Mini Flags, Massive Difference

Why focusing on the finish line could be the thing pulling you furthest from your goal.

The recall that “works”… until it doesn’t

I speak to a lot of gundog owners who tell me, proudly and sincerely, that their dog has a great recall. And I love hearing that, I’m genuinely pleased for them.

But as we talk a little more, something quieter begins to unfold. That recall works beautifully… until there’s another dog, a rabbit, a ball, or even just the wind shifting.

What they have isn’t really recall, not yet. What they have is a recall that works in certain conditions. And that’s the reality for many gundog owners.

Chasing the big flag

Most people are chasing the big win. The dog who comes back no matter what. The stop on a sixpence. The walk that flows like poetry.

That’s the big flag they’ve planted and are fixated on.

But here’s the problem: when all we focus on is the finish line, we miss the progress happening right in front of us. One stumble starts to feel like everything is broken. One failed recall becomes a story of regression. One chaotic moment gets internalised as “we’ve lost it.”

You haven’t lost it. You’re just too focused on the big flag.

The real goals behind recall

When I ask people in their discovery sessions what they want, their answers are often versions of the same:

• To let their dog off lead without fear.
• To recall away from distractions.
• To walk calmly past another dog.
• To be able to listen, to focus, to connect.

These are important goals, but they’re not where training begins.

Why mini flags matter

Instead of trying to reach the finish line in one giant leap, what we really need is to plant the big flag once, then let it go. Choose it, set your course… and then focus on the mini flags.

Mini flags are the little victories that show progress is happening. They’re the moments that matter but so often get missed:

• The pause when they almost chased.
• The head-turn instead of the bolt.
• The softening of the body instead of the lunge.
• The slow exhale as they choose to stay.

These moments tell us the work is landing. Not because it’s perfect, but because something is shifting.

Progress isn’t a straight line

Failure isn’t the end, it’s feedback.

Our gundogs aren’t robots. Instinct and emotion sit close to the surface, just as they do in us. Sometimes they can recall away from distraction, sometimes they can’t. And both of those moments have something to teach.

But recall isn’t built in the chaos of the biggest trigger. It’s built in layers, in the small moments where we plant mini flags.

Where I start with recall

I don’t begin recall training with rabbits, birds, or other dogs. I start with manageable distractions:

• A toy dropped gently to the side.
• A dummy placed near their feet.
• A favourite treat hidden in the grass.

Can your dog recall in those moments? If yes, brilliant, that’s a mini flag planted. If no, that’s not failure, that’s information. That’s your next mini flag to work towards.

The energetic shift

There’s another piece we can’t ignore: energetics.

When we fixate on how far we are from the end goal, our whole energy shifts. We start training from lack, worry, and pressure. A small “failure” suddenly feels huge, and our dogs pick up on that.

They sense the weight we’ve given a moment that should have felt light, the feel, and avoid the pressure. They stop being present with us. They scan, second-guess, and check-out. Because what they’re reading is a human who’s already somewhere else, stuck in a future that hasn’t happened yet.

We can’t build connection from that place. What we need is presence. Positive energy. Attention to the wins that are already here.

A seasonal invitation

So this autumn and winter, I invite you to slow down. Plant your mini flags. Let go of the urgent need to “get there,” and instead notice what’s emerging in the work you’re already doing.

Because change doesn’t only happen at the end. It’s happening now, in every choice, in every step. And when you start focusing on that, you might just find the giant flag at the finish line is far closer than you realised.