Let go and let dog... lessons in non-attachment

The 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace is a book written by my guru Dr. Wayne Dyer. I first bought this book a few years ago, and just bought my fifth copy, because I keep giving it away to people. It is a delightful little book with pastel graphics to illustrate his 10 Secrets. He originally wrote the ten secrets as a speech for his daughter's graduating class, then decided to publish them for everyone.

I just bought a 50-Card Deck with the ten secrets printed on each card. There are five points to be made for each secret. I have decided to read one card a day as something to meditate on, for both life and specifically as it relates to my dog training.

Today's card is from the first secret which is:

HAVE A MIND THAT IS OPEN TO EVERYTHING AND ATTACHED TO NOTHING.
Open your mind to all possibilities...

I like this one because it is how I try to train my dogs. For many years I have tried to keep an open mind about the many methods out there for teaching tracking, then use whatever tool works for a specific dog - whether it is my dog, or a dog in a class or clinic. 

In dog training, people often get attached to one method, even to one breed. This can cause strife between people whose attachments raise barriers and create conflict. In the big world, attachments to ideas, beliefs, complaints, history and attitudes can cause the same kind of disharmony.

I am trying to understand the Buddhist idea of non-attachment. Another of my favourite teachers is the Zen Master and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He writes: Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints.

This is hard to understand and probably even harder to put into practice. Non-attachment doesn't mean detachment. It does mean you free yourself from the affects of harmful emotions that result from being attached to anything too strongly. It also means you are able to "let it go" and not hold grudges or resentments. When you are not attached, you are able to remain inwardly peaceful no matter what is going on or what is being said around you. If you've spent any time at any competitive event (dog events included), you know that this would be a good thing to master!

Here is a quote from me! I like to say "LET GO AND LET DOG..." to people when I describe tracking. One of the reasons I find tracking such a rewarding hobby is that it teaches us to let go in a very practical way - if we could not let go of our desire to control our dogs, guide them, and make the decisions - we would never trust our dogs to take us on the right path, or track!

This is "letting go" of your attachment to the outcome. When we try to calm our nerves in a tracking test, it would be good to remember non-attachment. By letting go of the outcome through non-attachment - we also stop desiring so strongly that it clouds our thinking...for example - I want to get River's UTDX very badly and have a TCH dog. But this desire could make me so nervous that I am strongly attached to passing and this will affect both my handling and my nerves in a test. It might even affect my training, and take the joy and fun out of it.

As I try to understand non-attachment - I think in this case I must focus on each present moment with River. She is 10 and I have to remember to be in the moment with her, appreciating the opportunity to follow her on a track.

And yet - I will remain open to all possibilities, including the possibility that we will pass at a test. I am open to everything, and attached to nothing.

Whew. This is tough stuff. This is only card one of 50 and my brain hurts!