"Success comes before work only in the dictionary."

Issue: February, 2002

Publisher & Editor: Diane Peters Mayer
President, Conquering Ring Nerves
Co-editor: Vanessa Klapper - Director of Fitness

A. PeakSpeak
B. Ask the Coaches
C. Training Tip of The Month
D. Handlers Tales
E. Second Chances
F. Book Picks
G. Announcements & Coming Events
H. Invitations

A. PeakSpeak

Hello and welcome to all of our readers and new subscribers!

PeakNews offers a range of information about ring nerves, the ways to conquer it, and how to really enjoy competition. This month we feature a great training tip to use in combination with Yoga Breath, for quick relaxation.

A big thank you to those who submitted to Ask The Coaches and Handlers' Tales. Their experiences and struggles can be appreciated by many of you.

In Book Picks, we review two outstanding titles you will want to check out.

What do you do when you adopt your dream Border Collie, not knowing that "behavioral problems" means real aggression? In Second Chances, you'll read the story of a handler's first seven weeks with her new rescue, and how her determination and realizations helped them both. (Note: CAYP will make a donation in you and your pet's name to the shelter or rescue group of your choice as a thank you for submitting to Second Chances).

PeakNews aims to serve as a worldwide forum for dog handlers who suffer from ring nerves, so we need you to share your personal stories, questions and comments. Your confidentiality is assured if you request it, writing experience is not necessary, and length is unimportant. If you want us to, we'll edit for you.

PeakNews offers a unique format in which to engage and connect with handlers from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and South Africa on a topic that may be difficult to think about and discuss otherwise. So, please, send along your submissions for the March issue now. Thanks.

Please join us to become the handler of your dreams. Your dog will thank you!

Enjoy.

Diane & Vanessa

B. Ask the Coaches

Dear Coaches:
While warming up my dog before a trial, we are both cool and calm. The instant I walk into the ring, I seize up, stop breathing and then lose my dog. I've even hyperventilated at times!     J.H., Pennsylvania

Dear J.H.:
Hmmm. We are wondering if you really are as "cool and calm" as you think. Maybe you have learned to deny how frightened you are about competing. You may be "acting as if" you feel okay about it all, but when you face the reality of entering the ring, and can't control your nerves, whamo! the anxiety punches through and hits you hard. Now, "acting as if" is a regularly used technique by athletes to reach peak performance, but it usually doesn't work when one is experiencing severe competition anxiety. We'll talk about how to use "acting as if" in a later issue, but here's what you can do now.

Train yourself for pre-show anxiety even though you are not experiencing any symptoms. Learn and practice Yoga Breath until it feels comfortable and becomes second nature to you. Also review the 8 steps to help with pre-show nerves in our January 2002 newsletter. Use Yoga Breath especially while warming up your dog and right before you enter the ring. It is very important that you do Yoga Breath in the on-deck position and continue it until you enter the ring and begin your event. With practice, this should help you remain cool and collected from the start.

Try adding this month's Training Tip to your program, it will give Yoga Breath extra ump! and with practice, help you relax in an instant.

Happy training. Practice hard and keep us posted on your progress,

Diane & Vanessa

Note: To submit a question, please send an email to: CAYPNews@aol.com

C. Training Tip Of The Month

You can build a "bridge" to instant relaxation with just a word or a touch.

In this month's exercise we take a page out of dog training. We utilize a "bridge word" to help you ease the tension in the pressured atmosphere of the dog show. When you practice deep relaxation, pair it with the word "calm," add a finger touch, then you've got a powerful tool to combat ring nerves.

Exercise:

Note: Using words and/or finger touching will help you stay firmly in the moment.

D. Handlers Tales

Karen trains and competes with two Rottweilers, 7 year old Gretchen and 11 year old Sasha in Competition Obedience and Agility. Her new rescue Zima, has been with Karen for four months and is learning the ropes and doing well in Obedience and Agility training. Thanks so much Karen, for telling us your story.

Karen's Story: My ring nerves start when I wake up the morning of the event. I feel nauseous and can barely hold down a cup of tea. My hands get clammy while driving to the event. On arrival, I visit the ladies room before I do anything else and make several trips thereafter. My breathing when entering the ring gets shallow and I know my face flushes. After I start the activity though, I calm down and get to business. When I'm done, I feel like I've lost 100 pounds.

I do some breathing exercises that DO help and envisioning what I want in the ring helps- especially in agility.

I have two legs towards my CD with Gretchen. The last leg has been a long time coming. It may be my nerves or it may be her health. We found out she had Lyme Disease this past fall. I am happy to say she is back on track and has improved leaps and bounds. We are hoping to finish her CD title this March. Sasha has no legs yet.

I also compete in agility with Gretchen and Sasha. It's funny, I do not get the least bit nervous with Sasha. I know she is there to compete and will not run off course or even glance at other dogs.

Gretchen on the other hand, will run out of the ring sometimes to check out other dogs, or just leave. This could be my stress level affecting her, we call her my "complex" child.

We have no qualifying runs yet in agility, but hope to change that this year. Sasha always places 1st or 2nd in the veterans classes, but we never make time, mostly because of my handling errors.

It's just practice, practice, practice on my part because rarely is it the dog's fault! J

Bio: Karen is a full-time vet tech and Canine Myotherapist (muscle therapist), and does part-time pet sitting. Gretchen and Sasha are also therapy dogs, and Zima will be tested as a therapy dog Spring 2002. They make their home together in Califon, NJ.

Note: If any readers have similar feelings and experiences like Karen's please send in your comments and we'll be happy to publish them. Found a good way to cope that has helped? Please share that with Karen and our readers. Thanks.

Note: Please share with us your experiences in the ring: achievements and successes, difficulties and how you coped, funny and/or embarrassing moments, etc. To submit a story, please write to us at: CAYPNews@aol.com

E. Second Chances

Pam Dennison, my dog Benny's trainer, has kindly allowed us to reprint an article she wrote for the December 2000/January 2001 Clicker Journal. Thank you Pam.

Pam adopted Shadow on June 29th, 2000. This article tells about their first seven weeks together. Since that time Shadow aggressed against five people: two bites, one drawing blood, three nips, and tons of lunges with teeth bared.

After 18 months of training Shadow received his CGC on November 17th, 2001!

Over Zealous Dog Trainer Run Amok!

Hormonal delusions. There can't be any other reason for me to have rescued this dog seven weeks ago. One year old Border Collie, male, history of lunging at people. Rescue organization said that he was a great dog and he only needed to be taken away from his previous owner, who, although well meaning, was in over her head. At the time, I was feeling cocky (after all, I had adopted five other dogs with varying degrees of behavioral problems and they all turned out fine) and said that I would take him. So, I packed up Carrie, Cody, Beau and my husband Jim and drove four hours each way to meet Fitz. Praying all the way there that he wouldn't get along with my dogs so I could bail out. No such luck.

Our first two weeks with "Shadow" (I renamed him because I did not like his original name) was pure hell. He was constantly fighting with Cody and Beau and they were completely freaked out, which of course, was upsetting me. He would attack them if they came anywhere near me. He would attack them in the hallway or doorway. If I moved away, he would attack them anyway. During our training sessions Shadow was responsive, but in an out-of-control, frenzied way. His eyes were like a wild animal - pupils totally dilated, whites showing, full of fear, hurt, and mistrust. If he didn't understand something, he would quit. During the first 10 days, we worked on hand targeting, eye contact, moving backups, back chaining the halt, a recall game, the two toy game, fronts, finishes, dumbbell work, sits, downs and god knows what else I crammed in there. Shadow would beg to be petted and then either show some displacement anxiety or turn his head as if to bite me. If I walked away, he would attack the nearest dog.

In addition, (while in my "Super Woman, Perimenopausal, Dog Trainer" mode) I was taking him out on a daily basis, introducing him to select people. Shadow would rush up to them, grab food from their hands, sit down in a very submissive way, eyes glaring, then lunge and bark at them. My thinking (if you can call it thinking) was to show him that nothing good or bad happened if he "popped off," speculating that perhaps he was punished for aggressing in the past. During the last session, he launched himself at my friend three times and it finally sunk in that "Houston, we have a problem!"

That night, I called and emailed the rescue group in a complete and utter panic, telling them that I was giving up and would bring him back.

Cooler heads prevailed the next day and I called one of my friends. As fate would have it, she was giving a three day aggressive dog seminar, starting the following day.

I had an epiphany that weekend about many things. The ridiculous part was that none of this information was new to me. So what was the difference? Now it was MY dog! I was crushed! I had been unable to take my own advice - "build a relationship," "rescue dogs are like refugees," etcetera. I hadn't given Shadow a chance to settle in, to not only learn our routines, but to learn to trust me as well. Here I was, putting him into situations that he wasn't capable of handling, with no relationship with me to fall back on, sending him "over the cliff" on a daily basis. How could he trust me?

At this point, I knew I had to go back to the basics and develop a connection with Shadow before any real training or desensitization could occur.

The first behavior I wanted was calmness. Considering we can never really know what a dog is thinking, I had to go with his body posture and expression as a guide. I broke this down into the smallest approximations I could think of. If his eyes looked normal (pupils at a normal size) I would call him to me for petting or click and throw him a treat. If they changed, I would walk away. Then I moved onto his ear position. If they were up and alert, click and treat. If they went back against his skull, I would walk away. If his sit was submissive, I would walk away.

Training sessions were kept to a few minutes or sometimes, just a few seconds. When I was getting clear eyes and upright ears on a fairly consistent basis, I raised the criteria, adding in a gentle touch from me. In the beginning, this brought on glazed eyes, so I decreased the touch to one finger on his chin for a second before the click and treat. I felt that the sessions still seemed to be too intense for him, so I included Frisbee throwing into the equation to help relieve some of his stress. I would throw the Frisbee; he would bring it back and give it to me. I would touch him and if his expression stayed normal, I clicked and threw the Frisbee. If no, I turned away, counted to ten and tried again. Within a short time, he was letting me pet him all over his head, neck and shoulder areas, all the while remaining calm and alert. To start desensitizing him to my posture, I started leaning over him or having him run between my legs, clicking for calmness. At times, I added a straight front or a front and finish before clicking.

I became more cognizant of my body position in relation to all four dogs and learned to react faster (with warp speed!). I remembered what Sheila Booth told me, "Freedom is not a right, it must be earned." I started crating Shadow more often, even if it was just for a few minutes, to give him no time to practice the obnoxious, bratty and overbearing behaviors towards Cody and Beau. (Surprisingly, he has always been wonderful with Carrie and never bothers her at all). I started to see an almost immediate improvement in his increasing calmness around the other dogs. Beau and Shadow started playing beautifully. Shadow stopped aggressing in the hallways and doorways (tight places). If their play would start to escalate (in my humble human opinion), I would run out of the room and it would break up.

I kept a close watch for calming signals directed towards me and turned away or walked away if I saw them. I learned what usually set him off and tried not to put him in those situations where he would be nervous. He was still very sensitive to gentle touch during petting, especially on his hind end. I tried Ttouch, the body wrap and we weren't progressing. Furthermore, STILL being "Super Woman, Perimenopausal, I would take the Gingko if I could remember to take it, Dog Trainer, Hear me Roar," I was getting a little upset at this and even though I tried to hide it from Shadow, he obviously sensed my mood.

I stepped back a bit and pondered. Every time I interacted with Shadow, I wasn't breathing because I was so scared of him. The instant I realized this, I altered my own approach and Shadow has been a changed dog. When I walk into the room and smile at him, he thumps his tail. He doesn't rush up and dive-bomb my face in that frantic way he was doing. His ears and eyes are normal 95 percent of the time, he is great with the other dogs, he doesn't quit after one or two tries during training and I have been able to lengthen our sessions to 10 minutes. He isn't as frantic anymore and if I do see a glimmer of brattiness or if he starts to give Cody his darn "Border Collie eye," I put him away for a few minutes to relax.

I am gradually acclimating him to new people - slowly - with the tiniest of approximations. If someone comes to the house, he is crated in a separate room and clicked and treated for calmness, while he hears that person speak. If we are outside, I am constantly scanning the environment, making sure that he is focused on me, starting out by staying at least 50 feet away from any possible provoking stimuli.

So, here we are at week seven, constructing our relationship, one brick at a time. I have stopped looking at "the big picture" and am concentrating on the approximations. And one day, we will have rebuilt the Empire State Building and be ready to compete in Competition Obedience, Agility, tracking, sheep herding, flyball. OOPS! Down Super Woman, down! where is the kryptonite when you need it?

©Copyrighted 2000 Pamela S. Dennison, all rights reserved.
May not be reprinted without authors' written permission.

Bringing Light to Shadow: Story of a Recovering Aggressive Dog, the complete book, will be in print soon!

Pam Dennison
Dogs of Today: Cody, Beau, Shadow
Dogs of yesterday: Carrie, Noel, Brandy
If you don't have time to train your dog, get a stuffed animal
Web: http://www.positivedogs.com
Email: dennison@goes.com

We are sending CAYP's Second Chances donation in Pam and Shadow's name to: Jersey Animal Coalition, Maplewood, NJ.

Note: Please send us the story of your rescued dog and how it became or is becoming a competitor. As a thank you for your contribution, we will donate $25.00 in you and your dog's name, to the shelter or rescue group of your choice. To submit a story, please write to us at: CAYPNews@aol.com

F. Book Picks - These books can be purchased from Amazon.com by clicking on the book title.

Science of Breath. A Practical Guide
by Rama, Ballentine, Hymes
The ultimate guide to understanding how the breath relates to every aspect of our being and why it is the link between the body and the mind. As Swami Rama states, "Controlling the breath is a prerequisite to controlling the mind and the body." A fascinating read with wonderful exercises. (We use many of these breathing techniques in our programs. They really work!).

Pack of Two. The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs
by Caroline Knapp
The remarkable true story of the relationship between a 38 year old woman, who loses both her parents and ends a "twenty-year love affair with alcohol," and Lucille, the eight week old shepherd mix she rescues from a local animal shelter. Funny, poignant and beautifully written.

G. Announcements & Coming Events

SIGN UP FOR OUR MARCH SEMINAR!

Combating Ring Nerves for All Dog Sports
For Handlers and Their Dogs
Saturday March 23, 2002, 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. EST

This is an intensive, interactive and fun seminar.
Limited to 25 participants.
$135.00 includes seminar and materials

Join us and learn to:

• Break the cycle of distorted negative thinking.
• Embrace positive self-talk.
• Change your picture and change the outcome.
• Relax with exercises and techniques that work!
• Ready yourself for your event with easy stretching exercises.
• Move smoothly and effortlessly in the ring.
• Feel confident and in command of yourself during competition!

Practice with your dog in simulated show situations.

See and feel the difference a day makes!

Coaches:
Diane Peters Mayer, M.S.W.
Personal Life Coach and Psychotherapist in private practice.
President of Conquering Ring Nerves

Vanessa Klapper, B.S.
Health and Fitness Coach and Instructor in New York City.

Guest Coach: Pam Dennison, B.A.
Dog Trainer and Handler.
Owner of Positive Motivation Dog Training.

Click here to register
or call Diane at 215-348-8836

Seminar Location: Positive Motivation Dog Training
187 Route 94, Blairstown, NJ 07825

GROUP TRAINING
Do you want to stop ring nerves but can't make a Workshop or Seminar? Join us for a dynamic learning experience from the comfort of your home. It's as easy as dialing your phone.

Distance-learning works! Try it.

First Meeting: Wednesday, March 6th from 8:30-9:30pm Eastern

Click here to register
or call Diane at 215-348-8836

H. Invitations

We invite you to submit your questions to Ask the Coaches, and your stories to Handlers Tales and Second Chances.

Please share your experiences and questions with your fellow readers, to help make PeakNews a dynamic arena in which to talk about the various aspects of ring nerves with handlers from all over the world.

We'd also love to hear from you with topics you want to see covered in future issues, and any comments you have about PeakNews.

To submit your contributions, suggestions and comments, please write to us at CAYPNews@aol.com

We invite you to sign up for one of our free Ask the Coaches calls, where you'll meet and talk with handlers who also experience ring nerves. We'll teach exercises, give training tips, do problem-solving, feature guest speakers, and have fun too.

Our next call is Tuesday, April 2nd from 9:00-10:00 EST. We will have a guest speaker, Mike Bailey, a personal trainer from New York City, who coached Olympians competing in the Decathalon, Hepthalon, 400 meters and Javelin during the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.

Mike will talk about preparing for competition, how to deal with pre-event anxiety and the ways to channel it into a great performance. He will answer your questions, and we will do individual problem solving too. You will not want to miss this talk!

So, take part in the group and invite a friend to sign up too. Click here to register early, the bridge is limited to 30 participants. Or call Diane at 215-348-8836.

Thank you!

**Note: Columns may vary from month to month.

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