Good morning!
So much good stuff here!!!!! And big successes 🙂 Here are some thoughts for you!
>>I certainly altered my routines from last minute to spreading prep out so I could relax the day before.
Nice! Smart! Being relaxed and rested is really helpful.
>>I decided to pack some items two days before i.e. trial shoes, my show bag, treat/toy bag and items such as blankets, etc etc. Water, lunch, and perishable snacks I put into iced cooler the night before placing in the car as well. Had all breakfast items ready to go for am.
Great planning!!
>>Took a hot shower the night before and slept well. Actually awoke 5 minutes before the alarm went off. Took an hr of personal time for a minor workout with stretch, clean up, and then took all of my dogs for an early morning stretch in in the yard to enjoy a bit of extension in play. Got my self together and out we went. ( I still have a goal of leaving 10 mins earlier, but it was not an issue in this case).
This is great! You are checking all of the boxes in terms of prep, rest, relaxation. Having a bit of personal time is SO NICE rather than rushing around.
>>Arrived at trial with plenty of time to spare and check in to settle. Actually I took my dog to scope out the entire area inside and out with exception of the inside of ring itself.
And I am sure the dog appreciated this too 🙂
>>listened to calming music on the drive in. Basically was in good spirits. Practiced affirmations while driving (seemed a little weird to me but I did it, will continue to put up post-its)….”I am stronger than I think, I will stay connected, I will remain calm, I will support my dog, I have a dog that loves the sport”. >>
Yes, affirmations feel so weird at first, right?!?!? LOL!!! But they will re-wire the brain and so they are worth it, even when it feels so odd 🙂
>>Pre-ring routine
I stretched again right before our first run. Stretched my dog while 5 dogs were before us.
Would sneak in a peak of course the in my pocket on phone and tried to visualize over and over before walk through. Noticed the physical course before us was actually in reverse to our course we are to run. >>
So the previous course had a similar layout in terms of where the obstacles were but the numbering wsa different?
>>Being happy Went into facility relaxed and cheerful. I actually met two new people which was fun. A positive experience which quadrupled into more positives. Kept smiling. I kept everything positive and brief until we were done for the day.
Perfection! Positives build into more positives.
>>Flexibility
In regard to remaining flexible. At this venue I realized that collars are not allowed & I forgot my dog’s slip lead! What to do? Think fast! I had to improvise by reversing the leash and clip the collar to make a handle. Actually worked well.
Nice adjustment! And a good lesson for next time – or maybe always have a slip leash in the car. I tend to just toss everything into the car or training bag so that I an whip something out if it turns out to be needed LOL!
>>I forgot my earbuds too, so listening to music was out when inside the building. (I will make reminder note to self to put in bag).
Yes – smart to put it on a list. I also have a crappy pair of earbuds that just live in my bag for moments when I can’t find the real set 🙂
>>Also was a bit stressed when course maps were not on paper but taped to wall. No course maps were handed out. Photos only! As a newbie I usually mark my path with highlighters so I can break apart my plan. Talk about anxiety producing not having the materials to work with. Woowee! I had to really really self calm on that one when I wanted to panic. Had to just sit with affirmation “I can do this” until I got to the walk through.
Ah! This is a big moment!!! In some venues like UKI and USDAA, there is a trend away from paper course maps – which means you also have to adjust your routine. If you have a smartphone, you can draw your plan on the photo (most phones allow us to do it) but you can also have an alternate routine where you learn maps from your phone. In the later lessons where there is course memorization involved here… try it from your phone and see how it goes!
EXCELLENT job to you for leaning on your techniques to work through this unexpected situation. Rather than flip out or stress out, you grabbed tools from your tool box and worked it through successfully. While it would have been better is the agility gods had not thrown you this curveball, it is great that you seized the moment and worked through it. Now if it happens again, you will be prepared and it will be even easier to handle. Yay!!
>>Voices
Yes, those voices can be the hardest element, right??
>>The first run was a bust….my dog got a bit too heady, zoomed and visited when I lost connection and then decided to visit ring crew in chairs. In fact my dog had trouble completing more than 3 things, anything other than a perimeter sweep, sniffing at access points on course that leads to folded equipment was half *a–ed reckless at best. I got maybe 3 jumps out of her. A bit frustrating.
Yep, I feel that! The best laid plans… it is all good until we get the canine partner out. Adjustments in her pre-run routine might be needed, or she might just need more experience. Either way – sometimes we nail the run, sometimes the run is frustrating. That is agility in a nutshell!
>> At that juncture, yep, I heard voices, you bet. The thoughts that crept in “ we couldn’t even make it over the last jump, here we go again, maybe she’s not ready, this is too much for her, not impressive girly girl, you’d think you get no love at home, embarrassing, maybe we’re not really good enough”.
Yes again – we have all heard those voices trying to take up space in our heads. That is exactly why we have such a big toolbox for squishing those voices 🙂 I think every single one of us has heard the voices in our head say the same things. We often feel like it is just us… but in reality, it is ALL of us at some point!
>>In any case, I decided NOT to redo course elements since it was not going to help the stress for either one of us. She did come back to me for leash up so that was a +.
Smart! Sometimes it is better to cut bait and get out of the run LOL!!
>>I tried to remain stoic in leashing up. After which I took her for a huge long walk to decompress trying to remain less tense. Once she stopped the huffing & puffing, and frothing by coming back to earth, I moved back to the building. I decided to work on resting my mind and refreshing myself, focusing on how to handle the next run. I put her on crate rest for a few for sure. Later I would get her out to do some tricks. Grabbed some water, re-stretched etc.
Perfect. Decompress, let go of what happened, relax, reset.
>>Next run I reframed the neg voices with affirmations “connect, dig in” and support” . Decided to shorten some of the physical distance on course so she’d be more comfortable. Surprisingly, on second run I was not really too nervous at the start line at this point. Not sure why.>>
Yay! The lack of nerves is likely due to your performance goals (connect, dig in, support) and your plan to set her up for success. You also had relaxation time built in, you were rested – and you focused on the positives of the mental game. When you focus on the mental game, you will feel excitement and not nerves – and it sounds like you nailed it here.
>>To my amazement the affirmations seemed to work….I really locked on and dug in for some grit. The run connection was amazing!..
Yessssss 🙂
>>>so amazing in fact, I don’t really remember much about the actual jumps, equipment or direction. It just flowed and was comfortable physically. Almost seemed too comfortable. If that makes sense.
Yes – you were truly ‘in the zone’. So fun!!
>>>I am hoping that more and more runs will be like this, quick, calm, connected. I get now what “in the zone” may possibly be like.
Yes – that is exactly what in the zone is like 🙂 The more you practice, the easier it will be to get there regularly. Fun times ahead!
>>I need to work on ring jitters when more judgmental people are on the sidelines though. It’s tough to ignore a lot of chatter, when too many voices (some very loud) are coming at you or in your space (lol). I need a lot of head space & room for sure : )
So true about ignoring the voices of OTHER people. Sheesh, it is hard enough for us to squish our own voices, it is even harder to ignore other people!
Personally, I practice my visualizations at home and add in the negative people on the sidelines as well as running in front of intimidating people and intimidating situations. I literally visualize walking to the line and hearing the negative comments or seeing the scary person watching me – and I whip out my tools for staying focused, reducing nerves, affirmations, etc to help work through the issues of people on the sidelines.
And believe me, my imagination is a lot more creative in inventing nasty sideline people than anything I have ever encountered at an actual trial. Ha! It is difficult to visualize this, which is why I recommend doing it at home and away from the dog. It can be quite stressful but totally useful to work through. Imagine it, visualize working through it – then you will find that your mind begins to automatically know how to deal with it!
Thank you for this post, so fun to read!! Let me know what you think!
Tracy