This article originally appeared in the August 2005 issue
of Clean
Run magazine By Martha Faulk
Maybe your ring nerves aren't as bad as Jane's.
The moment she decides to enter a trial, she feels anxiety.
She relives humiliating past trial experiences and begins
to worry about the "what ifs" for weeks, even
months, in advance of the next competition. Jane's
anxiety infuses every aspect of her life, manifesting itself
in a variety of symptoms including insomnia, loss of appetite,
chronic headaches, irritability, and inability to concentrate.
By the time the trial date arrives, Jane thinks, "Why
am I doing this?"
In Conquering Ring Nerves: A
Step-By-Step Program For All Dog Sports, we
follow Jane, who is actually a composite of three handlers
suffering severe ring nerves, through a step-by-step
coaching program designed to free her—and the reader—from
the stranglehold of ring nerves. The author, Diane Peters
Mayer, is a psychotherapist with experience in treating
people with generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and performance
anxiety. She has adapted her program for dog handlers competing
in all dog sports.
If you're like me, you might feel that you're
doing just fine managing your nerves. I make my living
as a public speaker, giving seminars in legal writing
to lawyers, who can definitely be an intimidating
group. I have a well-practiced program for dealing
with performance anxiety in that situation. Agility
competition, however, is a whole different game.
Although I'm usually able to hide my nerves from my
lawyer audience, alas, I can't fool my dogs. So, in
the spirit of self-improvement, I worked the "Ring
Nerves Checklist" in Chapter 1. It described some of
my typical ringside symptoms: dry mouth, rapid heartbeat,
tight facial muscles, and many more. Uh-oh, I earned 7 out
of 10, not too good. Then I checked off my "Competition
Problems" from that list. I didn't score too
well on that list, either, receiving a score of 6.
But the last list, inquiring "Does your dog do any
of the following during training or competition?" convinced
me that I needed help. I must confess that my three dogs
have done one or more of all the following behaviors:
- Avoid looking at handler during competition
- Shut down in training sessions
- Shut down in the ring
- Lag or respond to signals too slowly
- Get frantic and out of control.
- React to handler's ring nerves
- NQ often
- And saddest of all, not wanting to compete.
Yes, my Border Terrier, EmmaLou, has often shut
down, occasionally left the ring, and most recently,
refused to sit or down on the table. We've spent
a few months retraining and not competing at all.
So, I eagerly turned to Chapter 2 to learn how
to deal with my anxiety. I was surprised to read
that "The breath is the key." Jane, our composite
handler, says, "I absolutely fell in love with Yoga
Breath. I teach, and taking control of my breathing helped
me in some tough situations in the classroom."
You might think that learning to do diaphragmatic
breathing (Yoga Breath) is a simplistic solution
to anxiety, but Mayer explains that "learning to control and direct the breath
enables you to take charge of physical, mental and emotional
functioning while in the most demanding situations." If
you are a yoga practitioner, you already know the benefits.
If not, Mayer has a well-described procedure to help
you control your breathing in all situations.
In addition to the focus on controlled breathing,
the Ring Nerves program includes suggestions for
competing in the moment, fighting your fears, visualizing
your ring nerves away, finding your "core," and boosting your
self-esteem. Each chapter includes checklists, photographs,
and training tips. One of my favorite sections, Chapter 7,
deals with issues of perfectionism, and how the expectation
of a flawless performance can be a true handicap. Mayer shows
us, in an exercise about "Perfectionist Awareness," how
to turn off negative statements and tune in to positive
ones.
All this advice was just in time for the trial
I'd
entered with EmmaLou after many months of retraining.
As I approached the ring for the first walk-through,
I began to think: "What if—once again—she refuses
to sit on the table?" Then, I remembered the program
I'd been practicing. I stopped and took a few deep
Yoga Breaths and relaxed my whole body. I recognized
my negative thoughts for what they were and substituted
instead a positive visual picture of a perfect little
terrier sit on the table. Just knowing that I had a
pre-performance program helped me to stay calm and
focused on the course as I walked it.
Then it was time to warm up EmmaLou and
stay focused. We had a fast start off the line. Approaching
the table, I remained confident. EmmaLou hopped up and
actually did the perfect little terrier sit. We finished
fast and clean, winning the class. EmmaLou went on to
earn her first Double-Q that day.
After reading Conquering Ring Nerves, I've become
a convert. I'll never again compete, or train,
without my Yoga Breath, body relaxation, and positive
visualization. If EmmaLou could talk, she'd probably
say, "Well,
it's about time you did a little work on your own nerves!" Do
yourself and your dog a favor—and give the program
a try.
Note: Conquering Ring Nerves is
available from Cleanrun.com for
$24.99 plus shipping.
Martha Faulk is a lawyer and author who lives in Fort Collins,
Colorado. She is Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
for the Larimer Humane Society and teaches agility there. Martha
trains an Australian Cattle Dog and an Australian Shepherd
that she adopted from the shelter and also runs a Border
Terrier in agility. Martha may be reached at Marthfaulk@aol.com.
