Episode 015 - The Champion's Journey - Kayl McCann
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Intro
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[00:00:00]
Kayl McCann: my dad, I remember him telling me.
Very young that like you need to remember that everybody is watching you every second of the day that you are here. Whether you're picking up poo in the backfield or whether you're in the middle of the ring, everybody's watching you. And at the end of the day, people care less about your accolades and they care more about the type of person that you present yourself to be.
I created something called the Bitter Burn. I'll go somewhere by myself, either have a good cry or be pissed off, or call my mom, whatever, whatever it is, call my best friend and just be like, oh, I'm so disappointed in myself.
And when I talk to any non dog people, they're like, oh my gosh, that's amazing. You go to Sweden, like what do you get when you win? Like, how much money do you get? And I'm thinking, I'm thinking, oh my God, I can't tell them that. Like I'm spending $6,000 to go over for two minutes and I get absolutely nothing
Intro to KaylInterview with Kayl
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Christoffer: hi my name is Christoffer Endresen and welcome to the Champions Journey. Today [00:01:00] I have a very special guest it's Kayl McCann I had the pleasure to meet Kayl in person at WAO I think it's two years ago now or at least one and
A half years ago Did you think
Kayl McCann: Oh yeah. I think two years ago
Christoffer: We had a really cool conversation I gave her my t-shirt I think she I hope she still have the t-shirt
Kayl McCann: I do, I do have your t-shirt still.
Christoffer: and yeah we had a long conversation and we just bonded and that was so fun And we met a couple of times also in Sweden this year at the AWC which was fun to catch up But I also asked you if you
Kayl McCann: totally.
Christoffer: on this podcast to share your story your journey and now we're here
Kayl McCann: Yay. I'm so excited. Thank you for having me.
Christoffer: And so probably some people know who you are you have the McCann dog training facilities in Canada How far is it from Toronto
Kayl McCann: We're like 45 minutes outside of Toronto, so like, not [00:02:00] quite in city, but we're yeah, about 45 minutes or so. So not too far.
Christoffer: And how big is the facility if you don't mind me asking
Kayl McCann: Yeah, it's it's quite big. So we have, like three training halls like within the facility that offer like different levels of classes that often run at the same time. And then we have a really nice agility arena. And being in Canada, it's heated, so that means that I get to play agility in like a turf cozy place all year round, which I am internally grateful for.
We have a dock diving pool and then we have about 22 acres of, of land. So yeah, it's a pretty big establishment. My parents it's my family's business, so my parents started it a long time ago. And it is really kind of exciting because when they started they were like renting out church basements and fair halls and things like that.
And then obviously over time they were able to build up enough of a [00:03:00] business that they could like. Grow it. And it's, it had been a dream of theirs. So now I'm, I've got big shoes to fill because they're retired and I have the family legacy hanging on my shoulders and I have to make sure that I don't screw it up.
So yeah. So, but, but yeah, it's, it's a pretty cool facility. We're super lucky.
Christoffer: sounds like dog heaven basically
Kayl McCann: Yeah. And anything you wanna do with your dog, you basically can, which is, which was kind of the goal. We want people to like, come and like, wanna do stuff with their dog. We want them to be part of the family and like, you know, relationship building, give them something to do, give the dog something to do that's fun, create community, all of that fun stuff.
So it's it's a pretty great place to be. I'm, I'm lucky that it's where I get to go to work every day. And the people that we have there too are just awesome. It's like basically like going to hang out with your buddies all day long. So it's, it's great.
Christoffer: cool One of the things I usually start this podcast was is asking people like how was your life before agility But in your case it's like you were born into [00:04:00] it
Kayl McCann: Yeah, totally. That's so true. I think I did my very first agility competition when I was six years old. And I, you just really couldn't stop me since then. I really loved it. And back then, like this was quite a long time ago now they didn't have things like junior handlers and, and development programs and stuff, which I look at now and think like, oh my gosh, that would've been so awesome when I was a kid to, to be a part of those types of things.
But my parents were great. They, you know, were very high level obedience trainers like competitive obedience trainers. And then they did agility and then they were actually really into Flyball for years. And so I just kind of grew up going to dog shows and being around it all. And they never really, like, I have two siblings and they carted us around everywhere, but they were not, they didn't really push us to do it.
They just sorta, you know, they got me a dog. I asked for a dog. I think I got her when I was three. I [00:05:00] was little. I didn't, I wasn't doing anything. They trained her for me. And basically by the time I was six, she was trained by them well enough that I could run her around the course. And I got, I lucked out.
She was a border collie who was like. Sweet as pie would do anything for anybody. And so it, it, I think it would, it made it to be a very positive, good experience for me. And I think I just kind of like got turned on from there. And then went on to have lots of dogs. But my introduction was a really positive one.
Which I think was helpful because I think it could have gone both ways when I went, became a teenager and started partying and going out with my friends and stuff. But because I had this thing that I really enjoyed, I would like get home at a reasonable hour or get my butt outta bed the next morning after, you know, being 18-year-old and then you know, go to the competition and like switch my brain on.
And I took, I always took it really seriously because I think it just was naturally passionate. Whereas like my brother and sister, same household, same grownup, they're not in dogs at all. [00:06:00] So it's just, it's just sort of funny how it works out that way.
Christoffer: Had enough of dogs maybe
Kayl McCann: Maybe they were like, this girl's taking it all. I'm outta here.
I need to find something else that I can do. I probably ruined it for them looking back, but oh well they're doing just fine by the way.
Christoffer: I think so And I believe so And but it's very interesting One thing that you talked about especially during your teenage years like how important was agility for you back then and was difficult for you to social events in order to prioritize agility
Kayl McCann: Yes and no. I think what ended up happening is I had a few, I'm like, if you put me in a group of people, I always tend to naturally be the ringleader. And I'm the type of person that when I love something, I just like, I feel like other people would love it, and I, I wanna bring them in. So I had a couple friends, one friend, friend in particular that I met in.
When I was 13 years old and we are still [00:07:00] best friends to this day, which is really cool. But we were in school together. We did sports together, and then I was like, Hey, you should come and like come to this dog show this weekend or whatever. So I ended up actually having a few friends that would like come, she would run some of my dogs.
She did agility. Eventually she got her own dog. Eventually started, she started working for McCann Dogs and she still works for us to this day. So I think that I ha I had my needs met on both sides of the story. I could still, you know, have the friend thing and, and be silly and goofy, but then I also, you know, could do the dog thing as well.
So I don't think it was a huge challenge for me, but I definitely will say that it kept me outta trouble because I had a natural discipline when it came to training and agility and things like that. And even when I was that age, I, I didn't even know about worlds or that level. It wasn't really a thing back then.
I think the first world championship I went to, I was 19, but I was already like thick into wanting that to be my goal for like several years prior to that. [00:08:00] So yeah, I don't know. I think I just always had like a natural discipline for it. I, I, I wasn't, I wasn't like, oh, I have to go to agility in the morning.
I would rather do this. I don't remember, I don't really remember feeling that way, which I guess is a good thing.
Christoffer: Yeah I definitely agree and I think that's one of the beauties with doing any types of sports especially and I think dog
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: is unique because you have responsibility for another individual you don't have if you're
Kayl McCann: absolutely.
Christoffer: or soccer or swimming or something like that
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Totally.
Christoffer: In terms of the when you were at that age in your teenage years like how would a normal week look like for you then
Kayl McCann: Well, obviously I would have school, but then also I was always very curious. So like, when I was I would say younger than a teenager after school, I would often go to we would call, always call it [00:09:00] the hall. It was the training school. And I would sit in the back and I would listen to my parents teach.
There was a couple trainers that we had that like, were excellent and I would sit and watch and I would wanna copy them. I would wanna train with them with my dogs. I just was like very curious. Very wanted to like, kind of get in there, but like also was good about like sitting back and like taking it all in.
So I would do that a lot. And then competitions on the weekend or, or, or not I wasn't, I I have always one thing that I'm, I'm very proud of, and I think this is one of the reasons why I can say, kind of say stay, stay sane, excuse me, is that I have always tried to make sure that I, I work in dogs, I play in dogs, I have a lot of dog friends.
There's, my whole world often is dogs. And I don't ever wanna get to the point where it feels like. I don't like it. So I often, my whole life, and I've done, I did it very naturally when I was [00:10:00] younger and now I do it very intentionally, is I try to make sure that there's lots of like non dog things in my life.
Whether it's people that I spend time with or my core group of people that I, the people I'm closest to, I've met through dogs, but we will have evenings where we hang out and like, we don't even mention dogs even once, you know, or talking about other things. And I feel like that helps maintain the the passion towards it because it's like, it's still, it's still like your hobby.
It's still like your thing that you're excited to do. So I feel like this was a long-winded answer too. I did that back then as well. Like I was obsessed, but also like I played baseball. I played competitive baseball, competitive volleyball. I swam, I played hockey. A lot of those team sports as well, which I think were massively helpful for.
Agility. Even though agility is like, you're necessarily with a group of people in teams, but you're learning about winning and losing. You're, you know, you're learning about [00:11:00] how to adapt to other people and how to, you know. Navigate social settings and all of those types of things. My dad's a huge sports guy.
He still plays hockey and baseball to this day, and he is 72. And I think maybe he thought he was hoping I was probably gonna be a boy when I was born because I was like on skates hitting baseballs, like doing those things really young. But I, I loved it. Like I absolutely loved it. But I think that that was really helpful because like when you're young and you're trying to learn about sportsmanship and things like that, that is definitely something I.
Struggled with a little bit as I went on. And you're learning it in the public eye. Because I was pretty as a 12, 13, 14, 15, 16-year-old. I was, I was the kid that was out running. That was good. And so everyone's constantly telling you how good you are, how great you are. Oh my God. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. And as a kid you're like, okay, I'm great.
But now you have like this expectation to live up to. And then in [00:12:00] agility, anybody who plays it knows that if you expect to be great all the time, you are in the wrong sport. Like, it's just doesn't, that's not how it works. And when you're 16 years old, you don't understand that. You think and feel like because you're great sometimes you should be great all of the time.
So that was like, that was a big, a big thing for me when I was younger, trying to like not get into that perfectionist mindset or like be worried about like not being really good all the time.
Christoffer: Is that something that you have a challenge with or did you learn tools that help you to cope with expectations from yourself or from others
Kayl McCann: I mean, I think I would lie, I would be lying if I said that it didn't creep in. Sometimes I think that a lot of it has to do with, I think when I was younger it was a little bit more attached to and I think this is really normal when you're young [00:13:00] attached to like how other people would perceive how I was doing and like wanting to like.
You know, look good all the time and do well, and win all the things and get picked for all the teams. And I was a little bit more concerned about like, what others thought about me. And I think now any of those feelings would, that would creep in is very much just about myself. I have matured, I've been in it around a long en a long enough time.
I've, you know, done well enough that I'm not really worried anymore about you know, making a name or worrying about what other people think. But I'm a a, I'm a very competitive person in anything that I do. Whether it's playing a board game, getting a parking spot in a parking lot, like I, I wanna do it.
Well, that's just my nature. And but now it's like less about what other people think and more about like, come on, Kayl, like, you can do this. Like, get your shit together. Am I allowed to swear on this podcast?
Christoffer: Yeah I'm from the Scandinavian so you can do whatever [00:14:00] you want
Kayl McCann: Oh, okay. Okay, good. That slipped out and I thought, oh, I hope that's okay. Not that I have a potty mouth, but I can't guarantee that it won't come out if I'm speaking passionately.
But anyways, yeah. Now I think if it creeps in, it's like it's just more about myself, whereas before it was definitely, I was highly impacted by what others, what others thought and felt
Christoffer: Oops I lost your sound Something muted you I'm not sure why There you go
Kayl McCann: weird.
Christoffer: was weird
Kayl McCann: Oh, okay.
Christoffer: But
Kayl McCann: I don't know. I, I wasn't touching it.
Christoffer: did you develop like any tools Or strategies that would help you to learn how to shift your thinking and when did you learn those
Kayl McCann: I was really lucky to have a lot of mentors around me when I was younger. So if I was like taking things a bit too seriously or I wouldn't say necessarily having a bad attitude. I'm not really a bad attitude type of [00:15:00] person, but I would get really disappointed. And then you know, when I was younger I didn't, I didn't understand that like it would affect your dog's performance or that type of thing.
If like, you would come outta the ring and you'd be mad. I was never mad at the dog, but I'd be like, oh, and then the dogs would be like, oh God. And like, everybody's watching you. So I had a couple really good mentors. My parents were fabulous. My, both of my parents, but my dad, I remember him telling me.
Very young that like you need to remember that everybody is watching you every second of the day that you are here. Whether you're picking up poo in the backfield or whether you're in the middle of the ring, everybody's watching you. And at the end of the day, people care less about your accolades and they care more about the type of person that you present yourself to be.
And you don't want to be known as a sore loser or anything like that. You wanna be known that someone, that someone who's kind, that treats their dogs well, that's a good sport [00:16:00] that you know can. You know, roll with the punches, that type of thing. And it took several of those conversations, obviously as a 16-year-old to like get, kind of get it through my thick skin.
But it just sort of naturally started to make sense that at the end of the day it was more about like, how you looked than how you did. And so that really resonated with me. I think, I don't know if that's like a necessarily a, a particular tool per se, but it was almost like a complete mind shift.
Which was incredibly helpful. Also when I was around the age of 17 or so I got a dog that was fantastic. She ended up being one of my greatest agility dogs ever. But back then she was a very sensitive and so if I had any type of sigh or disappointment at all, she literally would not run.
Like she would walk, she would be really worried. And so [00:17:00] I had to figure out how to. Like, I'm the kind of person that wears my emotions on my sleeve. So I kind of, and I couldn't fake it with her because we were really connected. So if I would be like, it's okay, good girl, she'd be like, you're lying, you're disappointed.
I can, I can feel it. And then she would just, like, she just desperately didn't wanna disappoint me. She just was really sensitive and in tuned to my, she's the dog that like comes and lays it with you when you're upset. Like she just, she was, she was amazing. So I kind of had to figure out how to not fake it to actually truly feel like if you shit the bed that like you can have a little bit of time to, you know, be upset because of course it's disappointing.
You wanna do well, but then you gotta like shake it off and move on. And I would say that she was big, that this particular dog was a huge shift for me in terms of like, learning to kind of brush it off a little bit and, you know, pick yourself up. Actually. I've talked about this on some of my podcasts and stuff before, but one of [00:18:00] the tactics that I started to use myself and I now do with my students is I created something called the Bitter Burn And so basically when I come out of the ring, if I am like, need a moment I'll either take my dog if I feel like I can, or I'll pass my dog off. Of course, after playing and after, you know, making sure they leave me fine. And I'll go to my car, I'll go somewhere by myself, either have a good cry or be pissed off, or call my mom, whatever, whatever it is, call my best friend and just be like, oh, I'm so disappointed in myself.
And then my rule is after that time, you leave the bitter burn. Like, you're not, you're not thinking or talking about it again, you're, you're moving on to the next thing. Because if you're an emotional person or if you really care, I think like sometimes when I see people, they're like, oh, that's okay.
It was like really fun. I'm so envious of that. I'm thinking, oh my God. Like I, I, I know that's not fun. Like, it's like, it's that balance of like being competitive and having [00:19:00] that edge, which like really sets you apart from other people, but also like not being a crazy psychopath where like. At the end of the day, yes, we should be doing this because it's fun and it's, it's great.
But I think like giving myself that time where I wasn't affecting anybody else. I'm not complaining to friends. I'm not, you know, walking my dog and, and being angry and then having her be like, God, what did I do wrong when it has nothing to do with her. It was just like a good, like, it almost kind of became funny.
Like, you'd come outta the ring and like my best friend Jamie, who's competed with me for years, she's like, do you need the bitter barn? I'm like, yep, sure do. Can you take her? And she's like, yep, I'll see you in 15 minutes. I'm like, okay, bye. It like, and that almost like made you not have to go to the bitter barn, you know, because you could just sort start to joke a about it a little bit.
So yeah, so those are a couple of things that, that were really helpful, influenced by really great people with really wise words. A dog that I had to change for, otherwise it wouldn't be successful. And then the bitter burn thing is something, I don't have to use it very often anymore, but it, it, it was [00:20:00] very helpful.
Christoffer: That's a great tool and another point that is I think it's important to talk about is actually it should be allowed to be disappointed If you're at a big event
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: something to you and you really want to do well There are expectations and you really want to meet those expectations for yourself you definitely put in the work to get there to compete there at that event as long as
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: Affect your dog
Kayl McCann: Exactly.
Christoffer: disappointed feeling those emotions of disappointment If you leverage that properly you can use that as fuel In order to learn new stuff get better and it could be potentially be a sufficient amount of fuel for the next year in terms of trending your dog if you use it correctly
Kayl McCann: Totally. Can I ask you a question since this is your lane? So one thing that I have found, and actually two years ago when you and I had our, our big long chat, I think maybe we talked a little bit [00:21:00] about this, but something that I'm curious about is, do you feel that being able to have that recovery, like go from disappointment and then be able to spin that around and then like, almost like come back stronger, do you feel that that's a skill that can get rusty over time?
Or do you think that that's something that you either have or, or you or you don't have?
Christoffer: I think it definitely is a skill and when it's a skill it's something you can develop So some people are more prone to it than others so
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: that much effort for them to really master it others need to really work on it And that's
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: we're different and it's something that you
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: maintain But when it comes to agility you're if you're competing as an agility handler you're constantly faced with those situations So it's very hard
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: maintain it
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Yeah. [00:22:00] And the reason why I ask is I found that when I was at that competition a couple years ago when, when you and I had that long chat, it was not long after COVID. And something that I found was a very strong skill for me. My entire agility career was working towards being able to, you know, if I started off poor in the beginning of a WA weekend, by usually midweek or towards the end, I would be like clawing my way back and I would always do a lot better because I feel like it was a skill that I had, I had learned and developed.
But one of the mental blocks and challenges that I was having, you know, a year or so after COVID, because here in Canada. Agility, just like it was non-existent. I did not compete at all for probably over two years, which is the longest I've ever gone doing agility in my. Since I was six years old, like in my lifetime.
Right? And so one of the [00:23:00] challenges, one of the blocks that I would get is that I didn't I didn't have the feeling, and maybe I did, I just didn't mentally feel like I did have like, the comeback kid feeling. I felt like if I started off poorly, I was like having these like mental blocks or hurdles to think like, oh my gosh, like I feel rusty.
I feel out of practice. I'm getting in my head. What if I, what if I can't turn this weekend around? Like, that was like a huge, I mean, we talked about that that weekend. That was a huge block for me. And I think what was so uncomfortable for me is it was not something that I typically would battle Normally I'm, I would be good at that, but I hadn't practiced that or been in that.
That scenario where I hadn't competed for so long that like, it almost felt a bit foreign to me, but it, it all, it did give me an, a greater appreciation for people who do battle with that all of the time. 'cause it was not fun. It was really, it was really hard. It was a, it was a [00:24:00] hard thing that, you know, took me away from some of the other things I could, I usually focus on that weekend because I was like really struggling a lot myself to like find my footing and find my, find my good zen spot for that weekend.
Christoffer: And worry and doubt is dangerous at a an important competition And when you start to doubt your own skill sets and your ability to recover fast or to get back into a peak performance state then it's it could be very difficult to deal
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: yourself And sometimes
Kayl McCann: It almost feels like you're sealing your fate in a way.
Christoffer: it becomes what do you call it self-reinforcing behavior belief It's like you you you have this start to doubt your own beliefs and that sort of lowers your capacity to actually execute on it creates an inaction it's often what they
Kayl McCann: [00:25:00] Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: A suffering cycle So you basically start to think or question your ability then you start to feel it
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: and then it creates inaction And that inaction just generates more thinking and more doubt And then it just continues like that
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: and that's very difficult to break through and what most people do in that situation is that they try to cope with it themselves Trying to
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: and try to hide it but usually what is best is to have someone that you trust and that you rely on and just say that I'm just doubting can we get the
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: Can we get in on the table and deal with them Because
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: to deal with those thoughts and emotions at the moment
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: that's why I believe it's important to have someone you you rely on and trust and the support system whether that's a training partner a competitor that you train with on on your [00:26:00] team or travel with or a
Kayl McCann: yeah,
Christoffer: It really helps
Kayl McCann: yeah. I couldn't agree more.
Christoffer: and one of the things I remember was that we had a chat at the WAO but then
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: was it the same day or was at least the same competition U Dog got hurt
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: WAO and
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: I didn't get to talk with you after that happened but I heard about it So I
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: you and asking if everything was okay
Kayl McCann: Yeah, it was pretty rough.
Christoffer: Could you please take us back to that moment and tell us how you managed to pull through that setback
Kayl McCann: Yeah, sure. Yeah, that was that was tough. So our conversation about the mental block happened quite early in the week because I started off not so well. And then I did, I did start to do a, a little bit better and I found myself in gamble [00:27:00] finals which was like the big thing that they do on Saturday night where like the stadium's packed and it's.
Pretty electric in there, which is, it's pretty awesome. So anyways, I did my run and about a quarter of the way through something fell off and obviously there's screaming and there's a lot of adrenaline. So and by something fell off, something fell off with my dog. It just, my timing seemed off. I just, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
And then I thought, well, maybe it's just nerves. Fast forward to the end of the run. She runs to the out gate. Hopefully I don't start crying 'cause this is pretty, this is pretty traumatic for me and for her. But anyways, she ran to the out gate and she turned around and looked at me with like wide eyes and I looked and her leg was cut open and bleeding all the way down.
And she started look, looked very panicked. So I raced over and picked her up and we had to rush into the emergency. And what ended up happening is when she went over the teeter-totter, her paw. Got caught under the teeter. So it came down and it [00:28:00] smashed her foot and broke her toe and sliced her leg up.
And I was doing a, unfortunately, a blind cross at the time in front of the teeter totter. I didn't see it, and it happened so quickly that I don't really think anybody else really noticed. Bee bless her because she has the heart of gold and probably had a lot of adrenaline rushing through her. Continued to run another 13 obstacles after that with a broken toe and.
A severed leg essentially. Anyways, it's, it's crazy. We ended up having to go to emergency, obviously that was it for the weekend. I wasn't I had made another final on the Sunday, which obviously I was disappointed about, but I wasn't even, I wasn't even, I wasn't even thinking about that. I was thinking about how do I deal with my dog having to, you know, go to an emergency in the Netherlands in a place that I'm unfamiliar with and how do I get home and all of these things.
So it was, it was pretty, it was pretty bad. [00:29:00] We ended up, lots happened in the next 48 hours for sure. We ended up getting home. I was really lucky because we were able to get her surgery. So this happened on Saturday night. She was in surgery in Canada at like 9:00 AM on Tuesday morning. That's how fast the people in my life.
Here my vet is like, here is in, in Ontario, Canada is amazing. So anyways she had surgery and then so this was May of whatever year that was. And I had made AWC in October mid to late October of the same year. So it was, we were trying to figure out whether she was going to be able to actually run what the rehab was gonna look like, all of that kind of stuff.
So then that basically majority of the year was spent on rehabbing and all of those types of things. She was better by [00:30:00] October, but I. Hadn't trained really. Basically I was only focused on fitness and that type of thing. So I went into Belgium, maybe that was that AWC that year. I can't really remember now.
They're all kind of morphing together. I think it was Belgium. I struggled a little bit there because I was worried about my dog first and foremost. I hadn't really trained a whole lot. I didn't know if we were really ready to be there or not, and had made the decision that if I went over and something didn't feel right, that I would just, it would just be what it would be.
Obviously, it would be unfortunate, but obviously my dog comes first. Anyways, we ended up doing fairly well and, and it was fine. And in the end, you know, she could have been fitter and we could have been more prepared on all of those things. But that was also really difficult. I remember really having to work hard on like finding a good place mentally to go to Belgium because I just.
I didn't really know if it was even a good [00:31:00] idea to go or, you know, B was fine at that point. She really. Really, like, honestly, she had a bi bionic foot at that point. Like she was, she was great. But yeah, that was really, really difficult and I just feel like it wasn't until this year maybe towards the end of last year that I feel like I kind of like got my rhythm back a little bit.
And then now of course my dog's nine years old and you know, her career is starting to. You know, come to a close because she's getting a little bit older. So I don't know. There's parts of me that like, kind of get stuck on like, ugh, I have this fantastic dog. And then I had COVID and then she broke her foot also, she got diagnosed with Lyme disease the year before that.
And I'm, I dealt with that. It's like, if you look at it that way, you were like, oh, I have this and then this, and then this, and then this. Like, oh my God, like, why can't I just catch a break? It, it's, it is easy to, to let yourself think that way, especially if you're in a rut or you're feeling bad. But I feel like I really had an [00:32:00] excellent mind shift, like coming into Sweden, like October of last year, where I was like, Kate, this could be our last world championship.
She's nine. I have literally been through it all with this dog. So like there's nothing left. Like I just need to go and. Have the best trip ever. And you know what I did? I had a, a really great run. I think we came third or, or not third fourth or fifth overall. And in one of the rounds with the team round, I think.
And I had a couple other mess ups and a couple other runs, but I had like such a great time. But I think a lot of it was like, because where I was mentally, I think I just had let a lot of that go and just was like focusing on enjoying the moment and appreciating the fact that like, I can't, I can't, I don't even know how this dog's still running and doing as well as she, as she possibly is.
But it was, it was a long, it was a long, it was a long process from the foot break to, [00:33:00] you know, just last year. It's two years really of a lot of like ups, pretty severe ups and downs for one person and one dog to go through.
Christoffer: Yeah I agree And those situations like would you say is the driving force for you to continue looking back
Kayl McCann: I think it's because I'm sure everybody sort of maybe feels this way. You're, you're always trying to chase that the feeling that unfortunately you don't get a lot, but that feeling of where like it all like kind of comes together and it feels, I don't even know how to describe it. Like when you're, when your dog doing exactly what they're supposed to and you happen to be doing exactly what you're supposed to, and like, everything like falls together, whether you have a great.
Placement or whether it's just, I wanted to try and get that feeling in a high pressure situation so that I could feel like I could like check that off my bucket list. That's sort of what I [00:34:00] was going for. And I said before I went, I'm like, I, I don't think, I didn't think I was the fastest dog that was there.
I I, I wasn't even going thinking that like, oh my gosh, I could win this. I wasn't even there. I knew she would be great, but what I wanted was to be able to be in that type of setting and a feel like I belonged, looked like I belonged. But c like having the, that feeling of like, okay, all the stuff that I've worked towards.
Like we did it. Like we did it. There we go. We did it. That was great. And, and I got that, which I'm so, I'm so lucky. But of course now I was like, that'll be my last year. And then now that they're talking about tryouts and I'm like, well, can I do one more year? I'm like, kind of like thinking about it because obviously it's just like, it's like a, an addiction that you can't, you know, you just, you need to get a little bit more of.
So I, I'm on the fence about that still, but I would love to go back. It's just that feeling of being in that type of energy and [00:35:00] is, there's just nothing. There's nothing like it when it comes to agility at the level that, that, you know, we're all crazy about doing for sure. But I would say that was sort of the force.
Christoffer: It's it's definitely very special and it's
Kayl McCann: Yes.
Christoffer: in in terms like it's basically four runs and it they mean
Kayl McCann: It's so crazy. You run for like maybe a little bit over a minute if you add them all together.
Christoffer: I
Kayl McCann: Or two minutes as you add them all together and like you sit there all week long, like just like in a ball of like anticipation and you go out and it's just like over before you know it. Like it, it honestly, it's insane.
And when I talk to any non dog people, they're like, oh my gosh, that's amazing. You go to Sweden, like what do you get when you win? Like, how much money do you get? And I'm thinking, I'm thinking, oh my God, I can't tell them that. Like I'm spending $6,000 to go over for two minutes and I get absolutely nothing
Christoffer: If you win
Kayl McCann: out of it.
But [00:36:00] if you win, yeah. Like cool, you're the world championship. Which I don't mean that, that's a fantastic, obviously we know that that is, that is everything. But when you're talking to like one of my family members that just think I run around a ring holding a leash and showing off my dog's looks like they don't have a hot clue what I do.
It does sort of put it into a bit of a different perspective to think like, gosh, what we do is absolutely crazy. It's nuts, but. We love it. So we do it.
Christoffer: Yeah I totally agree it's like when I speak to Speak to friends and let's say we go to a championship and they're always eager they think like you win a million dollars or something like that If you get on the first prize plus a
Kayl McCann: I mean, I hope the sport gets there someday. That would be great. But yeah, they, people have a hard time understanding that we do all of this for, you know, a Facebook post
Christoffer: yes
Kayl McCann: at the, at the end of it
Christoffer: But it's a game And and it's it's probably not the most important [00:37:00] thing in the world but for us it's important and we like it And
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: that's that's sufficient
Kayl McCann: It's just so, yeah, it's so dynamic. It's just such an interesting sport. It's, it's, you know, it's obviously there's a physical side of it that's really fun and whatever, but like the mental side of it, the strategy side of it, the preparation, the, you know, all, all of the things that go into it, it's just, it, it's, and, and what I think is cool about agility is you can do it a bunch of different ways.
I know that there's people who are, you know, sometimes what they're, what they call weekend warriors that are, you know, interested in going out and getting titles with their dogs and that type of thing. What I think is cool about agility is that like all of those types of goals and values and whatever they wanna play can all live and, you know, you can do it in whatever capacity that you, you want to.
We happen to be in a very small, doesn't seem small when we're there 'cause there's thousands of people there. But really if you look at the [00:38:00] grand scheme of things, of the overall sport of agility, the level that we're at is a, it's a very small, a very small level that that is as crazy about it as we as we are.
But I think it like becomes more than. It becomes more than agility at, at the level that we do it. It's, it's about all of the things. Like, you're just constantly, you're constantly thinking about your craft and what to do better. And like, I'm going to sleep at night, and I'm like, you know, shifting through like course maps from different judges and like, you're just, it's, you're always kind of thinking about it because it's fun.
Like it's, it's a, it's a passion. It's, it's you know, it's not work. It, it's sometimes for me, it can be a distraction. You know, I have a hundred million of things I have to do over at the, at the facility to, you know, work on the business. But like, my brain's thinking like, okay, I really wanna set up this like Stephanie Simcat course on the weekend and, and practice it like which is cool.
It, it's just, it's it becomes more [00:39:00] than just playing agility. It's like the whole, the whole, all of the things that go along with it.
Christoffer: Magnificent obsession
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Magnificent is a good word. Sometimes, I don't know if that's the word I would use, but 90% of the time I agree with you.
Christoffer: Alright every morning Ellie and me we go for a walk in the woods with the dogs And there are times where I'm talking to Ellie or at least I think she's listening but then I can just see her body moving and she I know that she's walking some course in her mind
Kayl McCann: I love it.
Christoffer: I
Kayl McCann: I love it. That's so funny.
Christoffer: contact with with that person at that time And
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: then I ask the question which course are you running Oh I'm running this one this and this judge And
Kayl McCann: That's so funny. Yeah, it's crazy how that happens. I was joking with my students a few weeks ago. I was sleeping one night and I, in my dream, I came up with like a really fun, like proofing exercise and I [00:40:00] kind of woke up and I was like, Ugh, I should get up and like put this on a piece of paper so that I don't forget it.
But I was tired and I didn't wanna do that. And I was like, no, I'm gonna get up. And I just like scribbled it on a piece of paper. Then I went back to bed and then I woke up in the morning and saw it and I was like, oh, this is awesome. This is a great one. So then when I was teaching it in class that week, I was like, I literally thought of this in my sleep.
And everyone's like, you are crazy. And I was like, I can't help it. But you're just, I don't know, it's just it, it's in you. I don't, I'm not trying to do it. It just sort of happens.
Christoffer: O
Kayl McCann: You just gotta lean in.
Christoffer: one of the things that I think is very interesting based on what I could catch on you were talking about AWC for the for 2025
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: I'm just gonna ask it plainly We talked about expectations earlier on that as you progress in the sports the expectations that you have of yourself increases would you say that for AWC you replaced expectations with [00:41:00] appreciations due to what UMB went through the couple years
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Yeah, I absolutely do. I definitely think that that was so eloquently, eloquently said. Good job. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, really that's absolutely, I think it, I think that that was definitely part of the mind shift based on everything that's happened based on. Her age and her maturity and where she's in her career.
I think that like, when it starts to near towards the end, you, you don't wanna like end with like having all of this pressure that like, maybe you don't meet that thing. And then it's like, I don't wanna, I don't wanna end something great with like a feeling of disappointment or which I think could be easy to do.
But I, I think that's exactly what it was. I think that I had an appreciation for like, you know, whatever happens happens, but like I'm going out with a bang and I do not wanna spend a second of the trip being [00:42:00] disappointed or, you know, stressed about what's gonna happen. I just wanna like. It'll be what it'll be like.
And, and I don't know why I was able to stay in that mindset for the week. Like, I don't, I can't remember. I, I'm thinking back to the trip now. I can't remember. I don't think I had to call for help. I don't think, I don't think that happened that week. Like I think I truly was in a good place. I also had like an excellent team that year.
We had excellent team, c, c comradery. It just, yeah, it just, it was a really good show. It almost makes me not wanna go again because like if I did finish on last year, it was, it was just so wonderful. Like I have such a great memory with it. But yeah. Yeah, I think changing from expectation to appreciation was, was exactly it.
And I, I don't know if I could. Stay. How I did that, I'm not sure. I don't know whether if it was like supposed to [00:43:00] happen that way and then it did, or if it was like all the things leading up to it. I don't know. I don't know how I got there. Maybe I, it's been enough time since all of the trauma that, you know, that I, you know, got into a better place.
I'm not really sure, but I'm, I'm very, very grateful that it worked out that way, for sure.
Christoffer: Well I definitely believe that you can if you can map out some of feelings and the states you were in you can definitely turn that on as a switch on demand that's that's probably one of the hardest part with mental training But it's doable cause you've have been able to experience it
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: into that way of thinking and feeling and acting And it is possible to get back to it But you need to practice it You need to figure out what
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: But it could be in your case that it happened unconsciously But
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: if you can consciously make that happen on [00:44:00] demand so to speak that is
Kayl McCann: they would basically become unstoppable, I think.
Christoffer: I think so but I think it's very
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: to the expectations part that we set and higher expectations of ourselves set higher expectations to the sports to the venue to the judges and if the
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: go too high and we don't necessarily appreciate things too much then that could have an influence on our states and our performances and
Kayl McCann: Yep.
Christoffer: affect the dogs
Kayl McCann: Yeah, I feel like too, it, it would, and this might not be true, but my feeling is that if you are able to get there once or twice it's likely easier to get there again because you have now, but it's like dogs positive reinforcement, you know, if you are able to get that feeling and, and it was a good thing, you, [00:45:00] you know, hopefully are likely to go back and like be able to revisit it again because hopefully it's not like if I did it once, I, hopefully it is like if I did it once, I can do it again.
But I do think that it is normal. Like I often, I have pretty good intuition and I do find that sometimes. I hate this about myself sometimes, but I can walk up to a course and I sometimes can tell before I even run, whether it's gonna be a good run or a bad run based on like my energy in the moment.
And I can sometimes shift it. And I do have a few things that I do when I start to feel that way. I'm like, okay, this is, this isn't good. And I know this feeling. And it doesn't usually ha mean something good is about to happen. And it sometimes can shift it and sometimes I can't. And I think before, like early a few years ago when I would feel that and I was rusty in my coping mechanisms to be able to work through it, [00:46:00] I would often like feel that and then.
Still literally be bleeding out from my dog and being like, okay, Cal. Like come on, shift it, shift it, shift it. You're not shifting it. Like, I'm like, I'm trying, trying. And it's just, and then of course like four obstacles in, I get a refusal or something and I'm like, ah, I knew that was gonna happen. And then I leave and I'm thinking like, why?
Like I just, I had that feeling that it wasn't gonna go well and then it did. Which is terrible, but I think now it's like. Sometimes that's gonna happen. Sometimes you are just not gonna get your shit together. Like, and, and you have to just understand that that's, that's part of it. And if you can have that discussion with yourself prior to going in, it helps like kind of take the pressure off a little bit instead of, I think for me, and everyone could be totally different, but for me, the more I try to push myself to change, to get into a different mindset, the less likely I am to be able to do it.
I have to, like, I, I have my best runs when I, I'm actually not thinking [00:47:00] about anything or like I'm about to walk in and somebody says something that makes me laugh or, you know, turns my attention to something else. And it could be personality that, you know, that's kind of the person I am as well. But my best runs are the ones where I just sort of walk in.
I let it all go. And I don't think I just let myself do the thing that I do best. The forcing of it. Is not a good tactic for me. It often doesn't go well if it's like too close to, too close to the moment, and other people might be able to do that better. Maybe it's, maybe it's a me thing. I'm not really sure, but I do know that enough about myself.
I've done it enough times that if I'm like really in the thick of it, I can't, I can't always switch it if it's like about to happen.
Christoffer: a lot of listeners will relate to this is like they're
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: it and that's basically what they call a hyper intention So you have an intention of doing something Let's say that you're going to a competition and it's a long drive or even a flight [00:48:00] and you need to catch it and you need to go to sleep because you would like to have X amount of hours of sleep
Kayl McCann: Oh God. You're literally, you're literally, yep. Okay.
Christoffer: And
Kayl McCann: Keep going.
Christoffer: bed at nine because you have to get up at to go to the airport
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: trying to get asleep and you're trying and you're trying you're staring at the ceiling trying to get asleep you can't sleep And the o'clock is 10 Now it's 10 o'clock
Kayl McCann: And then it's 3:45 AM and you're like, well, I guess I should just get up 15 minutes early.
Christoffer: you relate to that
Kayl McCann: Oh, it's so sad. It's the worst. I, I, that is like, it's a stress for me. Like at competitions, I'm so, I wouldn't even say that I'm anxious, like nervous, like, oh my God, I'm so worried about this. I'm like, high. I'm like, I'm just thinking about it.
I don't wanna sleep in, I wanna be prepared. I wanna be in a good head space. I wanna, I wanna do all the things I need to do. And then I, my brain doesn't shut off. It just goes, goes, goes, goes, goes, goes, goes. Yeah. Oh, I'm terrible. Especially the first night [00:49:00] anywhere. I'm like a psychopath. Like, yeah.
That literally, it was like you were like at my house one time and described exactly what was happening with me.
Christoffer: But
Kayl McCann: It's so annoying. It's the worst.
Christoffer: it too much is actually stopping you from act achieving it
Kayl McCann: Yes.
Christoffer: interesting thing is the trick to to deal with that is actually do the opposite Put in the
Kayl McCann: Hmm.
Christoffer: So if you're having a hard time falling asleep should do is get up get a really boring book and then read it at the low light and do your very best to stay awake
Kayl McCann: It's a great suggestion.
Christoffer: tired And the same thing if it's the opposite you're driving a car and you're getting really tired and you're trying to stay awake trying to stay awake you should stop your car I don't care if it's at 200 meters from your house Stop the car on the side of a road where it's safe sleep for five to 10 minutes or 15 minutes and
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: to drive because that's the way to do it
Kayl McCann: [00:50:00] Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: of the things that I say to agility handlers if they are nervous or extra excited is to your back to the course and run all you can do Okay In the opposite direction because then you're allowing your body basically to utilize the fight or flight mechanism and you're fleeing away from the situation that allows your body to relax
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: of trying to force yourself through it
Kayl McCann: yeah, yeah. That's so funny. I actually learned, this is sort of interesting, I learned just in the recent years that I actually just organically did like calming tool mechanism myself that I didn't even know that I was doing so years ago to try and control my nerves. I would like try to like hum or sing a song or like, kind of distract myself and get myself like a little, you know, chill.
A little bit more chill. And the song that I did years ago [00:51:00] was this, like Christmas Carol called good, good King Wela. I dunno if you've. Ever heard of it or owed to Joy or something like that. I can't remember exactly what it was. And I would just like repeat this, like one thing in the song over and over and over and over again.
And like it was dorky and it would just kind of like make me laugh. And then I, the next competition I would do it and I would often get into a good mindset. And then I had, a chat with someone. I think it was actually before I went to Belgium when I was really struggling and they were talking about like the vagus nerve and humming and like some of the other things that you can do to kind of like, you know, relax yourself.
She's like, why don't you try like humming a song or singing a song? And I was like, puff. I do that sometimes I forget about that tool. She's like, oh, you didn't know, like, oh. But I think probably what was happening is I would do it and then internally it would like soothe me, but I didn't even, I wasn't even doing it intentionally.
And then it just sort of like festered from there. So now it's, it, now it's something that I always do. I have like a couple go-to things I'll like [00:52:00] stand and do like my superman pose. So open stance, hands on the hips, chest up, like I'm a bad bitch. Like I got this. Like, you know, I might not feel it on the inside at the moment, but I am going to look the part.
So that it would help shift my mind. Or sometimes I'll just over and over go do, do, do do do do do do just over and over and over again. And it just kinda like breaks it up a little bit. And I mean, it doesn't work every time obviously. But lots of times it does help like just get myself into like a, a.
Better mind shift. I'm someone that if the second I start, start to take something too seriously, I won't do well anymore because that's not what I'm, like, my, I'm a easygoing, silly, hyper outgoing person, and I'm competitive for sure, don't get me wrong. But the second I start, like if I'm going to bed too early and I'm like, you know, separating myself from people and I'm like not having a beer at lunch or whatever it is, like, you know, there's [00:53:00] something wrong with me.
But if I'm like being the life of the party and like relaxed and, you know, doing those things, I will always do my best because I'm more myself, I'm more relaxed. Not like trying too hard. And sometimes it can be a really conscious thing and sometimes I can find myself shifting and either I have to remind myself or someone else has to be like, Hey.
You're being too serious right now. You need to loosen up. Like remember, you know, remember yourself kind of thing. And that can be really, really helpful. And everyone's different. Some people couldn't do that. They would need to be focused and, you know, separate themselves and get in their, and get in their game, which is great.
That's perfect if it works for them, but that's not, that's not good for me.
Christoffer: I totally agree and since I've coach a couple of professional athletes I always had to change my approach depending on the person I was
Kayl McCann: Hmm.
Christoffer: cause you have to adapt to that person And I remember one time
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: I was working as a personal trainer a couple of students that [00:54:00] were following me for a whole week And one of the feedback that one of the girls gave was that you have as many personalities as you have clients
Kayl McCann: that's actually a really cool compliment. Did you take it as a compliment?
Christoffer: took it as a compliment
Kayl McCann: That's so cool. That's great.
Christoffer: but it's you have to always have to adapt And I remember one a professional boxer that I trained before we were too serious he would perform worse we were like
Kayl McCann: Mm.
Christoffer: around the night before the match we're like having fun and doing all kinds of pranks in the hotel against Yeah go into the details because it's good for the podcast
Kayl McCann: it. I love it. You can tell me once we stop recording.
Christoffer: And it's that that would definitely change the game for him because if he was serious for too long he would use that bank account he
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: for the match
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: can have a totally [00:55:00] different athlete who is basically the opposite If you're joking around they cannot perform well because
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: they'll basically call me unprofessional
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: so you have to know
Kayl McCann: It's so fascinating. I.
Christoffer: Yeah
Kayl McCann: Mm. Would you say that for some people, like obviously I, I'm a I'm a coach myself. I coach many people and part of it is, you know, helping them to know what to do in agility. And part of it is like helping them with their mental game and like helping them to get to a certain spot.
Would you recommend that people if they don't know, like I'm lucky. I figure I figured it out very young, what worked well for me. But for people who don't necessarily know that, would you recommend to them to like, try different things to see if something fits? Like if they don't really know and like, do you think it would ever be something that they would be pleasantly surprised?
Works well for them? Like if somebody's like pretty mellow and you were like, Hey, like [00:56:00] have a crazy night and then see what happens. Like, I mean, maybe it would work. I just think that that's kind of interesting with us. Is that something that you would recommend to people to like really try different tactic?
Christoffer: You have to experiment and figure out what works for you one of the ways that you easy way to look at it is like what is recharging your batteries and what is your batteries And that's different
Kayl McCann: Yes.
Christoffer: It is for some people like and me we're more extroverted I would say
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: And we
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: we recharge when we are at a venue around people
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: talking meeting new people interesting people having conversations and so on so
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: our batteries and that allows us to to focus in when we're competing and so on for
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: it's the opposite Like you will never
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: in the arena because she needs to go somewhere else to the Airbnb or to
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: And I remember in the contract [00:57:00] in I think it was the WAO contract for Norwegian team it's like you had to be in the arena to to support your teammates And I get the point why it's there but I basically said that's not gonna happen for Ailey when she's done running
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: she needs a break We're just getting in the car and going somewhere else And
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: helps that is what she needs in order to recharge your batteries And you have to test and experiment with that to figure out what works for you And then you continue to do that what seems to work you do more of what doesn't help you
Kayl McCann: yeah.
Christoffer: And that's the
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: it out
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Yeah, it makes perfect sense. And I think that that probably comes with time and competing a lot. I think that the, the more you compete, the more you kind of figure that out and putting yourself in, in, you know, higher press pressure situations. I actually think this is weird, but I think one of the things that really helped me [00:58:00] early on be a good competitor is that when we were when I was younger, my family, like our family business would go to fairs, would go to we did a show at the World Series Baseball game. We would do football games and we would take the dogs and do these shows. And my dad would always organize the show to like spread out the breed. So it just wasn't like Border Collie after Border Collie, after Border Collie, and then obviously the faster dogs and the, the more talented dogs would sort of be towards the end of the show to build the excitement that type of thing.
And so as I would get better at agility, I would get moved further and further down the running order until I was, I was at the, the end. And so I would, you know, I would, I would get to practice in, in front of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, you know, having to. Run the chorus as fast as I could to blasting music and like, I kind of was supposed to win.
And so [00:59:00] I did that for, you know, five shows a day for seven days in a row, like over and over and over and over again. And I would do well most of the time. And I don't think that I realized it at a time, but that, that I think was a hugely beneficial practice for me to have, to feel the pressure. I mean, at the end of the day, it was a show.
It, I wasn't winning anything. You'd high five your buddies and then you'd reset for the next show. Like, it wasn't that big of a deal, but there was still a little bit of pressure there. So I, I think that that was so helpful for me to kind of figure out and I wasn't thinking about anything at that time.
I was young. But still it trickles and travels with you as you, as you move through your competitive things, whatever you're happening, whether it's agility or whatever else I was doing at the time.
Christoffer: you get exposure without the
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: and
Kayl McCann: without the pressure. Absolutely.
Christoffer: definitely That's why we do
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: simulations in different like [01:00:00] pilots train in simulators because they won't expo exposure but not the risk of
Kayl McCann: Not the repercussion
Christoffer: Yeah
Kayl McCann: fair. Yeah,
Christoffer: And that's basically
Kayl McCann: absolutely. Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: Sorry It's the a she
Kayl McCann: Do you have a dog?
Christoffer: Yeah
Kayl McCann: Oh,
Christoffer: They're questioning When are you done with this podcast
Kayl McCann: I know. Stop talking already. Will you?
Christoffer: In terms of the sport Like what would you say is the most difficult thing with agility
Kayl McCann: Do you mean competition wise, like selfishly, like my own person or like, generally?
Because I could go a couple different ways with this.
Christoffer: I was thinking more generally actually
Kayl McCann: Okay. I would say that the, one of my biggest hurdles is, this could be a weird answer, but maybe some people will relate is because, I am [01:01:00] a, a coach to a lot of people. I sometimes, my own internal struggle is making sure that I'm prepared enough because I sometimes get very focused on other people because I want them to do well, which is makes me a great coach, but it doesn't always make me a good competitor because I'm not always putting myself first.
So that can be a bit of a challenge. And then you also have the emotional aspect of it. I compete with a lot of, of my students. I co compete with a lot of my closest friends on a regular basis, and I have a habit, or not habit, but I have the inclination to be very affected by emotionally affected by their not their wins.
I'm happy for them, but their struggles. I like if they're struggling and they're having a bad weekend and then I'm having a good weekend or whatever, I sometimes struggle between like, okay, they ha [01:02:00] that's their journey. They gotta figure it out. I'm just gonna have to like. Just do my own thing to like make sure that I don't also plummet now.
And then also being supportive and being there for them and that type of thing. But I say that that that's one of the biggest things, like aside from like my own agility doing my own thing, but that balance of like being concerned about other people and then also taking care of myself the way that I should.
I think it's become more of a, of a challenge for me in like the last, like five, 10 years than ever, ever before because I'm coaching more people. I'm coaching more people at a higher level, which is all great. That's wonderful. But it can be really hard. It isn't a, a very odd sport in the fact that the people who you train and you develop and you help, you also compete against them.
There's not a lot of other sports where amateurs or whatever compete against their coach or, or professional, whatever. We're all, we're all together. So it's hard to kind of make [01:03:00] that separation sometimes when you go to those competitions to make sure that you are doing well in both departments
Christoffer: Yeah I can definitely see that because they're conflicting in a way because as a coach
Kayl McCann: in a way.
Christoffer: that as someone who is giving as a
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: or an athlete you would say that you're probably there to take something You're trying to take a prize or
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: And those could be conflicting in many ways
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: But then it's all about I would say becoming consciously aware of who am I showing up as today And
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: could be
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: to what your dad said back when you were young
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Totally.
Christoffer: that everyone is watching all the time so
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I think that I'm a little bit better now at like I try to have good enough relationships with my, with my crew that I can have good [01:04:00] communication to like say what I need in that moment. So like, I can join you in the bitter barn soon, but like, I need to run my dog. And I'll like, I see you, I see you're struggling, but like.
We're gonna have to pick this up in 30 minutes when I actually can give you attention. And most everybody is absolutely, they're so respectful and like they want me to do well as well. Like it, it's good. But I think that, that the communication is really important because otherwise you just get like pulled in a bunch of different directions and then you are the one that sacrifices from it because you're just trying to be too many things to too many people.
The communication's really important. Also cute thing is I have a couple junior handlers that I help. One in particular, she's been on lots of of world teams and I've been coaching her since she was about like 14, 15 years old. So it was like very much the age where like I was going through a lot of the things and she's 19 now.
But when she was younger, so a few years ago, and, and she was, she is, and [01:05:00] she was very talented. She's, she's excellent. You've probably seen her Jordan Jarvis with quick. She's been on the WAO team a a bunch of times, but yeah, she's great. But when she was younger, she would come out of the ring and she would cry and she would be so pissed off that like, she didn't do well.
And like her mom, Morgan, who's just the most wonderful person, would be like, she's not listening to me. Kayl, can you take this? So we'd sit and I would have the same talks with her that my dad would to say like, look, this is a lot of pressure for you. It's really crappy that you're so good because you are capable of doing well.
You are really good. Everyone's just constantly telling you how great you are. But if you have a shitty attitude and people are gonna think like, oh, look at her. She's stomping around, like she's over there crying in the corner, like. You gotta buck up. Like you gotta, you have to remember that like no one really cares whether you got, first they care that you look good out there.
And like if you looked at that run [01:06:00] and you didn't know you, you would watch you run and be like, wow. Like she got a couple faults, her dog missed the contact, whatever. But you would look at her and think like, holy crap. Like, that kid is incredible. But it's hard when you're the one in all the feelings to like understand the perception and the impact that other people are seeing or feeling from you when they watch.
So she, you know, she had to move through it and she's, she's like completely different person though. She's absolutely amazing. But it was kind of like a fun, like little full circle, circle moment for me to be like, gosh, I remember. And I think that helped me relate to her too. I was able to say, like, I remember being so mad when I wouldn't, you know.
Do the thing. 'cause I knew I was capable. I knew I could, I knew I could do it. It's so disappointed. So like, I get it. Go out back and kick the fence. I don't care what you do, but you're not gonna do it with all of these people watching you. Like that's just, that has to be what it has to be. And anyways, yeah, I [01:07:00] just adore her.
She's great. But it was like, it was like a nice full, full circle, circle moment. And I, I know that she will do that for like the next, the next person as well, because that's just the kind of person she is. I definitely see a lot of myself in, in her in terms of her competitiveness and stuff. But she's the type of person that will pass it on, which I think is great.
Christoffer: And I think that I remember one time we did an exercise it's actually a very horrible and sad exercise but you're basically going to write your the speech for your funeral
Kayl McCann: Oh. Okay. Tell me more.
Christoffer: do the exercise you are basic Basically ask to reflect afterwards how much is this speech based on your merits and what you accomplished based on who you
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: person
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: And that should be Gets you to reflect that you should first decide on who are you going to show [01:08:00] up as today and do your very best
Kayl McCann: Yeah.
Christoffer: person And I think it's the same thing when you go to a competition whether that's a local competition or a big event
Kayl McCann: Yep.
Christoffer: what type of handler am I going to show up as today Or
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Christoffer: it might be
Kayl McCann: Yep. Yep.
Christoffer: for a more correct mindset I would say
Kayl McCann: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Yeah. I don't know if this is a bad thing, but I actually had a conversation with somebody kind of along these lines, but I hope I don't say the opposite to what you're hoping I say, but somebody was talking about. How they wanted to be remembered. And I had said like, I hope that, like when I'm dead and gone, people don't look back and go like, okay, oh yeah, she was, she was nice.
I would, that would, I would feel like I failed at life. If that's, like, if people were like, oh, she's nice. I would want them to look back and be like, oh yeah, she was a, she was a go-getter. She was like a, she was like a dig in, like bad bitch like that. Like if [01:09:00] somebody was like, oh yeah, she was nice. I would be like, oh, I failed.
I want, like, I need, I need more from, from that. So I mean, not that if you're a nice person and that's what you're great at, that's wonderful. I don't wanna not be nice, of course, but I, I, when I look back, I don't wanna be remembered as just like one of the others that was like, oh yeah, she was nice. So sort of the same concept, but maybe a little more,
Not as good.
I don't know.
Christoffer: but it's allowing you to think more and then it's easier to do something about because that is something that you can definitely
Kayl McCann: Yeah,
Christoffer: and control to a certain degree rather than what you will get and it's more about how you handle events rather than what are the events that happens
Kayl McCann: totally, totally.
Christoffer: In terms of one of the my favorite questions is always to ask the guests is a lesson [01:10:00] that of your dogs or all of your dogs has taught you that a person or coach couldn't
Kayl McCann: That's a great question. I. I mean, I feel like I kind of touched on this a little bit before when I talked about funky, but I always say that she is the dog that like made me the trainer that I am today. I think that because of her sensitivity and she had a lot of potential and I, I knew that about her and I had had lots of great dogs prior to her.
So I think that when I got her, I didn't realize it at the time, but I was putting a lot of unfair expectations on her. I basically was like, okay, she's my next world team dog. Like she's, she's gonna be it. And my timeline for what I envision envisioned it being was not her timeline. And I, it forced me to kind of have to realize that you have to look at what's in [01:11:00] front of you and then.
Deal with that, not putting expe expectations that aren't realistic for, for that moment. And it really changed how I showed up for every other dog that I've had since her. Luckily I haven't had dogs that, that have been as sensitive or have I, and then I just didn't have the same problems because I approached it differently.
I don't know, I, I don't know. I guess I'll never know. But I do think that her being that way and me being able to actually learn to pivot and adapt to what she needed and to allow her to flower and prosper and maybe go a little slower. Do things a little differently. You know, I had to stop doing international crazy stuff and I took it back to really simple things and we didn't worry about mistakes and we kept things light.
And it was all about, not about her ability. It was everything that I did. I asked myself, [01:12:00] okay, how is she going to feel about this? And is it gonna make her up or is it gonna bring her down? And then that's how I would kind of sort through it. But it made me be a more patient trainer. It made me be a more present trainer for my dogs.
It made me be more patient to have better expectations with a dog as well. I mean, I think with my young dog, I'm probably going slower than I need to. He's four now and I have hardly done any big competitions with him. So maybe I need to like stop babying him so much. But but I also think that it has changed my coaching ability.
So when other people are struggling with similar. Things in terms of, you know, too much expectation on their dog or disappointment or attitudes that negative negatively affect their dogs. I have so much to pull now from, to, you know, in order to share. So I know I kind of mentioned that a little bit before, but I, I think that that was like [01:13:00] personally a huge change for me and all my dogs going forward, but also professionally, it like really opened my eyes that like you can't get to the finish line with one way.
And even though that one way worked with the dogs I had prior, it was absolutely not going to work with her. And if I had any hope of like achieving what I was hoping for, I had to learn to pivot. And then that just like. It just changed completely everything. So yeah, I was like so grateful for her because she was like a dog I was so attached to.
And I think one of the reasons why we were so bonded is I had to work so freaking hard for it. Like beeline my border collie walk in the park. She is so easy and funky Monkey, who's the dog I was referring to, the, the soft and sensitive girl. She, she just made me work so hard for it and it was like, it just created like a completely different relationship between the two of us because of it.
So [01:14:00] yeah, that was really cool. And I would not, I would absolutely not be the trainer or handler or coach or anything that I am today if I didn't, if I didn't have to go through like that journey with her. It was like hugely instrumental for me. For sure.
Christoffer: you got the dog you need and not the dog you wanted necessarily
Kayl McCann: Yeah, I have used that line on many of people now and it, that it was absolutely, she was the dog I needed and not, not the dog I wanted necessarily at the time. And I have a friend right now that has, is struggling with a dog. And I just said that to her like, you need to think about this less like, you know, the dog that you're gonna do all the things with.
You have a hard dog this time and it is going to completely change everything for you if you can just keep training and not get so emotionally bent about it. Like there's a bigger thing happening here than you just being able to get around the course, but you have to decide [01:15:00] that it's what you want to get from it if you just get so su so stuck on the fact that it's not working.
This is, this is gonna be what it's gonna be. So at the end of the day, like each person has to figure out what they wanna get from it, which is hard to do. I recognize that it's hard to do, but it can be like a huge change for someone if they can like look at the bigger lesson instead of what happens to be happening in that moment.
And then often what happens is six months down the road, all of a sudden it's like, oh, this is happening great. And this is happening great. And this is happening is great. It's like, hmm, do we remember our little breakdown Mariah Carey meltdown that we had six months ago when things weren't going so well?
Like my mom always said to me when I was younger, like Cha having my own challenging with my dogs. And she would like always be so helpful to me. She's like, Kayl, just keep training. Just keep training. Stop getting worried about it. Just keep training it. It eventually it will happen. Whatever you wanna happen will happen.
Just. Just keep training. And [01:16:00] it's so true because eventually you sort of look back and you're like, oh gosh, I can't really remember when it used to be so frustrating or whatever. It just sort of like fades into the distance. But when you're in the moment, it feels like the whole world's ending.
Christoffer: And if you then you forget all about it and then you just remember the good
Kayl McCann: I know.
Christoffer: Cool
Kayl McCann: know. Exactly.
Christoffer: What is the next thing on your journey forward
Kayl McCann: Agility wise, the next thing on my journey is to shift my focus from my current agility dog beeline to my young dog. Five. He's a a Whippet border Collie. Terrier mix and he's so cool. Just so cool. So he's four now and he's at the point where I need to rip the bandaid and just get out there.
So I'm hoping to shift my focus a bit more to him next year, which is I'm really excited about. He's really so much fun. So agility wise, I would say [01:17:00] that's that's gonna be sort of where I'm putting my focus. And then as I, I mentioned a few times, I'm still. On the fence about whether I wanna, I can't do AWC with five because he is a mixed breed.
So if I do have hopes of, of attending that event, again it has to be with B and she'll be nine at the time, which I know lots of dogs older than that go, but I think I'm just like, I have her in bubble wrap now because I just want her to stay so perfect and healthy forever now that she's perfect and healthy.
So that might be another goal for, for next year. If I feel like it's the right thing. Tryouts are in April for us, so I'll go through the motions and, I mean, I gotta make the team first and then from there I'll, I'll make a decision. But that's hopefully a another thing I'm hoping to achieve for, in, in terms of agility next year.
Christoffer: It wouldn't hurt to try
Kayl McCann: Yeah, that's what I figure. It doesn't hurt to try. I even if I say no, then I'll never know. So I'll go, I'll see what happens. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. [01:18:00] But I'm trying not to think too much about it 'cause I don't think that that's helpful.
Christoffer: I agree In terms of people listening to this podcast and wanting to learn more about you and what you do at McCann where can I go
Kayl McCann: Well, if you wanna learn more about me and the agility side of things, the best thing to do is to check out my socials. I'm on Facebook and Instagram. Not on TikTok. I do more scrolling on TikTok than I do posting. But you can follow either me or most of my agility stuff. I try to maintain some type of normalcy, so more personal stuff is on can McCann.
But anything agility related is on McCann dog's agility. And then if you're interested in like dog training stuff, basic basic obedience, that type of thing. Then anything McCann, professional dog trainers or McCann dogs is all of our family business, like dog training stuff, which is really cool too.
Christoffer: We'll definitely put the links in the show notes so that people [01:19:00] can get easy access as well so
Kayl McCann: Cool.
Christoffer: that's good Thank you so much for taking the time Kayl It's so cool that we
Kayl McCann: Yeah. Thank you for inviting me.
Christoffer: And having this
Kayl McCann: I know, I know. It's so cool. Yeah, this is great. Thank you so much for inviting me. I, I was excited. We have lots of great chats, so it's nice to be able to like dive in a little bit deeper.
Christoffer: And I I always look forward to meet you in person again and continue the conversation for the listeners here we have to cut it off But thank you so much for listening in and thank you Kayl for sharing your story
Kayl McCann: Thank you.
Outro Episode
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Christoffer: Again, I would like to thank you, Kayl for joining us for this episode and for sharing your story. It's been a joy. It's been a joy to listen to again while I've been editing. And I hope that you, the listener, had as much enjoyment of this episode that I did. If you haven't yet, I really recommend that you go and check out Kayl [01:20:00] McCann's YouTube, or McCann Dogs on YouTube.
You'll find the link in the show notes, so you can go there and click on it. Also in the show notes, there's a bunch of resources that you can check out. One of them is the Daily Champion Newsletter, which is. Affirmations that you get sent to your email every single day. In addition to that, I just shared a free habit tracker that you can now use at the beginning of the year to track your habits and have a visible queue somewhere like in your kitchen or bedroom.
But not just using it for January, but using it for February, March, April, May, et cetera throughout the year, and building solid habits for 2026. And if you haven't yet subscribed to this podcast, please do so and leave some remarks that really helps others to see this podcast as well. Then again, thank you so much for listening to this episode.
I'll see you in the [01:21:00] next one next week. My name is Christoffer Endresen. This is the Champion's Journey
