Meliora Drents

Recently, I obtained the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. The requirements for this are threefold; a certain number of years of experience leading projects, a certain number of hours of training in project management, and a passing exam score.

I’m happy with and proud of the PMP title – it shows my passion and talent for project management, and the diligence it took to study and prepare for the exam. I was a successful and skilled project manager in practice before I was officially “titled”, but the title is an external validation of that skill. A stranger can look at my LinkedIn profile at a glance and know that I have experience, knowledge, and commitment to project management skills – same as they can see my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and know the same things about my engineering skills, or my “Project Engineer” job title and know the same things about my new product development skills.

Titles are valuable indications of natural ability, hard work, passion, and/or learned skills. That’s why they can be wonderful things for a dog, too. Particularly when those titles come from meeting requirements under the judgement of an external entity, one can assume a certain level of competence.

I don’t believe that titles make a dog (or human) automatically or inherently “better” than one that doesn’t have titles. There are many successful project managers who never have the desire to sit for the PMP exam, just as there are many intelligent people who never go to college. Same for dogs – a dog could never get a “title” and be an incredible hunting partner, or superbly trained, or have a wonderful temperament. Particularly when we consider the barriers that might prevent pursuing a title – time and money being the most obvious, but there are many other more subtle barriers, too.

But titles do have value, particularly in the dog world when we look at breeding choices and population management. They indicate that a dog has the right working abilities for the breed. They indicate that a dog can display those abilities under the stress of a trial environment. Even for companion breeds, things like conformation championships indicate that the dog is mentally stable enough to be in an environment with sometimes hundreds of other people and dogs, follow the directions of the handler, and be examined by a stranger – all things that are very valuable skills for today’s average pet dog, who is often expected to come along to breweries and restaurants, and be handled by groomers and vets.

Of course, titles alone never tell the whole story. They can’t possibly. Trials are often “simulations” of real life at best. But I do find them to be valuable pieces of information.

Titles are also FUN for those of us that like working with our dogs. Pursuing a tangible end goal (like titles, degrees, ribbons, etc) is a great way to encourage direction and motivation in skill building. The training itself can be a wonderful bonding experience, and improve communication between handler and dog outside of the sport, too. I’ve learned things about my dogs through training them for sport that I may never have learned otherwise.

I also particularly enjoy competing with Iris because it’s a way to share her breed with other dog people. Judges, stewards, exhibitors, and spectators will see “Drentsche Patrijshond” on the schedule or posted results and ask me, “tell me about her breed? and how you pronounce that?” and I get to share about how wonderful she is and my mediocre pronunciation of the full name. And then they remember us the next time – “oh! the pretty Dutch breed!”

It’s been a wonderfully fulfilling journey thus far guiding and showcasing Iris to her potential. While she has and always will be an amazing girl regardless, the titles are a great external validation of that potential. And we’re just getting started!