Issue: June, 2004

Publisher & Editor: Diane Peters Mayer

A. PeakSpeak

Welcome readers and new subscribers.

PeakNews offers a range of information about ring nerves, the ways to conquer it, and how to really enjoy competition, plus your stories, interviews, book reviews and more.

This month’s Training Tip tells you why facing and accepting your fears is key to conquering ring nerves.

Second Chances features Pet Rescue of Miami, Florida.

In BookPicks, we review Triumph Over Fear.

We’d like to remind you that along with your submissions we now accept photos of you and your canine companions . You can email them to: sheri@virtualhelpinghand.com or snail mail them to: Sheri Huffman, 2701 Creek Valley Dr., Garland, TX 75040.

PeakNews offers a unique format in which to engage and connect with handlers from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and South Africa who, in some form, all experience "ring nerves."

Your questions, comments, and stories enrich PeakNews immeasurably. Send us your submissions for the next issue by June 20th.

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

Enjoy.

Diane

B. Training Tip Of The Month

A few weeks ago I flew to California to visit my daughter. I was eager to take a vacation, and excited to see her since she left the East to go westward. The only hitch in my plans; I don’t like to fly. At one time my fear of flying would build like this: from the moment I booked the flight (weeks or months in advance). I would be thinking and worrying about take-offs, landings, turbulence, the age of the plane, etc. My anxiety would begin to spike on the way to the airport, waiting to board was a nightmare, and I often experienced a panic attack at take-off. But over the years I’ve worked on conquering my fear of flying, using the same exercises and techniques I’ve taught in seminars and written about in PeakNews and Conquering Ring Nerves.

One of the most important techniques combines accepting your fears, and letting go both physically and emotionally. The components are:

Accepting — acknowledge your fears. They are part of you. If you stop physically and mentally fighting against how you think and feel about things, you’ll actually reduce some tension. You can’t think fear away, but you can work through it.

Relaxing — calm yourself while facing your fears. The key is breathing. Learn diaphragmatic breathing (Yoga Breath) and use it throughout the day for well-being in and out of the dog show arena.

Loosen and Float — ride out negative thoughts and physical and mental symptoms by loosening and relaxing your body. When your anxiety surfaces, let your body go slack. Do not fight anxiety, let go and let fear wash over you. Fear can’t hurt you, it only feels like it can.

Surrender to the Moment — stop trying to control what is happening and how you are feeling about it. Practice saying things to yourself like, I’m afraid during take-offs, but I can breathe and loosen my body to calm myself while I give in to the moment. When you stop being afraid of ring nerves and believe you can handle any situation, your fears will lose their power over you and your anxiety will plummet.

In Conquering Ring Nerves, I devote a whole chapter to letting go, (see Chapter 4, Go With the Flow), for it is the keystone to stopping ring nerves. In her book More Help and Hope for Your Nerves (1975), Dr Claire Weekes writes, The true cure will come when...it doesn’t matter if it (panic) does happen here.

Oh, my fight to CA was good. I stayed squarely in the moment while waiting for my flight with Yoga Breath and Focus on Your Body. I had a twinge of nerves at take-off, but relaxed myself, floated and surrendered to the take-off (after all what choice did I have when the plane was on the runway?). On the way home, we hit rough weather and turbulence. But all my practicing paid off, for I floated right through it. And if a panic attack had hit? No problem. I can handle it.

I urge you all to learn these techniques and include them in your training program. Your dog will benefit too. How do you think they’ll behave and perform if you are calm and loose at a show? Learning to let go quickly in competitions and other anxiety producing situations will take practice and time. Start today.

C. Second Chances

We are pleased to highlight Pet Rescue of Miami, a non-profit organization devoted to saving the lives of homeless and abandoned pets. Pet Rescue has been finding loving homes for animals since 1982.

Check out this great site!

Take a peek at their latest pet rescues —

Have a rescue story? Want us to feature your favorite shelter or rescue group? We all want to read about it. To submit, write to us at CAYPNews@aol.com.

D. BookPicks

Triumph Over Fear by Jerilyn Ross, Bantam 1995. Ross is the President of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, as well as a "former sufferer of panic attacks and agoraphobia." Easy to understand and learn self-help techniques are included along with moving and inspiring first-hand accounts of people who overcame anxiety disorders. The author explains each anxiety disorder and discusses various treatment options.

Be sure to check out our recommended reading list.

Have a book you loved? Write a review, and send it to us at CAYPNews@aol.com

E. Announcements & Coming Events

JOIN our Yahoo Ring Nerve Group

This list discusses my book Conquering Ring Nerves: A Step-By-Step Program for All Dog Sports. We have Q&As and share ring nerve experiences and successes. We also feature chats with dog writers, competitors and others. This is a wonderful forum for talking about ring nerves.

Click to join now!

Conquering Ring Nerves, A Step-by-Step Program for all Dog Sports By Diane Peters Mayer, M.S.W. Conquering Ring Nerves is designed for competitive dog handlers, from novices to seasoned veterans who experience mild to severe performance anxiety. Featuring mind-body exercises and techniques from the Competing At Your Peak Ring Nerve Seminars, plus chapters on Self-Esteem, Making Mistakes and Creating a Safe Mental Space, and more. Illustrated with real-life handlers’ stories and packed with training tips, Conquering Ring Nerves will help you to ease your anxiety and compete at your peak under pressure. Published by Wiley/Howell Book House

To order from Amazon.com click here!

CONQUERING Ring Nerves For Handlers and Dogs
Summer Ring Nerve Specialty Seminar
Obedience • Rally • Conformation

Make plans now to attend our popular six hour seminar:

Sunday, July 18, 2004 from 9:00am-4:00pm
Presented by Great Companions in Allentown, PA.

Learn great exercises and techniques to help you relax, concentrate, stay connected to your dog, walk smoothly in the ring, and much more.

Don’t miss it!

$125.00 for seminar and materials. Register now! Space is limited.

For more information: contact Diane Peters Mayer at DPetersMayer@aol.com
or Ali Brown at www.greatcompanions.info

See the difference a day makes!

CAN'T make the Seminar? Join the hundreds of handlers who have STOPPED 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.

ATTEND Diane’s RING NERVE WORKSHOP at Dana Crevlings’s Competitive Edge Sports Camp in Cornwall-on-the-Hudson
Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Five Days of Agility from June 27-July 2, 2004
Competitive Edge Sports Camp
Dogs of Course

For more information visit www.dogsofcourse.com

READ Diane's monthly column Conquering Ring Nerves in AgilityAction.com, the new online Agility Magazine from Laughing Dog Press.

For more information email laurie@laughingdog.press.com

If you enjoyed PeakNews we invite you to share this link with other handlers who you think might benefit from it.

Thank you! See you next month.

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

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