Becoming the handler you imagine

Recently, a handler on a coaching call shared something that instantly stuck with me. She said getting a new dog feels like getting a 1,000-piece puzzle: the picture on the box shows you what’s possible, but you still have to slowly put everything together. And there’s no “correct” order. You start wherever you want, find pieces that make sense, skip the ones that don’t, and eventually something recognizable begins to form.

I loved it.

Not because it’s cute or clever — but because it captures something we don’t talk about enough:

every team begins with a vision, not a finished picture.

When we bring home a dog or puppy, we all do it. We imagine the partner we hope to create together. We picture the strengths they’ll grow into, the teamwork, the trust, the fun. We see the outline — that picture on the box — even if we have no clue how long it will take, what the process will look like, or which parts will surprise us.

And then?

We start building.

Training exercises.

Relationships.

Consistency.

Handling skills.

Habits.

Confidence.

Trust.

Do-overs.

Phases.

Plateaus.

Breakthroughs.

There’s no perfect order. No right first step. No universal timeline. Some things come together quickly, some things take months, and some things never quite click into the ideal shape — and that’s okay. We still create incredible teamwork with a few “missing pieces.”

But here’s what struck me as I sat with her analogy:

Handlers also come with a picture on the box — a picture of the handler they want to become — and most of us forget that we’re assembling ourselves, too.

You have a vision of the handler you want to be. Maybe you don’t say it out loud, but you know it:

• Calm under pressure.
• Clear with your cues.
• Confident, even when the environment gets spicy.
• Someone your dog can count on.
• Someone who doesn’t spiral the second a run gets messy.
• Someone who recovers quickly, adapts quickly, learns quickly.
• Someone who competes from intention, not panic.

That’s your box cover.

But just like your dog, you don’t become that handler by wishing. You become that handler by slowly assembling yourself — mindset piece by mindset piece — through time, reps, choices, and lessons.

You get to choose where you start.

Maybe confidence calls to you first.

Maybe pressure feels like the area you need most.

Maybe your emotional regulation is the piece that would make everything easier.

Maybe you want to strengthen your pre-run routine, or your focus, or your post-run habits.

There’s no wrong spot to begin.

And there’s no rule that says you have to finish all the “easy pieces” before tackling the hard ones. Some things you’ll skip and come back to later. Some will slide quickly into place. Some will feel like they belong nowhere… until one day they suddenly make sense.

You’re not behind. You’re mid-puzzle.

And that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.

The beautiful part?

The picture forms because you keep showing up.

Because you’re willing to learn.

Because you’re willing to adjust.

Because you’re willing to try again.

Because you care about becoming the handler your dog already sees.

The dog you’re building matters.

The handler you’re building matters just as much.

And if your picture doesn’t match the one you imagined on day one?

That’s not a failure — that’s your team becoming something even better than the box promised.