# Dealing with over-arousal/excessive drive



## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I have a really cool dog. He is a good performance dog. However, he does everything with tons of speed and in competition, he starts yiping and nipping and nearly losing it. His focus and commitment are absolute, but his excessive drive spills over. He is SO tough to manage in the ring. Any ideas on how to center him? He has his CDX and is trained through utility. However, until he settles in, I think that the UD is a lot to hope for. Seriously, his lower jaw clatters at the begining of every exercise. If I could get him to function a little lower, our accuracy would improve greatly.

Any ideas?


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I have a very similar dog...and I will post more tomorrow. I'm getting ready to head to bed. I have some stuff that has helped Lars keep a clearer head while in drive. Catch ya tomorrow!


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I would say it's an over-arousal issue, not excessive drive.

Have you worked much on impulse control? I think for the highly aroused dog, I would balance all training with something that would calm him down, for instance reward with food instead of toys, take regular breaks every few minutes where you put him in a down/stay to calm down before continuing training, work on things that require more precision so he has to slow down and think a bit more, etc. And of course work lots on impulse control around food and toys. And make sure you reward for precision, not just for speed.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Yeah mine does the teeth chattering thing too-- I call that "snapping turtle", she even bites the air, we are working it out but sometimes I feel bad she did not go to a home where someone does Schutzhund, or S&R , or something that would utilize her working dog drives more....


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

There is such a thing as excessive drive...the dog has energy oozing from it's pores. Lars' breeder has a great term for it...leaking energy. And that is a great description for it. I have worked through the over arousal with Lars in just being around agility and he can be ringside without lunging and screaming at dogs on the course. But...he still has that switch that gets flipped the second he crosses the ring gate (in both obedience and agility) he feels like an awful electrical storm sitting next to me in heel position. It's like lightening bolts arcing off of him in all direction while he is staring at your face with this laser hardness and whining a high pitched whine. Everyone wants that high drive dog...but I have learned, there is such a thing as too much drive and it usually has no cap to it. So, be careful what you wish for. 

Lars has taught me to become very calm when we work. If I show any emotion...good or bad, he feeds off of it. I cannot smile at him while he's heeling because he starts to surge forward and forge. When heeling on straight aways, I hold him in place with my eyes and I give him an intense stare back and he will stay there and maintain correct position. I have to be incredibly careful on how I use my body...when doing a slow, I have to keep my right arm still and lightly swinging because big arm movements when walking charge him up. When doing an about turn, I drop my head to the right and look at the ground but I have to be very careful about how fast and how much I bring my head up to see where I am going...because if I do it too fast and too high, he powers head and out of heel position. He is making me a very, very clean handler which is awesome. He is making me the handler he deserves. I do take classes with an instructor who has a retired OTCH Malinois who is like Lars. She has given me a lot of tips like handling and being aware of what you do and that has made a HUGE difference on how we train. 

Lars loves to bark while he's working. He had a big problem roaring at the dumbbell as he came in for the pick up both on the flat and over the high jump. We tried to teach him "quiet" which failed miserably. Then we saw him staring at the dumbbell after I threw it up until I sent him. He needs his focus on the dumbbell broken and then the roaring stopped. So, I conditioned him to look at me right after I threw it and I still reward that automatic "look at me" and will as long as he is working obedience. When we started to do gloves for utility...he would charge to the first glove he saw. I'm using the "look at me" and he cannot drop his head with the pivots and that seems to be working. 

Lars loves to anticipate. The moment he thinks he knows what I am going to ask him...he goes and does it. He is my "Doer" and my man of action. In agility, he won't let me finish rotating on crosses and false turns because the moment he sees my shoulders rotate...he snaps a snap shot of me at that moment and charges off and does an off course. He's so fast and determined that he KNOWS what he is supposed to do, I can't pull him off of something. In obedience, I play a lot of games with him to think instead of just going and doing. Right now, I'm playing a game with the gloves where I throw a couple of gloves around us on the ground and I rarely send him to the last glove I threw. Every once in a while I will...but not often. I'm having a bit of a time where he's anticipating signals and I'm trying to switch those all up so he doesn't know which one is coming. 

I have used herbal remedies given to me by his chiropractor to chill him out. I don't do rescue remedy because she explained it...that will do nothing because he's not scared. I've used Gelsenium in spray form for him and me in obedience. It was very helpful to teach me how to the chill the hell out when working him. It's like drinking two glasses of wine without the drunk part. It does knock the edge down with him a little bit in obedience. In agility...it did nothing and he just broke through what it did. I don't use it with him anymore and I don't use it anymore either because I've mastered how to stay calm with him now. There are some days I have harder times managing the leaking energy and there are some days he is spot on and he can work in drive without going over the top and get a 198 in open. I find that he can tell from me when a class really means something and he's all business and we work together like a dream. I must turn into a serious ice queen during those "I need this Q" runs. I must give off something on the bumper legs or on those 2nd legs because he energy leaks all over place and he's more vocal and pushy with heeling. 

This is Lars when he's got his drive capped - [video]http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151237631106928&set=vb.690476927&type=3&theater[/video]

and this is him when he's not... [video]http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151530497136928&set=vb.690476927&type=3&theater[/video]

Staying calm to the best of your ability is going to be your strongest tool in the ring. When your dog starts to "leak energy," how do you handle it??


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Can you post some videos of you and your dog working?? I really want to see how you and he work together.

I'm thinking about this more and more...do you have a different dog at home than you do when you're someplace like a show and go, run thrus, or a trial? Lars will work in drive at home...but it's a fraction of what he shows when he's out and about. It got to the point that training at home was pointless because I never had the issues I needed to work through with him pop up there that popped up at places and shows. So...all of my training had to happen on the road so I could see "that dog" and not the dog I had a home. Hell, if the guy I have at home showed up to agility trials...he would be well on his way to his MACH. LOL You may have to really head out and train where he loads so you can get used to "that guy." 

I am so lucky with Ocean that he doesn't leak energy and the energy and drive he shows he puts into his work. The guy I see at home and in class is the guy who shows up at trials. That will be so nice. With a dog like Lars and yours, the advantage is you know your dog won't shut down or stress down.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I am looking forward to this conversation!!! I will go and grab videos! My dog, Gator, is lovely in practice. He can do utility signals right at the gate at agility trials without a single problem. It's only on the start line when his eyes blow black and his jaw chatters and we are off to the races. He is a ton of dog in practice, but he is over the top in trial. No disconnect. Just TOO MUCH DOG. I will get some videos up. 

Again, I am looking forward to the converation. I can only assure you that I am a calm handler. I just assume that I am about to get my clock cleaned, so I have no misplaced optimism to get nervous about!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

If I don't have her dogs mixed up, I can attest that trainingjunkie is cool as a cucumber in the ring even when he is over the top.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Thank you Sassafras! You are thinking of the right dog! You have had a ring-side view of his brand of crazy!!! That run is actually one of our worst ring-induced meltdowns ever! (HA! So glad you were there to see it!!!)


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Here is agility from 10 days ago:


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Here is some ugly heeling/UD signals:




And an awful UD stand for Exam: (He tries very hard to lick the judge! Note the body check!)


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Please pardon the interruption .... 



trainingjunkie said:


> If I could get him to function a little lower, our accuracy would improve greatly.
> 
> Any ideas?


 Not sure about the "functioning a little lower" part, as I like that amount of drive. So rather than trying to cap it, personally, I'd be inclined to let it flourish, and look elsewhere for areas of potentially improving your performance / scores.

If I may say so, there seems to be a lot of ambiguity between your drop signal and your front signal. Maybe similarity is a better way of describing what I think I see (it's slightly difficult to see with that particular camera angle). I would refine those two signals and make each one much more distinct, to alleviate the possible confusion over drop? or front?

Let's see if I can describe this in words now, lol ...

* slow your signals down! fast signals will tend to heighten excitement levels. I prefer to do a relatively slow and continuous rythym / count in my head, ie for the drop signal: (right hand beginning to go up) _one two three four_ (hand now at upper apex) _five six seven eight_ (hand returned to side). I also start and retain my signal directly in front of my body (with open palm, like a stop sign) so that it's easy for the dog to see against a contrasting single-colour shirt or top. Building wall colours I can't control, choice of clothing I can. You can also use a little "pushing into" motion to assist him in not creeping forward.
* same slow rythym / count for the sit signal, but using the left hand. A closed fist is ok to use here, but again I'd keep it in front of my body so it it's easily seen by the dog regardless of environmental factors. 
* for the front signal, this is where I want to heighten excitement to get that blistering, "mat-peeling" attitude. So a fast signal is ok provided it's not so fast that the dog misses it. Since it is done with the right hand same as the drop signal, I want to make it unique and totally distinguishable from the drop signal, well, as much as possible anyway. An immediate lateral movement to the right, to start, then following through with a very broad arcing motion toward the left shoulder, finally ending with the hand resting naturally at the side. Quick, snappy, and smooth.


Also ... the judge wasn't very "timely" in calling out his left-turn order, and in the process ran you guys right into the ring gate. In fact, both of your feet came to a dead stop. That can set the stage for disconnect, confusion etc. If it were me I would have chosen the lesser of two evils and turned regardless. Know your pattern, right?


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Your dog sounds A LOT like Lars. LOL I completely understand the type of dog you have. 

I just watched your agility video and I'll make a couple of comments about that. You are very vocal on the course...with HERE!!!! HERE!!!! HERE!!!!!! When you run a dog like this...you have to be QUIET in both mouth and body. You need to run with conviction and you have to run with purpose. You have to become a smooth handler. Please don't take this the wrong way...to me, your handling looks "busy." Between that and the constant verbal commands...I can see how you are pouring gasoline on his fire. You did show emotion with your hands after he botched the poles. With a dog like this...you cannot do that because a dog like ours will feed off of that. You have to be neutral when stuff starts to go wrong. Watch my videos from facebook I posted. In the first one, I am quiet...I said: "TARGET!", "LARS!", "go" and "Yes" at the end. When I am not showing forward motion, I hold my position to cue him to turn or collection....then I'm off and running again. I don't interfere with him running...I keep my distance from him and let him do his job. On the other video...when Lars smashes and snaps the weave pole...there is no emotion from me. I'm neutral. When he does something good..I say "yes!" but I am absolutely neutral and stay calm/serious. I think that you consider calm isn't calm or business-like enough for what your dog might need. 

I'm actually having a hard time switching gears between Ocean and Lars in agility. Ocean needs my verbal cues because he's a green dog. I am so hard wired to keep my mouth shut because of Lars...it's been difficult for me to open it back up when O needs it. I'm getting better and I am really not running Lars in agility while I'm reprogramming myself to run a completely different dog. 

Okay...I'm going to watch your obedience videos...


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Your obedience wasn't as bad as you think. 

I try to run Lars into the gate and dead stop all the time in practice because judges do it to us a lot and that way we will both be ready for it. You are very quiet and calm and your pup does well with that. I really don't think your obedience is as bad as you think. Was that a show and go or a trial?? Utility takes a TON of proofing in different locations...how long have you been working in utility?? It took me a year to proof Open before I was happy with that I had with Lars. I'm going to guess it will be another year before we take our Utility prime time. I've been working at home with him...but I'll be doing run thrus, training parties, and show and gos for a year before I feel comfortable with what he has. 

Here's Lars for comparison in Open B. We lost two points in Heel Free because of interference with the handler and some forging. 






How were his scores in Open if you don't mind me asking? What makes you think Utility isn't a possibility?? Once again, how long have you been proofing him? How old is your dog??

Things to think about with a dog like this...what sort of show does he do best at?? Quiet, small shows or loud, busy ones?? Outdoor vs. Indoor. I've been starting to keep track of judges who love a dog like ours (and they are out there) and I'm making a list who do. I won't show to judges who don't appreciate a "lively" performance (and they are out there too.) And don't get me wrong...I love Lars' drive in obedience. It's an adrenaline rush in the ring with him. I find that same drive exhausting in agility...because he takes so much of my energy to keep him calm in that environment all day. 

I will agree with PetPeeve...your signals were fast. Slow them down and make them more deliberate. I keep my signals "quiet" for Lars and that seems to work with him. Right now, I'm using a broad jump panel right in front of him while we're doing the down and sit so he doesn't move forward. It's going to be there for a while. 

Maybe I'll make a post here in training or the dog show/trial board of Lars' journey in obedience and post training videos regularly on it so you can watch how we handle stuff. Or maybe we can make a joint utility training thread where we can both post and have like group therapy or something. LOL


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I was just thinking...where are you located?? Do you have things like training parties and show and gos?? It just dawned on me you may not have them or go to them. Where my breeder is located in upstate NY, events like that don't exist or if they do, they are very few and far between. Here's a video of us at a training party over a year ago when I decided Lars was finally ready for Open. They have a lot of distractions like music...people coming in close to your dog when doing a front of heeling halt. It's a great way to proof what you've taught your dog. Instead of training at home where Lars' drive wouldn't spike...I sought things like this every chance I got so I could see "that guy."


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

There's an afterthought...about "busy handling." I know you've seen these rally videos...and I'll use them for comparison here. My handling is more vocal and "busy" in rally and it shows in the difference in how Lars is in the ring. 











Not the same guy I have in obedience where I'm quieter in both mouth and body....


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Thank you both for the very interesting feedback! I will definately look at my signals. What I have found is that he ignores them if they are slow, but that is a trainable/fixable response.

We do not have show and goes around here. Very, very few anyway. These videos are from recent shows. 

I have never worked Utility. I have never taken a lesson or a class. I have been just sort of winging it. I am going to try to find an instructor and figure out what I am doing. Last weekend, we came a dumb bell away from a Grad Open leg. It was really pretty nice. However, it was his 6th class in two days, so that helped a lot.

I am not going to "cap" his drive. I just wish I could figure out how to manage him better. He is definately inadequately proofed, so that's the first hole to plug. Also, I don't know what I am doing. That's the second.

My dog just turned 6 this month. He was found in a ditch as a young adult. I ADORE him!

It's funny that you mention the calling in agility! I ran DEAD SILENT until a few months ago when my trainer had me start with the verbals. I promise you that dead silent does not work with him. He used to disconnect and run his own course. It was awful. I will find some videos of it. My agililty coach had me start with the verbals. I don't know if that's good or not. Really, he will charge blindly ahead taking everything in his path if I don't call him. Maybe I need to revisit the silence now that we are doing a little better though... 

In rally, I am pretty quiet. He runs hot and cold in rally. This past weekend, he was able to go high combined rally both days even though he was in pretty high drive. Both judges looked past the yipes and the nips. He committed his errors in the correct positions at least!

I will re-read your responses and digest things a little more. Lots to think about! I really appreciate the feedback!


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

Great discussion guys, I'm finding this really interesting!



MrsBoats said:


> I will agree with PetPeeve...your signals were fast. Slow them down and make them more deliberate.


I agree here as well....I've found the speed of the command, the tone and volume I use with Caeda all make a difference. At Schutzhund of course we want the dogs to be drivey and show it.....though if I want her to heel (Fuss), I have to say it firm, low volume, quickly ("Fus" as opposed to saying "foooosss" with no excitement or she forges like mad. If I sound too non-committal, she lags (also if I move too slowly, or if my gait is off). Of course a recall is a more enthusiastic sounding (and higher volume due to distance). There is one point during the heeling portion for ScH where we have to change speed to a jog, if my body language is too exuberant she dashes off and around, gets really sloppy, after which I have to slow to a crawl. For bite work, telling her to go for it has to be exuberant and excited, whereas the "out" has to be calm and firm (and slightly loud). 

Think about your body language with your dog and what particular types of movements might cause a bit more excitement than you need.....and save that body language when you really want the excitement to explode. I haven't done near as much as you guys have, but these are just a couple of things I've noticed make a difference with Caeda (and some of the other dogs and handlers I've watched).

Oh, and by the way, just an odd thing...it keeps messing with my head when you guys say "ring", I keep thinking "french ring" or "mondo ring" and such. Just sends my brain to the completely wrong style of training lol.


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## Shep (May 16, 2013)

What helped me with my very high-drive Border Collie was to slow everything down as much as possible. In the ring, I heel him between exercises, and I do it sloooowly (as slowly as I can get away with; obviously, the judge won't be happy if you are clearly holding things up). I speak to him in a low, quiet, calm voice, in a deeper tone than I normally use ("Easy, with me, we're going to do your articles now, easy, sit"). I don't do big releases at the end of an exercise; I just say, very quietly, "Gooood boy. Now heel." This goes very much against the grain for me, as I naturally want to go "Whoooo! Excellent! Let's go!" But this would send my dog into orbit. People who think obedience handlers are stern and scary-looking probably are picturing me, LOL! But it's what I _have_ to do with this dog. I also warm him up a LOT before going into the ring. He's not the type to get tired, and it really helps to get the heebie-jeebies out. Lots of heeling and quiet, calm praise. No toys before ringtime, as that is WAY too much for him. It's worked well enough for him to get his OTCH, but it took me a long time to learn just how _quiet_ I have to be.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I'm getting ready to head to bed but I'm laughing at Shep's comment about looking stern in obedience. I've been called that too. Quick story about when I was getting a bumper leg in Open A with Lars. A guy I know with a low drive Lab was watching our run. Aghast...he says to my friend "Oh my god, she's not even smiling at him." My friend says back to him "She's not smiling at him because she CAN'T smile at him or else he'll be on the ceiling." LOL

I'll be back tomorrow.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Shep said:


> What helped me with my very high-drive Border Collie was to slow everything down as much as possible. In the ring, I heel him between exercises, and I do it sloooowly (as slowly as I can get away with; obviously, the judge won't be happy if you are clearly holding things up). I speak to him in a low, quiet, calm voice, in a deeper tone than I normally use ("Easy, with me, we're going to do your articles now, easy, sit"). I don't do big releases at the end of an exercise; I just say, very quietly, "Gooood boy. Now heel." This goes very much against the grain for me, as I naturally want to go "Whoooo! Excellent! Let's go!" But this would send my dog into orbit. People who think obedience handlers are stern and scary-looking probably are picturing me, LOL! But it's what I _have_ to do with this dog. I also warm him up a LOT before going into the ring. He's not the type to get tired, and it really helps to get the heebie-jeebies out. Lots of heeling and quiet, calm praise. No toys before ringtime, as that is WAY too much for him. It's worked well enough for him to get his OTCH, but it took me a long time to learn just how _quiet_ I have to be.


Well, I have to give this a try! Congratulations on the OTCH!!! I will try the stillness. Do you practice with stillness too, or is that just a trial behavior on your part? I found that in the rally ring, I whisper "Easy, easy, easy" the whole time we do fast time. Same thing with the jumps. And I can avoid many of the body checks if I do "go round" finishes instead of swings.

I tried slowing down my signals last night and he still read them just fine. That was good to learn. I think I just "assumed" he would ignore them if they were slow rather than actually trying that out. Thank you to all who suggested that. 

No one has ever called me stern with this dog, so perhaps the MrsBoats "No Smile" method and a quieter approach can help! I really, really want a UD!


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

A few more comments ...



trainingjunkie said:


> I have a really cool dog.


 You certainly do! I would use two words to describe Gator: Awe! Some!  .. forgot to mention that, yesterday.



trainingjunkie said:


> I just assume that I am about to get my clock cleaned, so I have no misplaced optimism to get nervous about!


 I do appreciate what you're saying about remaining calm, however, there is always room for optimism. Without a positive attitude, things are prone to come unglued, in a hurry. Confidence, including pre-run visualization etc, plays such an enormous part. Perhaps this element is something to re-consider?



trainingjunkie said:


> I think that the UD is a lot to hope for.


 Hope, is a good thing. Capitalize on it. You guys are well within the realm.



And a suggestion on the moving stand ...
Again your dog seems to be unclear on whether he should plant himself or continue to heel. I'm wondering if this is related to also doing rally, not sure what the technical term is there, "side-step-right while heeling" ? At any rate I would walk totally straight away from him, as you seem to be moving quite a bit to the right at the moment he is expected to plant. Consistent, clean, and linear footwork is very important here. Myself, I always give the cue simultaneous with my right foot landing for the moving stand exercise, and the left foot always continues in the same perfectly straight line without skipping a beat. 
Practice with mirrors, enlist the help of a second set of eyes for their observations and input, use a line in the matting to gauge and maintain your straightness, and practice all of this ad nauseum without the dog until all of the necessary mechanics become second-nature for you. Then, add in the dog.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Thank you so much! On all fronts! (Gator thanks you as well!)

I really do need to consider my footwork on the moving stand. I can see what you are talking about and it needs to be much more clear.

I laugh when I tell people that the reason that Gator and I struggle is because we both have the same personality problems. We are both sort of mindless lumpers who get easily distracted and just try to "wing it" or muscle our way through stuff. We're both sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants creatures who don't like to get bogged down by details. But we're both very happy and willing! We just don't like to be bothered by minutia. 

Unfortunately, utility is about the details! So is the MACH Journey. We (I) need to train smarter. I am grateful for the input. It is very, very motivating to have some new thoughts and directions. Thank you so much!


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## Shep (May 16, 2013)

I'm generally more animated in training, but I tone it down as we get closer to showtime. So the last week or so before the trial, I work on getting slower and calmer. I always praise and use some food, but I try to do everything very calmly. When my dog was young I didn't understand how important this was for him, and used way too much happy talk, hand clapping, jumping up and down, etc. I finally realized all this cheerleading was dumb, since my dog absolutely loves to work and doesn't care a bit whether I cheerlead or not. I absolutely don't need to talk him into it, he's thrilled to work with me. The cheerleading was just winding him up to the point where he couldn't think. One judge (who actually liked him) described him as "like taking a loaded gun into the ring," and she was right. He's nerve-wracking, but he's also the most fun I've ever had in my life.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Shep said:


> I'm generally more animated in training, but I tone it down as we get closer to showtime. So the last week or so before the trial, I work on getting slower and calmer. I always praise and use some food, but I try to do everything very calmly. When my dog was young I didn't understand how important this was for him, and used way too much happy talk, hand clapping, jumping up and down, etc. I finally realized all this cheerleading was dumb, since my dog absolutely loves to work and doesn't care a bit whether I cheerlead or not. I absolutely don't need to talk him into it, he's thrilled to work with me. The cheerleading was just winding him up to the point where he couldn't think. One judge (who actually liked him) described him as "like taking a loaded gun into the ring," and she was right. He's nerve-wracking, but he's also the most fun I've ever had in my life.


This^^^^^^^^ I too am more animated in training and then I dial it way back for trials. I don't fade the "Wahoo!" I go hot and cold...and Lars seems to get that when I mean business...this is the real thing. 

I like the loaded gun analogy, that is absolutely perfect. I've said Lars is like going into the ring with a bomb with the fuse lit and you have no idea how long that fuse is. 

I just posted some video of Ocean running NADAC tunnelers on FB...watch how I handle him. Then watch some of me running Lars...and you will see the BIG difference in my handling between the dog with OMG drive and the dog with balanced drive. Night and day, I tell you.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Love the videos - as well as the expression "leaking energy".

As I'm reading the posts, trying to think if Wally does that (leak energy). He can get EXTREMELY wound up but is also emotionally sensitive (both pos. and neg.). 

I like the neutral handling concepts, too. I try to stay like this, but then sometimes he takes that to mean "am I doing it right? did I do something wrong?" But, if I start to praise him, sometimes he gets too excited and messes up because he's doing too many things at once. Then markers can do it because they have such meaning to him, which then triggers emotions even if the stimulus itself is emotionless (like a click) 

Anyway, very interesting discussion!


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

def. very interesting discussion! Gem is the best she is wicked smart, very high drive. .and yet very relaxed. .an odd combo that lulls you into a false sense of security lol she is super tuned into my body language, which means I have to be really careful! thank god novice allows retrys in Rally because I accidently cued her to lay down...twice..slightly wrong movement and she hit the deck! oops lol. what I learned after her first trial was do NOT crate before ring time, I have someone hold her while I walk the course. why? because she looses her marbles when let out! she seems calm and relaxed then we get in the ring and she is flying in air nipping my nose every 5 seconds..if I don't crate her before ring time however then she does not completly lose it and I only need to watch my hands or else I will have a dog doing backwards circles all around me instead of a left finish because I flicked my finger a cm too far..


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