read it in its entirety, go to: http://www.superdog.com/petloss/lastwill.htm. Enjoy.

The Last Will and Testament of an Extremely Distinguished Dog

I, Silverdene Emblem O'Neill (familiarly known to my family, friends and acquaintances as Blemie), because the burden of my years and infirmities is heavy upon me, and I realize the end of my life is near, do hereby bury my last will and testament in the mind of my Master. He will not know it is there until after I am dead. Then, remembering me in his loneliness, he will suddenly know of this testament, and I ask him then to inscribe it as a memorial to me.

I have little in the way of material things to leave. Dogs are wiser than men. They do not set great stores upon things. They do not waste their days hoarding property. They do not ruin their sleep worrying about how to keep the objects they have, and to obtain objects they do not have.

There is nothing of value I have to bequeath except my love and my faith. These I leave to all those who have loved me, especially to my Master and Mistress, who I know will mourn me the most.

I ask my Master and my Mistress to remember me always, but not to grieve for me too long. In my life I have tried to be a comfort to them in time of sorrow, and a reason for added joy in their happiness. It is painful for me to think that even in death I should cause them pain.

Let them remember that while no dog has ever had a happier life (and this I owe to their love and care for me), now that I have grown blind and deaf and lame, and even my sense of smell fails me so that a rabbit could be right under my nose and I might not know, my pride has sunk to a sick, bewildered humiliation. I feel life is taunting me with having over lingered my welcome. It is time I said good-bye, before I become too sick a burden on myself and on those who love me.

It will be a sorrow to leave them, but not a sorrow to die. Dogs do not fear death as men do. We accept it as part of life, not as something alien and terrible which destroys life. What may come after death, who knows?

I would like to believe there is a Paradise. Where one is always young and fullbladdered. Where all that day one dillies and dallies. Where each blissful hour is mealtime.

Where in long evenings there are a million fireplaces with logs forever burning, and one curls oneself up and blinks into the flames and nods and dreams, remembering the old brave days on earth and the love of one's Master and Mistress.

I am afraid this is too much for even such a dog as I am to expect. But peace, at least, is certain. Peace and long rest for weary old heart and head and limbs, and eternal sleep in the earth I have loved so well. Perhaps, after all, this is best.

One last request I earnestly make. I have heard my Mistress say, "When Blemie dies we must never have another dog. I love him so much I could never love another one."

Now I would ask her, for love of me, to have another. It would be a poor tribute to my memory never to have a dog again.

What I would like to feel is that, having once had me in the family, now she cannot live without a dog!

I have never had a narrow, jealous spirit. I have always held that most dogs are good.

My successor can hardly be as well bred or as well mannered or as distinguished as I was in my prime. My Master and Mistress must not ask the impossible. But he will do his best, I am sure, and even his inevitable defects will help by comparison to keep my memory green.

To him I bequeath my collar and leash and my overcoat and raincoat. He can never wear them with the distinction I did, all eyes fixed on me in admiration: but again I am sure he will do his utmost not to appear a mere gauche provincial dog.

Here on the ranch, he may prove himself quite worthy of comparison, in some respects. He will, I presume, come closer to jackrabbits than I have been able to in recent years. And, for all his faults, I hereby wish him the happiness I know will be his in my old home.

One last word of farewell, dear Master and Mistress.

Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also with happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long, happy life with you: "here lies one who loved us and whom we loved."

No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.

Note: Please share your stories with us. To submit a story, please write to us at: CAYPNews@aol.com

D. Book Picks - Here's a book that can be a very useful tool in teaching you to set yourself up for success and help you achieve your goals for 2003. It can be purchased from Amazon.com by clicking on the book title or image:

Don't Shoot The Dog!

by Karen Pryor

A guide on how to use positive reinforcement on any animal, (including yourself!), to change behavior, and get great results.

E. Announcements & Coming Events

Seminar - COMBATING RING NERVES FOR ALL DOG SPORTS
For Handlers and Their Dogs

Saturday March 1, 2003 - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Blairstown, NJ

Make plans to join us and learn to:

• Break the cycle of negative thinking
• Relax and focus with exercises that work
• Move smoothly in the ring
• Stop standing in your own way
• Channel those "nerves" into a great performance
• Practice with your dog in simulated show situations

We've added great new techniques to help you beat "ring nerves"!

Register now and see the difference a day makes!

$135.00 for seminar and materials.

Click here to register
or call Diane at 215-348-8836

Can't make the Seminar?

STOP "RING NERVES" FROM HOME with our Audio Ring Nerve Program for All Dog Sports, with Training Manual.

• Great Exercises & Techniques
• A Super Quickie Stress-Buster
• Guided Imagery to mentally rehearse your perfect performance
• Terrific Training Tips.

This program will help you do it!

The Audio Program & Manual is $29.95 plus $6.00 S&H in US. (PA residents add $1.80 sales tax). International add $10.00 S&H.

To read more about it or purchase by check or secure credit card, please click here.

or call Diane at 215-348-8836.

F. Requests

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G. Invitations

If you enjoyed PeakNews we invite you to forward it, intact please, to other handlers who might benefit from it.

Thank you! See you next month.

**Note: Columns may vary from month to month.

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