He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. - Unknown

Issue: July, 2003

Publisher & Editor: Diane Peters Mayer

A. PeakSpeak

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

This month I'm still working…working…working on the first draft of my new book Conquering RIng Nerves! so this month's PeakNews will be of necessity a rerun of information, but I have chosen some of my favorites to share!

I want to mention that my July 12 Seminar at The Oriole Dog Training Club in Baltimore, MD was great fun and a wonderful learning experience for all. Thanks to those who participated and were such a joy to work with. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Of course in this busy summer, there is still a call for: your stories, poems, rescue sites, book reviews, questions and comments. Submission deadline for the August issue is August 20th. Thanks.

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

Enjoy. See you next month!

Diane

B. Training Tip of the Month

Staying in the Moment

In the January, 2002 Training Tip Of The Month, we mentioned "staying in the moment" as one way to ease pre-show anxiety. Now we will expand on this technique, and feature a wonderful exercise that you can practice almost anywhere, and which can be used in any dog sport.

"Staying in the moment" is a must if you want to achieve peak performance. It is the state of focusing all of your attention on what you are doing, to the exclusion of what occurred in the past, and what might happen in the future. The only thing that exists in this state of "now"is the moment. Once the moment is over, it's done, it's gone, it's past.

It takes a lot of practice and patience to learn to stay in the "now", but it's worth the hard work to do so. For the present is where life takes place. That's where all of your hard work training your dog takes place, and that's where all of your success and enjoyment in competing is. It's the place where you're able to concentrate and think during your event. It's also where the disappointments and failures are, but these lead to learning and growth. Henry Ford said he never learned a thing from his successes, only from his failures.

So how do you stay in the "moment" when you're in the pressured atmosphere of the dog show? What if during a previous show, you ended up doing the heeling pattern by yourself while your dog checked out the great smells on the gates. What if your dog messed up the weave poles during the last five trials? What if you can't stop thinking that these things will happen again?

"Staying in the moment" will stop the "what if's", the anxiety and the chronic worry that you carry around from one competition to another.

Here's a powerful exercise for learning how to be in the "now".

Focus on Walking

1. Find a quiet place inside or outside where you can walk back and forth.
2. Before you begin to walk, stand tall and center your weight on both legs.
3. Relax your upper body.
4. Your hands can hang at your sides, but it is preferable to clasp them loosely and hold them in front or behind.
5. Breathe naturally and comfortably.
6. Begin to walk a little slower then normal, and as you do, focus all of your attention on each step.
7. When your thoughts wander, gently bring them back to what you are doing.
8. Try counting each step, or say, "right-left, right-left," to help keep your focus.
9. Keep walking back and forth, and back and forth, staying in the moment, staying present for each step.
10. Start by walking for a few minutes, and increase your time to 15 minutes or more.
11. Increase and decrease your speed to prepare yourself for all show situations.
12. When you stop, sit and take a few quiet minutes to reflect on what you have done and how you feel.
13. Practice at least three times a week.

Training Tips

1. To prepare for shows, practice outside in noisy situations too, and try to "tune out" the environment, for example, while you walk up and down the aisles of a supermarket, or walking to and from your desk at work.
2. Use this technique to walk from your car to the show site.
3. Count steps while you're hanging around waiting for your number to be called.
4. Focus on your steps while walking or running the course. If you lose your concentration, this technique will bring it back.
5. When the "what ifs" start, focus on each step and turn off the negativity.
6. Practice during training sessions to see how this technique can help you at shows.
7. Like any exercise it will only work well and quickly after lots of practice.
8. As Michael Jordan says, learn how to "play for the moment".

C. 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!

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

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

The Power Of Now

by Eckhart Tolle

In our continuing effort to give you information on why and how to stay in the moment, we are recommending Tolle's book. He states, that by surrendering to the now, we can find a state of inner peace, find our joy, and ....embrace our true selves.

A major philosophy of our training program is that, to combat ring nerves and reach success, keeping yourself present centered, or in the now, is one of the most important techniques for handlers to learn. This book will help get you there.

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

E. Announcements & Coming Events

Upcoming Combating Ring Nerve Seminars for handlers and their dogs:

• 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? Want to Beat Those Nerves?

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 — we'll custom design a program that's just right for you!

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.

F. Requests

Please send us:

G. Invitations

If you enjoyed PeakNews I 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.

©Copyright Conquering Ring Nerves, All Rights Reserved

Web Design by VirtualHelpingHand.com