Be Bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy, and don't be afraid to hit the ball. - Billie Jean King

Issue: April, 2003

Publisher & Editor: Diane Peters Mayer

A. PeakSpeak

Hello and welcome to all of our readers and the many new subscribers who have signed on.

We'd like to remind you that we now accept pictures of you and your fantastic canine companions along with your submissions. You can scan and email them to sheri@virtualhelpinghand.com, or snail mail your photos to: Sheri Huffman, 2701 Creek Valley Dr., Garland, TX

April's Training Tip will help you get relaxed, calm and serene. And it's so easy!

A reader from Florida tells Handlers' Tales how she changed herself and her dogs from "bundles of nerves" to awesome champions.

Second Chances features the continuing story of one human-aggressive rescued Border Collie.

In BookPicks, you'll learn that walking and breathing can really change your state of mind.

Call For: your stories, poems, rescue sites, book reviews, questions and comments. Submission deadline for the May issue is May 20th. Thanks.

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.

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

Enjoy.

Diane

B. Training Tip of the Month

Walk, Breathe, De-Stress, and Get Centered!

Walking is a great way to relieve tension and anxiety at any time, and it's so easy to use at a show. Just taking a walk around the parking lot before your event may be an effective stress-buster. Here's a wonderful breathing technique developed by Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D. and Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. authors of Breathwalk: Breathing Your Way to a Revitalized Body, Mind and Spirit (see BookPicks to order), to add to your walk. It's a quick way to reduce competition angst, increase focus and concentration, and keep you centered in the present.

The Eagle Breathwalk:

Training Tips:

• Practice daily at home and work.
• Practice before all dog training sessions.
• Use before you enter the show site.
• Use at a show while you're waiting for your number to be called.
• Practice during short and long walks.

It may take time to feel comfortable with this breathing pattern. Keep trying! It will take you down the path to peace and serenity.

C. Handlers' Tales

Marie Logue lives in Florida and competes with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Winston and GiGi mainly in agility, but does some obedience (both dogs have their CD), and soon will be competing in Freestyle. Here's her story:

For the first couple of years I competed I was so nervous I could not focus on an entire excellent course. I would take my eyes off my dog, would forget the course and couldn't qualify. Among the things I did to get over the nervousness and lack of focus was to think and read about the mental aspect of my sport. One day on the Internet I saw information on a Competing At Your Peak Ring Nerve seminar (this was before the book and tape). I wrote and asked to purchase the handouts for the seminar since it was too far away for me to attend. This was the missing link! From those notes I began teaching myself how to visualize, do Yoga breathing, focus on my body and feet, and so on, and things changed dramatically for me. I began to enjoy lots of success!

Since we started using the program we have progressed to competing at the highest levels of our sport, agility. My Winston and I have achieved AKC's highest agility title, Master Agility Champion title (MACH) three times, the only Cavalier to do so and one of under 100 dogs in the country to do so. Winston was AKC's Top Cavalier for 2000 and 2002 and the twentieth dog of all dogs in the country in double qualifications for 2002. He earned USDAA's Master Agility Dog title this year (MAD) and last year earned USDAA's Master Relay (RM) title. He holds UKC's Agility Champion title, his AKC obedience CD, and a couple of other accomplishments too.

GiGi has earned UKC's Agility Champion title, is 90% finished with her requirements for AKC's MACH, has her USDAA Agility Dog (AD) title and AKC's obedience CD. She does not compete in agility as much as Winston as she prefers obedience.

I will soon be doing Freestyle with both dogs and expect to use the same "zoning" techniques I use for agility and obedience.

The Competing At Your Peak program has made all the difference in the world in my ability to focus and develop a pre-trial routine that puts me and my dogs in the zone. I NEVER go into the ring without having first done deep stretches accompanied by Yoga breathing, pressed my thumbs and forefingers together, said "calm", taken 3 Yoga breaths (several times if possible), focused on my body if time allows, if not just on my feet. The most interesting part is, Winston is all excited and wild when we get ready to go to the line. Then I take my 3 Yoga breaths and watch him settle right down and focus on me. It's as though' the calmness goes through my body, down the leash and into his body. If the first 3 breaths don't do it, I take three more until I see him become calm and focused.

I purchased the Audio Ring Nerve Program just before the AKC national competition last November where we ran all 5 runs fast and clean and came in 22nd out of 128 dogs in our division! Not bad for a little Cavalier among all those Shelties.

Marie
MACh3 Winston, CD, MAD, RM, U-ACH
Coach GiGi, CD, MX, MXJ, U-ACH, AD

Thanks Marie for telling us how you did it. What a great story of incredible focus and determination.

Note: Have your own Handlers' Tale? Please share it with us by sending it to: CAYPNews@aol.com

D. Second Chances

Pam Dennison updates PeakNews on her continuing work with her rescued Border Collie, Shadow.

Dear Diane,
I wrote to you two months ago about entering my recovering human aggressive Border Collie Shadow in an APDT Rally trial. I was familiar with the show site and broke down each behavior needed to successfully get into the building. I worked on door etiquette with people standing right in the doorway, coming in and going out as Shadow and I were going in and out, added other dogs and tried to replicate as much as possible taking him calmly into a busy building. I also practiced keeping his undivided attention no matter how many people were milling around.

Day of the show is here! I am calm, cool, collected. I get to the show site an hour early and take Shadow out to potty him. He is completely and utterly inattentive. I start hyperventilating. I put him back in the van. I potty the other 3 dogs and go back to Shadow. He is slightly better. After about 1/2 hour, I bring him out again - I wanted to practice going in and out of the building. No go. He could not focus on me. I am freaked out completely. I am angry and disappointed. I put him back in the van, slam the door and start screaming as I walk around the parking lot. I was sorely disappointed that with all of the work we have done, he couldn't focus on me. I try to breathe with a modicum of success. 30 minutes later, I bring him out again. almost have him to the door and thousands of people are going in and out and I was too afraid to try.

So, I give up my dream of perfect door etiquette and got my husband Jim, to stand by the door and watch for me. We went into the building with Shadow between us (like moving a rock star in and out of a crowd) and I had a wad of food shoved in his mouth as we walked to where there was room to work him. I had him in front of me and fed him continually. Then we heeled a tiny bit and I took him outside. Whew!

When the time came for Shadow to go into the ring, I repeated the same - had Jim watch the door and walk us in with Shadow between us. Once inside and in a safe corner, I had him watch out for strangers approaching so I could concentrate on Shadow. I did touch, petting and feeding and then I realized we were both shivering in fear. I hugged Shadow and looked directly into his eyes and said, "Honey, we will both be fine." And we both stopped shivering! I was unable to practice my breathing exercises at all - I couldn't even get to the point where I could even TRY to breathe, BUT, I was able to practice positive mental imagery and it helped.

Time to go into the ring! Jim and I walked Shadow up to the ring and whew! We are in! Judge asked if we are ready and I say "yes," and off we went! Shadow was brilliant! As soon as the routine was over, Jim was waiting by the ring gate and we whisked Shadow out of the building.

I went back in and guess what I saw!? Shadow had gotten a score of 198 (out of a possible 200)!!! He tied for first place with my other Border Collie Beau, so we had to do a runoff. It is weird doing a runoff with yourself! I was much calmer this time and was able to breathe normally. Shadow won the runoff and won the class!

Later that day, there was another trial and I was almost completely calm for this one. We had all gotten the logistics down on how to move Shadow in and out of the building and we were both relaxed and confident. He was wonderful again! He got a 3rd place with a score of 197! I still was unable to do the belly breathing, so I just concentrated on imagery.

All in all, it was a great day! I spoke with Ted Turner after the trial (of SeaWorld fame - Ted knows Shadow personally) and told him how our day went. He was thrilled, not only about Shadow's placement and performance, but the fact that I was lucid enough to be able to switch gears when Shadow was incapable of doing proper door etiquette and didn't let it affect our entire day and subsequent win and placements.

The moral? If you can't do one thing (like breathing) then try something else! If you practice diligently, all of the techniques that Diane teaches, in a pinch, at least one of them will work!

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

Thanks Pam for your updated story. Kudos to you and Shadow for demonstrating again that re-homed dogs are worth that second chance!

Note: Have a rescue story you'd like to share with us? Want to highlight a shelter or rescue group? Please send it to: CAYPNews@aol.com

E. Book Picks

This book can be purchased from Amazon.com by clicking on the book title or image:

Breathwalk: Breathing Your Way to a Revitalized Body, Mind, and Spirit

by Yogi Bhajan, PhD and Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, PhD (Broadway Books, 2000)

The authors have developed simple walking/breathing exercises to improve your physical and mental health.

Read a book that you loved or has helped with competition? Submit a review to CAYPNews@aol.com

F. Announcements & Coming Events

Upcoming Combating Ring Nerve Seminars for handlers and their dogs:

• Saturday, July 12, 2003 at The Oriole Dog Training Club, Baltimore, MD
  
  
• Saturday, October 4, 2003 at Positive Motivation Dog Training, Blairstown, NJ

Space is limited. Register Now!

For more information, please write via email: CAYPNews@aol.com or click here.

Want to Beat Ring Nerves? Can't make a Ring Nerve Seminar?

Here are two more ways to learn the Program that has helped handlers from across the US and abroad achieve success in the ring:

ONE-ON-ONE Training teaches you to:

• Stop anxiety and panic
• Stay calm and relaxed
• Feel balanced and centered
• Be in command physically and mentally
• Move smoothly in the ring
• Be confident
• Channel your nerves into a great performance
• Enjoy competition

Program Description:

• Effective training either in person or through distance-learning.
• We'll custom design a program which includes audio tapes.
• We support you every step of the way, answer questions and help with problem solving in between meetings.
• Successful results for all dog sports.

You can run with the big dogs or sit on the porch and bark. - Wallace Arnold

Click here to read more about it or register
or call Diane at 215-348-8836

STOP "RING NERVES" FROM HOME with our Audio Ring Nerve Program for All Dog Sports, with Training Manual.

• Great Exercises & Techniques.
• A Super Quickie Stress-Buster.
• Guided Imagery to mentally rehearse your perfect performance.
• Terrific Training Tips.

This program will help you do it!

The Audio Program & Manual is $29.95 plus $6.00 S&H in US. (PA residents add $1.80 sales tax). International add $10.00 S&H.

To read more about it or purchase by check or secure credit card online, please click here.

or call Diane at 215-348-8836.

G. Requests

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H. Invitations

If you enjoyed PeakNews we invite you to forward it, intact please, to other handlers who might benefit from it.

Thank you! See you next month.

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

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