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Hi Nelci!
Hmmm, that is interesting! Maybe women at the gym are not comfortable or grappling with their own inner thoughts? At dog events, I have gotten positive responses from both men and women – everyone will smile back 🙂 Try it at your next trial and let me know if you still see a difference between men and women! I wonder if it is regional as well – I live in the South now, where eye contact and greetings with strangers are completely normal. But when I lived in the NYC-area, eye contact and greetings with strangers were NOT normal at all, in fact we tended to avert our eyes and NOT smile. Hmmm……T
Hi Nelci! I totally agree that the judge should stay in the ring during an E – they don’t have to continue judging, but they shouldn’t walk off. I *did* address this directly with the person in charge of the entire organization – one of the perks of UKI is that the head honchos are also competitors, plus I was on the event ‘crew’ so I had easy access to him. He actually went and pulled my video, then talked to the judge. The judge actually apologized to me the following day, saying that the E call was incorrect, there were things happening that she should have dealt with better, and that she was sorry that it went poorly. I believe she stayed in the ring for all future Es haha! It was a good conversation – I told her what I learned about not getting distracted, she told me what she learned about running her ring better, and I told her that I feared for her life & safety because my dog is such a freight train haha! We shared a laugh and both of us are better for it.
So, at least for UKI, be sure to have the conversation – you will be amazed at how receptive people will be and how it all works out nicely in the end.T
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
Hi! I love the Gratitude challenge, so fun!
And for the trial this weekend, consider yourself to be a science experiment in progress. What worked? What helped? What do you need to add or keep practicing? And definitely do those high speed visualizations 🙂 Keep us posted!Tracy
Hi!
Sounds like a really good trial day!!>>Trial ran painfully slow, rather that stew over it, I visualized all the good stuff from the previous runs, helped keep me positive
Perfect! We can’t necessarily control whether a trial is running slow or not, so better to not stew about it. I feel like it is wasted energy when we can’t control it, kind of like stewing about the weather 🙂
>>Also kept reminding myself to drink water, note to self, may have to time that with ring assignments
Ah yes, I feel that pain LOL!!!
Hi Mary!
Great thoughts about the course memorization! You will find a way that clicks for you – keep practicing! I think it is great that you are seeing different options or different lines just by looking at the paper: if you can go into a walk through with your ideas already mostly hashed out, your walk through wil be even more effective!
One thing to be careful of, as you mentioned, if locking onto the color of an obstacle. I try not to lock onto anything that is unpredictable or might change before the run: such as jump color 🙂 I have certainly seen jump wings swapped out for different ones before the runs start, which changes the color. And have you ever been to a trial where all the jumps are white? Eek! So color is a hard one to ignore but definitely don’t get too locked into jump color.
>>self talk assignment: As I was reading it I realized I have already been starting to do this. Wow now I can improve more!!
Self-talk is a MASSIVE element of mental prep and not just for dog sport 🙂 I have used it in other areas of life as well!
It takes tons of practice and tons of maintenance. Even the handlers who look so confident out there struggle with self-talk.>>However as I was reading it this question kept coming back to me besides all the negative stuff people have said to me. How do you handle those individuals that start pounding at you on how you should train this or that and negativisms when you walk out of the ring from your run that is really unwanted advice I never asked them for ,
Yeah, that is a pretty ugly side of agility, right?!?! A couple of ideas for you (and you will see more scattered throughout the course):
* Sometimes wear headphones so you don’t have to talk to anyone or engage with people who are trying to give you ‘advice’. You don’t even have to have music playing – just wear headphones with the cord tucked into your shirt. And if unwanted people try to engage with you, just smile, point to your ears, and walk away. This also works perfectly in airports LOL!* This is my favorite way to handle it and it will probably make you laugh too: for every negative thing the person says… reply to it with something you really liked about the run (or the previous run): “But his weave poles ROCKED!!!” Or “wow, did you see his speed on the back line?” Or “I loved his teeter!” Feel free to say the same thing over and over if needed: “I am so happy with his dog walk performance” or “My blind cross felt GREAT!” Being super positive back to a negative person will shut them down pretty quickly.
* If someone even *starts* to say something to me after a run that is negative, I just smile and walk away talking to my dog, telling him about all the GOOD things that happened in the ring. It is hard at first but incredibly simple: do not allow the conversation to happen. You are not open to it – close yourself off from it. Walk away. You do not have to listen to these people and you are NOT being rude – these folks are being rude.
* If the person pursues you and tries to continue the discussion – then yes, you can be more forceful and tell them to stop. I have a few lines I like to use, depending on my mood LOL! Sometimes if offer up the leash and I say, “ok, cool, do you want to run him?” That stops people dead in their tracks LOL!!!! And if someone is being REALLY inappropriate, I will tell them flat out: “this is really inappropriate. You might think you are being helpful but you are being quite negative. If you have comments for me, feel free to email them but right now I am here to make it fun for my dog.” Then walk away, telling the dog how brilliant he is.
* If you are sarcastic at all, you can try for a bit of humor 🙂 I am sarcastic in person 🙂 so I can look someone straight in the eye after a comment like that and say, “oh that is helpful, thanks!” It makes me chuckle to do it 🙂
Then smile and walk away haha!
>> besides not even knowing them ? How does one deal with these people besides being able to stay positive about good things happened in that run?
Yep, people are pretty rude sometimes! I like hitting them back with super positives – don’t keep the positives to yourself, tell the negative people about the good things in direct reply to their comments. It can actually be quite fun!
You’ll also see an assignment about “Consider the source” when people make comments to you. Take a moment and consider the person who is delivering the info, Some info might be hard to hear, but maybe it is valuable. Consider the source of delivery: is this someone you respect, who can provide useful info, and who knows your dogs well enough to be potentially giving you good info (even if it is hard to hear?) If so, then process the info and decide if it is useful. If not, just discard the comment.
>> Because honestly I have really had it with all the negative crap I hear when It comes to Tanner especially. Honest to god I had some say to me that I should give up on Tanner and put all my focus on Buddy he is more steady.
For those types of comments, you can smile and have a reply ready such as “I love him and I love the challenge!” Then walk away. Walking away from these gross conversations (physically and mentally removing yourself) is a key element!
>>I am really hung up on this and cant seem to get my brain to move forward with this assignment.
I personally work through these elements in my visualizations before events. I practice conversations and replies. It is hard to do this but it is SO helpful! It prepares me for when people say gross things. It is going to happen, so we need to be prepared.
I have also noticed that the more prepared I am, the less it happens. At the end of a run, I am smiling and happy and talking to my dog (even at the end of a really bad run LOL!) so I am less open to being approached by negative people. And because I am prepared with replies, the local negative know-it-alls have stopped bothering with me.
This is one of the hardest things in agility! I wish we didn’t have to deal with it, but unfortunately we do. And those negative moments are SO hard to forget: I remember a moment in 2001 (yes, 2001) when someone told me to give up on my dog and just get another dog. I remember it as clearly as if it was yesterday. The brain is a funny thing – I cannot remember all the kind words from people nearly as well, but I can totally remember those cutting words from almost 19 years ago. LOL! I wasn’t prepared in 2001, but I am totally prepared now.
Hope this helps! Let me know what you think, and let’s discuss!!
Tracy
Ah! That is a huge breakthrough! Visualization is basically your dress rehearsal for the run… and you’ve been rehearsing it at a tempo you want, perhaps, but also a tempo you are not going to have in reality 🙂 That can certainly explain why it can be hard to execute your runs sometimes! Yes, I suggest an immediate change to your visualizations: do them with her running at normal speed (which is super fast) and then do them with her running even faster 🙂 Get your heart rate up, get your muscles twitching, feel a little off balance – that is all stuff that are more realistic to your actual run. That will help you make a great handling plan and also help you execute it. You’ll also find in later lessons that there are ways to visual at high speed, faster than any dog can actually go, which can make your runs feel almost relaxed and easy 🙂
Let me know what you think!
TracyFollowing up on lessons learned – I did speak to the overall event organizer about the weirdness in the ring during the run I mentioned above. I spoke to him in a relaxed way, just letting him know that I had a concern. The organizers at this event are high level competitors so they are great about talking to competitors and understanding their needs.
In my discussion with him, I owned that the distraction in the run after the random “E” from the judge caused my off course later on – I told him that it was TOTALLY a mental error from me and that I was *not* asking for a re-run. But I did ask him to please tell the judge to not walk through the center of the course after an E as it was both distracting and potentially dangerous (might dog runs like a freight train LOL!). So he went and looked at the video of my run (and other runs in my group) – and he agreed that the initial E call was incorrect and should not have been called. That definitely hit home the lesson of stay focused NO MATTER WHAT. Ha!
But most importantly, he spoke to the judge and it turned out the judge was diabetic and having a low blood sugar issue during my group’s runs, causing some of the issues. So now that judge has been supported with whatever she needs in the ring during the long judging days to keep her levels stable.
So while my run did indeed go awry, I feel a lot more empathy now and something good came out of it in terms of the judge being better supported for her needs.
Which brings me to a great lesson reminder… more empathy for others even when things don’t go well or get weird for myself. We are all in this big fish bowl together so we might as well support each other 🙂
Have a great Saturday, everyone!!
Tracy
Good morning!!!
>> would like to start off with Visualization: I have read part 1 and was really shocked how well I accomplished this in actually seeing , feeling, sounds ect. Being able to switch visualization with each boy as fast and easy as singing to my favorite song would be sssoooo awesome and completely helpful!!
THis is awesome! Good job on Part 1. And yes, with some practice, you will be able to switch off easily. Did you try switching off in Part 1 of the visualization? Visualize the apple… then switch to a peach, then grapes 🙂 Or members of your family. Practice flipping back and forth between things as if they were right there in front of you.
>>If I write down each boy’s needs as their handler when I run them. Take that and start visualizing each course running with that particular dog ( maybe pulling some old course maps out to help me with the exercise).
Yes, that is one of the games down the road: pick a course, memorize it, and visualize yourself running it with your dogs. I have some course maps posted in the games but you can use any map. Start with an EASY one or a short sequence, because the course itself isn’t actually the goal, the visualization/switching back and forth is the goal.
Now I maybe dense on this but I want to be sure I am fully understanding you and this correctly.. When you talk about “lists about the needs of the dogs” it would be something like:
>>Buddy – struggles switching btwn handler and obstacle focus – sending him when 3 feet away to an obstacle helps him with the switch into obstacle focus
>>Tanner – doesn’t like close micro managing handling – focus more on verbal cuesYes, this is a good start. I tend to not have anything about struggles or dislikes on my lists, I use only positive action statements such as “Use Your Sends” (this actually was on my list for my oldest dog until he retired) as well as stuff like work each verbal, etc. Short, sweet, to the point with no associated negatives.
>>SO answering your question ” Do I have trouble making a plan for each boy?” Yes sometimes I do really struggle with this..especially IF the course has sharp turns or herky jerky spots, or when the course gets the dog’s speed really turned up then to turn around and slam on the breaks with strong handler maneuver’s with challenges of off course if you are not in that correct spot. I hope this makes sense and gives you an idea of what I am asking/relaying.>>
Yes, makes sense. I think having the list of things to remember for each dog will help – also add in list of absolute strengths with each dog, because you can pull from the strengths to create a good plan. Such as: “Tanner has great blind crosses”.
And before the walk through, trial to formulate your plans – the walk through really is just to confirm them and rehearse them (the Walk Through articles have more on that). And at some point, you have to pick a plan and stick with it LOL!!! Sometimes when I am undecided, I set a timer on my phone in the walk through and at that time, I MUST pick a plan and stick with it. Helps get rid of indecision.
As someone who also runs multiple dogs, try to plan things the same way as much as possible for the 2 dogs – it will help make life a lot easier in the ring 🙂
>>As I have gotten better and more confident how each boy runs. I have put them in the same class and may have only a couple dogs in between switching them. I can ask my instructors to have me run each one back to back in helping me with this area.>>
I think you will find this useful over time! It might go very badly at first LOL! Start with short sequences 🙂 Do you have any ring rental opportunities nearby where you can rent a ring, set up short sequences and run them back to back on each?
>>Affirmations part:
These are all good. I think you can even take out the “will” from some to make them even stronger affirmations, with the goal being more of a “this is simply who I am” rather than “this is something I will do”
This is the first couple without the “will”:
I focus on our successes in each run.
I praise God when we succeed and when we fail.
I am positive and optimistic with each run & with Tanner / Buddy
I am the handler/teammate my Tanner/Buddy thinks I amThese are pretty perfect, they gave me goosebumps:
I am the handler that I seek
I draw from my inner strength, knowledge and light
I trust myselfTaking out the ‘will’:
I forgive myself for handling mistakes I makeBut you can also switch this one up to something like “I support myself” so you don’t even have to talk about forgiving or mistakes in affirmations 🙂
>>There is a good reason why God paired me with Tanner/Buddy
You can turn this into more of an affirmation by turning it around into an even stronger affirmation by starting it with something like “I was chosen” or “I was paired”.
>>I let go of worries and let the run be the best we can do
We can take out the worries part for the affirmations and turn it into something like “I let the run be our best effort”.
>>I fully approve of who I am as a handler , even as I get better
I love the “fully approve” part! And we can swap up the “even as I get better” into something like “and I continually grow as a handler”
Notice that these affirmations are sooooo positive with no mention of negatives or mistakes and we stick with “do” and “am” rather than anything that might be softer. We tackle the less perfect aspects of ourselves in the handling nerves sections 🙂
Excellent stuff here! You are doing a great job!!!!
Tracy
Yes! The more specific you can be, the better. “I will handle the front cross on the line that begins next to the wing starting when he has exited the tunnel.”
Does CPE allow someone else to hold the toy and hand it to you? A bit of UKI will be totally worth it, there is more freedom with the toy – this includes being able to take it to the start line and hand it off with the leash on a ‘real’ run too! And I think AKC is starting some toy-in-the-ring opportunities as well!!
Hi Tom!
These are good but I also want to try to get them more specific:
>>>Be brave and use more blinds, he reads them well and they really help me stay ahead. Him chasing me is so much more beneficial than me chasing him.
Yes! So Be Brave is a bit general – use “I am brave” as an affirmation and you can then look for all the blinds as your performance goal.
>>Stay connected – it really helps support him
Yes! Make it more of an action statement, such as “look for his eyes the whole time”
“”Get the timing right – if I blind cross and look over the new shoulder and hes not there, I either blew the connection or timing or both
Yes! Timing is a great performance goal. Make it more specific such as “I will start the cue when he exits the previous obstacle.”
>>Figure out how to fix his stopped contacts in trial environment. Thru CPE training in the ring, i have learned that if I have a toy in hand, I’ll get beautiful contacts. take away the toy and its no stop. This is something I’ve created and need to fix and training with the toy is not going to help, but will only perpetuate the problem I think.
Training with the toy will totally help 🙂 the next step is to hide the toy on you, so he thinks it is a real run – then help him get it right then surprise him by whipping out the toy 🙂 Does CPE allow someone else to hold the toy? When he gets it right, that other person can hand it to you (CPE doesn’t allow it to be thrown). You can enter UKI, where you can throw a reward. Does CPE allow fix & go or repeat & go or whatever they call it? Every venue has a different name hahaha. That way you can fix and repeat in a trial environment as well.
Let me know what you think!
TracyOn the 1-2-3-4 on the nationals round 1… yes, a ton of options. When I walked it, the circle wrap was the faster line. – MUCH shorter distance through it and with a good exit line as well, for dogs that wrap well. The handling depending on the speed of the dog. The #2 jump was pretty offset so leading out to 3 was not really an option. The handlers that did the BC 3-4 moved into it and while it was generally successful if you could outrun the dog, many of them blocked the wing of 4 or got in the way completely and sent the dog off course (I think the wall jump was right there). I chose another option that was really successful and set a great line – I ran into a blind cross 2-3 and pushed to the backside. In terms of the line, it worked great (other folks did that as well or some did it as a lead out push of landing side of 2). I was a bit late on my BC and Voodoo had a really hard time adjusting to the dirt (he hasn’t run in 5 months and there is no warm up area on dirt here) so he dropped bars in the opening. Then it got weird with the judge whistling an E for no reason and then walking through the center of the course LOL! It was a super fun course though!
T
Hi Nelci!!
>> ! About working during the competition, I think it helped me not to be 100% focused on Agility, which I do in local trials when I have no RV to rest at. But since I was not engaged 100% it lost some of the excitement. Also, I did not have a chance to discuss courses or strategy with anyone.
Interesting – you might have to build in time to get into the environment and get yourself more engaged, so you find a good balance of engagement and relaxation.
>>One of the things about these large events, is that it is very hard to have your friends on the same group or ring, so it is hard to walk courses together.
True!! But you can make time. For example, 2 of my friends walked the Snooker course with me this morning because I had a good plan and they wanted to steal it LOL!!! They were in different rings. And I will often message a friend or find them if I want to see what they are doing.
>>Yes, I agree, I need to concentrate on the entire course, and dedicate special time to the hardest parts but without losing site of the full course.
Set a timer on your walk through – 2 minutes to the hard part, maximum, then back to the whole course.
>>Also, at these large events it is very hard to run a course (too many folks), and I didn’t do that, and I think you are right, if I had run it and would have been more comfortable with the execution. Something else to keep in mind!!!
At big events, I have a plan going into the course then when the walk through opens, I go directly to that spot so I can get the plan and run it a few times before the crowd gets there. And I can totally at least jog through the crowd at a big event, I make a point of it on the harder courses.
>>Lead outs are tough for me, there are many places and options where I could stand, and when doing long lead outs I need to be more aware of my exact position!!! Definitely something I will be working on.
It might just be simple indecision… you will just need to pick a place and go to that place. Pick the option then stick with it!
>>>Can you please let me know what is a reasonable amount of time I need to practice visualization? I am a very structured person and need to follow instructions 🙂 If you tell me “visualize for 1 min every day” I will do that, but with no goal it is very hard for me to do the “homework” 🙂
Try to spend 5 minutes at night as you are laying in bed or on the couch to work your visualizations. You will find it very relaxing 🙂 As we get into the more specific visualizations for events, set aside 5 minutes during the middle of the day when you are more awake.
>>Hope you had a great day today!!!
Thanks! It was totally as expected… I haven’t run courses with Voodoo since June – he had a hamstring injury and then I had to recover from gall bladder surgery. So we are going in on 100% mental prep haha! I am a bit rusty and slow so we have managed to end up off course in each run, but he is really fun to run – so much speed and power with no room for a mess up at all LOL! He has no patience 🙂 The courses are FUN!!!!
TracyHi! It wasn’t that tough, but it was annoying to have to stop my dog because the judge was randomly walking through the course. I just took it as a lesson of what I need to do for next time!
That is pretty icky that people comment on runs close enough to the ring that the handler can hear it! Poo!!! Let’s take a moment and recognize that as poor behavior from those people. Bleh!
Ok. Now we also recognize that it will happen and so own we plan for it: insert it into your visualizations and then work through it with self-talk, reframing and release valves. Yes, I’m suggesting practicing hearing it and then practicing ignoring it and squashing the negative self-talk it can create. Do this away from the ring, starting at home, on the couch, no dogs around. It can be difficult for sure but it comes down to 2 things: recognizing that this is bad behavior in OTHER people and that is their problem, not yours.
A good reframing technique for this situation is that people only say these things when you are really good and that gets you noticed. Fast, well-trained dog that can win? Yep, that’ll get you noticed. So if you hear something, replace negative self-talk with something like: “So fun that they noticed our speed and training!!”
Let me know if that makes sense 🙂
TracyHi!
Let me preface this by saying that every dog has different needs so it is super important to get a PT or veterinary PT to give you a plan specific to the needs of the dog.
In general, after each run, I give my dog a long cool down walk. If there will be several hours between runs or if it is the end of the day, I will do passive stretches: light massage at first then with the dog laying on his side, I do longer stretches: front leg forward, front leg back, a ‘chicken wing’ stretch of the front leg. Some lured neck stretches (side to side, up and down). Hind end back, hind end forward, up and out too. Each stretch is held for 15 seconds or so, and I do both sides of the dog. I also do some light massage of the back and muscles in shoulders and thighs. If I am doing this at night, I will warm the dog up a little with movement and massage before stretching, because we never want to stretch cold muscles 🙂The dog must allow and offer the stretching and you need to hold the dog for the stretch in a specific place to keep it safe, so that’s why I recommend having a professional develop a routine for your dog and help you through it.
Hope that helps!
Tracy
