# How to deal with nerves in the ring?



## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

As a newbie, how should I deal with nervousness in the obedience ring? I have noticed that my attitude really affects Molly's performance. Sometimes, we practice "ring heeling" in class, where we are paired up with someone who will call out the pattern for us and sort of follow us like a judge would. We aren't even really in the ring for this, and that exercise already makes me nervous. It doesn't matter how well Molly was heeling with me just moments before, her performance will match my attitude. I know I get stiff and "serious" but I cannot help it. Normally, in class and in training, my body language is upbeat and happy and Molly's heeling is much perkier. I have noticed the best run-throughs we have had were the ones where I had the "let's just do this and get outta here" attitude, and those were practically flawless and much flashier heeling performances. Problem is, I rarely ever think like that, and I am a worrier 98% of the time. Molly is not that confident on her own, so when I worry, she will worry and start lagging, and she *never* lags when we are "fun heeling". Lagging is not something we had ever had to work on because it never happens. But when we are "serious" heeling, all of her energy is just gone. After an exercise/run-through where we don't do too well, I will heel with her again on my own, and she's back to her old happy heeling self, so it is definitely nerves affecting her performance.

Is there a way to train a dog to not be so affected by handler's nerves? Or is the only solution to go to more fun matches and run throughs?


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

I have very limited experience but I think it helps to familiarize yourself and your dog with the venue where you're going to be competing and do as many fun matches etc. as possible. The other thing I found to be very helpful is watching videos of top competitors closely and repeatedly and then visualize yourself and your dog moving through each of the exercises just as they should be done. It also helps to be very aware of your pace, keep it even and energetic.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Thanks!! I will watch YouTube videos and picture myself as a great obedience trainer.  I'll be working on my attitude this weekend at match. 


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I don't know how helpful my response will be, but I cannot think of a better explanation so here goes.

Let go of expectations. Your job in the ring is to support your dog and show him off in the best light. Your training should be as complete as you know so that you can make minute adjustments as needed to help your dog; very experienced teams have adrenalin as well but it is focused in that time and place (the 'zone' if you will). Don't count on a leg or a score, don't put that type of pressure on yourself or your dog. 

Somehow when I step into the ring (when my dog is focused as well), there is me, the judge and most importantly my dog. If needed I virtually ignore the judge but all activity outside the ring fades away. 

Also, as happened recently with Towhee, if I cannot get my dog to focus I simply ask to be excused. Most judges are more than willing to excuse you when your dog is too keyed up or stressed to do their part in the dance, and there is nothing to be gained by trying to work through it in the ring that day. This actually takes away a lot of my ring nerves; I know I can ask to just leave (btw; Towhee's next trial had her title with a 1st place, her first 2 legs were both 2nd placements; stress reactions happen)

Know a few different warm up routines: does your dog need to be reved up? Calmed down? Will precision work help him focus or play? Will settling between your legs help set him up for success? And bear in mind this can change from trial to trial for the same dog. 


Good luck 

Oh, one other thing - if you have qualified prepare for a possible run off when the final set of group exercises is complete - you may be called into the ring for a run off but even if you are not, the warm up prior to the class awards will be helpful


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Vhuynh2 said:


> As a newbie, how should I deal with nervousness in the obedience ring? I have noticed that my attitude really affects Molly's performance. Sometimes, we practice "ring heeling" in class, where we are paired up with someone who will call out the pattern for us and sort of follow us like a judge would. We aren't even really in the ring for this, and that exercise already makes me nervous. It doesn't matter how well Molly was heeling with me just moments before, her performance will match my attitude. I know I get stiff and "serious" but I cannot help it. Normally, in class and in training, my body language is upbeat and happy and Molly's heeling is much perkier. I have noticed the best run-throughs we have had were the ones where I had the "let's just do this and get outta here" attitude, and those were practically flawless and much flashier heeling performances. Problem is, I rarely ever think like that, and I am a worrier 98% of the time. Molly is not that confident on her own, so when I worry, she will worry and start lagging, and she *never* lags when we are "fun heeling". Lagging is not something we had ever had to work on because it never happens. But when we are "serious" heeling, all of her energy is just gone. After an exercise/run-through where we don't do too well, I will heel with her again on my own, and she's back to her old happy heeling self, so it is definitely nerves affecting her performance.
> 
> Is there a way to train a dog to not be so affected by handler's nerves? Or is the only solution to go to more fun matches and run throughs?


Vivian, 
Sandy keeps telling me that your Molly reminds her of my Winter and from your description I think she is right. Winter and I are learning this together so when I concentrate, or get serious, Winter to starts to worry something is wrong and she just deflates. One of the people I train with really pickup up on this and is working with me so I paid attention when Winter starts doing the death march. She has me do unexpected things to make it more of a game. Maybe a big sidestep, ask for a hand touch, sometimes I skip while heeling, heel backwards, you get the picture. If she misses the change I laugh and tell her I got her. If she follows it's, look at you Miss Smartypants. She loves it. I'm so much more fun to heel with now. 
Fun matches helped too. I could work on getting the whole picture on how it all works. Plus new places, new people, ring entrances by new people, and learning how to move between excerises keeping her focus and energy.
Like Sunrise, once we entered the ring in a trial everything fell away. It was just Winter and me with the judge calling. It happens at hunt tests too, once I leave the last holding blind it's Winter and me and the test. The judges are just sort of there to call "dog" and to watch. Of coarse in the holding blinds I'm fighting nerves. In that respect waiting for your turn in Obedience was a little easier for me. We could play around bit until right before we went into the ring. 

Word on the street is that you and Molly are an amazing team. I think I'm glad you were not in our Novice A class.  When are you two making your debut?


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

I have heard of chewing gum before you go in the ring. One of the ways a dog knows you are stressed is through your scent so if you can mask the smell coming from your mouth at least she may be more relaxed.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Where do you think your nervousness comes from? Is it some kind of stage fright where you don't want to mess up in front of people? Or is it more pressure to succeed or score? Really understanding the source of your nerves, I think, will be the key to deflating them.

I know for me, I'm more nervous that I'll screw up in front of people than I am about anything else, so calming down is mostly about laughing at my pride for being so thin-skinned that it can get bruised by messing up the game that my dog and I are only playing for fun in the first place.

I like agility for this because, first of all, the chance that I will trip over myself or totally miscue my dog is really, really high, so I have to expect that I'll look silly fairly regularly and just get over myself. It's also nice because my brain isn't big enough to worry about what other people are thinking while it's also worrying about where the next obstacle is, what the cue for the dog is, where the dog is, where both feet are, and _dammit, Brian, stand up straight as you run and stop hunching over to give cues_.


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## Titan1 (Jan 19, 2010)

I get nervous still everytime I get ready for a run. But the minute we begin I forget anything but me and my dog .Oh and I take two ibuprofen an hour or so before. I know Placebo effect probably but it works for me.
Best advice... never walk into the ring thinking about a score or placement..NEVER!
You need to focus on each exercise and never,never,never.. let your partner think he let you down. it is the fastest way to deflate your dog and it is something I see over and over and then the handler wonders why the dog won't ..trot in or finish..ect..
In the ring you can't reassure them when they make a mistake like you can in practice. Most dogs will stress if they "think" they are wrong and there is no feedback. I would imagine if you are busy making sure the exercises are right and you are where you need to be and making sure you have your dog with you... you should not have time to worry....good luck and remember to breathe... it is only a dog show.. you get to take home the best dog ever.. well maybe 3rd best cause my two are the greatest..lol!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

When I was showing my Danny... I used to be so nervous (not scared) that I would literally shake from head to foot. And I used to be like that while showing my horse - who you have to realize was a well-proven show horse and did everything asked of him when he went out there in the show ring. My FACE would shake even.  

I still have a lot of nervous energy at shows with Jacks before we go in for stays (guess why)... but thankfully am relatively a lot more comfortable now when I go out into the ring. Some of it is because everything is so routine out there. And I love showing now because I'm a lot more comfortable in the ring and I'm relatively confident in my dog. And I'm finally using a lot of those tricks that my riding instructor and my old instructor with Danny used to drill into me...

Keep a smile on your face and keep your face soft and relaxed, keep your hands soft, and relax your body - you may be all wobbly and jelly-legged, but your dog is just going to hear your voice, feel the pressure of your hand on the leash, and see your face. 

And do a lot of fun matches! The more you do them (and at some point approach them like you would a show, right down to crating your dog outside and warming up when and how you would at a real show), the less stressed you will be for the real thing. 

And go to shows with your dog (pay the entry so you don't get kicked out) even when you have no intention of going out there in the ring. This will help get your dog used to the hub-bub of the show so you won't have to deal with that added fuss when you actually are going to go out there in the ring.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

hollyk said:


> Vivian,
> Sandy keeps telling me that your Molly reminds her of my Winter and from your description I think she is right. Winter and I are learning this together so when I concentrate, or get serious, Winter to starts to worry something is wrong and she just deflates. One of the people I train with really pickup up on this and is working with me so I paid attention when Winter starts doing the death march. She has me do unexpected things to make it more of a game. Maybe a big sidestep, ask for a hand tough, sometimes I skip while heeling, heel backwards, you get the picture. If she misses the change I laugh and tell her I got her. If she follows it's, look at you Miss Smartypants. She loves it. I'm so much more fun to heel with now.
> Fun matches helped too. I could work on getting the whole picture on how it all works. Plus new places, new people, ring entrances by new people, and learning how to move between excerises keeping her focus and energy.
> Like Sunrise, once we entered the ring in a trial everything fell away. It was just Winter and me with the judge calling. It happens at hunt tests too, once I leave the last holding blind it's Winter and me and the test. The judges are just sort of there to call "dog" and to watch. Of coarse in the holding blinds I'm fighting nerves. In that respect waiting for your turn in Obedience was a little easier for me. We could play around bit until right before you went in the ring.
> ...


Thanks Holly. Winter is such an amazing girl; I'm glad Molly reminds Sandy of Winter. 

I will mix up her heeling a little bit and hopefully build her confidence that will carry into the ring. In some ways, I think hunt tests will be less nerve wracking for me. Everyone will be watching Molly, and not me.  I shouldn't speak too soon, though.

Regarding the "word on the street"-- People are too kind! I have no idea when we will debut. We have a lot more fun matches to attend before I am mentally ready to get out there.

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Thank you all for the replies. My nervousness comes from stage fright, worrying about messing up, and freaking out that we are doing the "real" thing and that it's not just practice. I was never the student that sat in front of the class and answered all the questions, even though I knew the answers. Going out there and performing in front of everyone and being judged makes me very uncomfortable.

I'm going to fun matches the next two weekends and I'm going to work primarily on my nerves and warmup. My trainer says I hunch over when I get nervous, which causes/contributes to the lagging.


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

One other thought, don't know if it's even possible for you but I found that if I went to a trial and didn't know anyone there I could relax more. If I messed up nobody knew who I was anyway. Unfortunately as you progress you start seeing the same people over and over and they all seem to know each other. Our biggest disaster was a match where the stewards were people that Zoe recognized from our training class and we were the first team into the ring for the day.


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

Riot and I had our first show last weekend. I was nervous, but in an adrenaline pumping kind of way. It gave me extra energy. I think the thing that has helped me most is letting go of worrying what other people are going to think about us. I'm playing this game for me and my dog, not anyone else. It is just a dog show. I see it as an opportunity to see how our training is going, not a "judgement" on our abilities. There will always be something you need to work on.


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