05/25/2026
Long. But worth the read.
I subscribe to James Clear's newsletter. Today, he sent this quote:
"When you lose a game, the score doesn't transfer to the next contest, but your habits certainly will.
Circumstances are temporary. Sometimes you're winning, sometimes you're losing. Hot, cold. Lucky, unlucky. But your habits travel with you. This is why you want to execute the same way whether the score is 10-0 or 0-10. Not because the score doesn't matter, but because the score isn't what you're actually building.
It's not about winning or losing any given round. It's about doing things the right way. If you have a chance to practice your craft, you want to do it as well as you can (even if you end up losing that day). Your previous reps can save you or betray you. The habits always translate to the next round."
~James Clear
Here's why it matters for us as retriever handlers.
๐๐๐ซ๐'๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก: It's SO easy to get caught up in results. That ribbon. That placement. That qualifying score. But here's what you need to understand. Those results don't affect next week's test or next month's trial.
What DOES affect next week's test?
โ Your habits.
โ Your mindset
โ Your focus
โ Your discipline
โ Your knowledge
The dog that nails the 3rd series water blind? That performance didn't just happen. It's built on hundreds of training sessions where the handler had the HABIT of:
- Reading the factors and understanding the danger zones
- Taking their time on line
- Knowing exactly where their dog is looking
- Having confidence that their dog understands the 'rules' around the water
- Casting with clarity, consistently, every single time
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐. They require more setup, more planning, more energy.
Learning to set up clean, effective marking tests is harder than just chucking bumpers. Setting up a 3-peat blind is more work than throwing one blind in with your marks. Consistently enforcing your standards when you're tired or your dog is having an off day? That takes discipline.
But going through that hassle in training...that's what ultimately makes your performance in competition second nature.
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Because here's the reality: Every single training session is a chance to build good habits - or reinforce bad habits.
When you let your dog creep on the line "just this once" because you're tired?
๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐.
When you blow a whistle and watch your dog loop 8 yards to the right?
๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐.
When your dog makes noise and you send them anyway?
๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐.
Your dog doesn't know it's "just training." They're learning what you'll accept. They're building habits - good or bad - based on what you do consistently.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐. ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐. But the way you trained leading up to it? Those habits are coming with you to the next one. And the next one. And the next one.
So ask yourself: What habits am I building right now? What am I practicing when nobody's watching?
Because your previous reps can save you or betray you.
The habits always translate to the next test.
Train like it matters. Because it does.
~ Kevin
