# Calming Ring Nerves!



## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I have a goofy little dog. She is well-trained and seems to love the process. However, she's either brilliant or COMPLETELY shut down in the ring. And both can happen on the same day. For instance, last weekend she won her standard agility class, but NQed in a horrific way in Jumpers. She wobbled around like she had a head injury. She never left me, but she walked the course scared.

This weekend is obedience, trying to get her last leg on her CD. I am worried!!!

Anyone have tips for calming ring nerves?


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

you could try picking up a "trial noises" cd maybe being used to the sound will make her feel better.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

It's mind over matter. Experience helps too, but I still have to "talk myself down" right before I go in a working ring. Deep breaths, practice SMILING, concentrating on the fact that even though you paid an entry fee, no one is going to die today.  Try to go in the ring and have fun with your dog. Best of luck on a Q.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> It's mind over matter. Experience helps too, but I still have to "talk myself down" right before I go in a working ring. Deep breaths, practice SMILING, concentrating on the fact that even though you paid an entry fee, no one is going to die today.  Try to go in the ring and have fun with your dog. Best of luck on a Q.


Easier said than done  But you're completely right. 
I try to remember no matter how bad we bomb...it's one day, one bomb, one time. Not forever. _AND_ the best part is I _still_ leave whatever trial or class or whatever with the absolute best, most adorable dog on the planet. Aren't I lucky?


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Personally, I've found that pre-trial visualization can help considerably. 


These books may be of some value ... 

http://www.conqueringringnerves.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Ready-obedience-Workbook-Marie-Sawford/dp/B000QV9WWU





If all else fails, .... a shot of Bailey's should do the trick


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## LynnI (Mar 27, 2010)

How long have you been trialing her? Does it only happen in agility? Look for a pattern from past trials. Is she good first run, bad the second? Like this every trial or just at the same venue? Indoors or out? Could be anything that is making her shut down i.e hard eyes from another dog etc. I would also run FEO to find out if it stress from you that she is responding too. I would also has someone video her outside of the ring before your runs to catch a change in her.
You may want to consider not trialing (except for FEO) until you figure it out.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

LynnI said:


> How long have you been trialing her? Does it only happen in agility? Look for a pattern from past trials. Is she good first run, bad the second? Like this every trial or just at the same venue? Indoors or out? Could be anything that is making her shut down i.e hard eyes from another dog etc. I would also run FEO to find out if it stress from you that she is responding too. I would also has someone video her outside of the ring before your runs to catch a change in her.
> You may want to consider not trialing (except for FEO) until you figure it out.


Now *I* got a question...what's FEO? 

:reparing to smack myself upside the head in an "I knew that" fashion::


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

In obedience, she does better on the second day. In agility, she was better in the early runs. My dog is absolutely TERRFIED of covered crates that suddenly bark. She melts down when strange dogs stare or bark at her. 

She earned her rally novice title at 9 months by winning all three classes. She had her CGC and was fun matching at 5 months. She is 2 1/2 now. She became fearful at 18 months. She was a bold puppy. She is one run away from her CD and novice standard. I have considered retiring her, taking a year off, or just keeping it simple and trialing her with little pressure and just waiting to see if her confidence jumps.

Honestly, I don't think I get nervous competing. Really. I am a seasoned public speaker and used to stress. I am very calm in the ring. Our performance isn't that important to me. The dog is melting. 

I compete with two dogs. My other dog is SOLID. And BOLD. And he's fabulous. He's almost too much dog to handle. 

My little fearful dog is a perfectionist. In practice, she is incredible. She is in classes two nights a week. She has NO issues in classes.

At trials, in the chaos, she often refuses food and won't tug. And she's a tugging maniac.

I don't know. I just want to help her if that's the right thing to do. Or retire her if it isn't. The most important thing is to be a good owner to her. I deeply love this dog. I would love to find a way to compete her, because I think that the training and work is so fun and good for dogs. Going to trials is FUN. But I am happy to drop down to whatever level she can work. Really.

I like the idea of the CD of trial noises. I will get it.

Maybe I take her to trials and do a single run. Just let her hang at the trials and do one run. 

She's such a strange little creature!


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

FEO = For Exhibition Only. No score, no awards.


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

I have only run 2 courses at one trial with Cherokee but, the environment itself is a challenge for him. 

I took him to a trial first, without competing, just to help him get used to all the craziness. He ate more treats that day than he has in his whole life. It was all about helping him learn that the environment was going to be a happy thing instead of stressful. 

The weekend we did trial, the first day we just observed and I worked with Cherokee the whole day on conditioning to the environment. When I decided that I thought he was doing OK, I signed him up to run the first 2 courses of the second day. I did not keep him there all day because I didn't want to push him over the edge nerve wise. He gets tired from all that listening, watching, thinking and reacting. 

He did OK in the competition but although we did not Q, it was a victory for the both of us. He is an exuberant, yet fearful, dog with a low attention span so, any chance I can work with him to learn that a new environment is a good thing, and help him pay attention in spite of all the ruckus, he becomes that much more confident and we bond more as a team. We had a lot of positive exchanges with other people and other dogs while we were there. 

I like your attitude of doing a single run and just helping her adjust to the environment. Maybe she will learn to thrive, maybe she won't but, at least you will be giving her a chance to work at her pace.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Matches. You need Unsanctioned matches (sho 'n go). Most of these are obedience but they are similar enough to trials and they allow you to do things in the ring and outside you cannot do at a trial or sanctioned match. 

This is for the dog BTW.. and you can learn what you need to do at matches to get your dog focused on you and the job at hand, exclusive of barking covered crates and the rest. You can even go to the match and pay to just go in the ring and play with your dog for 2 minutes and leave. 

Human ring nerves are different. My first show the judge was WONDERFUL. In the Novice A run the judge reminded us all that there were a lot of things going on in the world, some of them really bad. This was just a dog show. Not much really in the realm of all and even if we bombed, they was not the last dog show ever. They were going to keep having dog shows. I have never had ring nerves. I get antsy in the group exercises but that is about all. I am not much on the standing around thing.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Elana55 said:


> Matches. You need Unsanctioned matches (sho 'n go). Most of these are obedience but they are similar enough to trials and they allow you to do things in the ring and outside you cannot do at a trial or sanctioned match.
> 
> This is for the dog BTW.. and you can learn what you need to do at matches to get your dog focused on you and the job at hand, exclusive of barking covered crates and the rest. You can even go to the match and pay to just go in the ring and play with your dog for 2 minutes and leave.
> 
> Human ring nerves are different. My first show the judge was WONDERFUL. * In the Novice A run the judge reminded us all that there were a lot of things going on in the world, some of them really bad. This was just a dog show. Not much really in the realm of all and even if we bombed, they was not the last dog show ever. They were going to keep having dog shows.* I have never had ring nerves. I get antsy in the group exercises but that is about all. I am not much on the standing around thing.


This judge sums it up IMO.


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Ohhhh OK,  I get it ... the DOG has ring nerves.

Well, scratch the Bailey's idea then lol  




trainingjunkie said:


> She earned her rally novice title at 9 months by winning all three classes. She had her CGC and was fun matching at 5 months.


Sorry, not to sound harsh ... but is it possible that the dog was just simply pushed too hard, too soon ??? ... almost sounds like it, to me.

My guys don't even get to "see" a competitive obedience trial or event / evaluation until they're about 2 yrs old. I'm in no hurry ...  

Rebuilding a frazzled dog who has lost it's former confidence is no easy feat, most notably from the dog's perspective. I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet, but I'd probably give the dog some significant time off, for starters.


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## LynnI (Mar 27, 2010)

I think you need to work on getting her calm and relaxed around her stress triggers i.e other dogs and barking/covered crates etc, without expecting her to compete on any level or enter the ring. The problem with going ahead and competing when she is like this, it will probably get worse instead of better and those 'brillant runs' could just disappear and be replaced by the totally shut down dog. She isn't likely to 'get over it', without some specific help/training. I would suggest Control Unleashed, which just doesn't deal with over the top, over threshold dogs but the shut down dogs as well.
Good luck


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

It's time for me to read Control Unleashed! Would you reccomend the book or the DVD?

Yeah, in hindsight, I think I may have pushed my dog too hard. However, she really did go through some really profound personality changes at a year and a half. She became very fearful of many things, like lint and light fixtures and objects moved out of their normal position... I could have caused it with too much pressure, or it could have just been her... Hard to know.

I will keep working. I just keep trying to find new ways to help her.


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## LynnI (Mar 27, 2010)

trainingjunkie said:


> It's time for me to read Control Unleashed! Would you reccomend the book or the DVD?
> 
> Yeah, in hindsight, I think I may have pushed my dog too hard. However, she really did go through some really profound personality changes at a year and a half. *She became very fearful of many things, like lint and light fixtures and objects moved out of their normal position*... I could have caused it with too much pressure, or it could have just been her... Hard to know.
> 
> I will keep working. I just keep trying to find new ways to help her.


Have you had her eyes CERF'd? I would get that done first after reading this ^^^^, btw your normal vet can not do a proper eye test, so get to the closest CERF doc or ask breeders if there is a CERF clinic coming up in the near future.

As for which version of CU, that would depend on whether you are a visual learner or if you learn by reading.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Yeah.. I immediately thought the dog has an undiagnosed vision problem to behave that way. 

Unless you are randomly and out of the blue beating the dog which can also create these issues (I know you are not) .... I would get a CERF exam as well.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

A vet check would not hurt and if all is ok there I would take her to obedience trial or 2 not entering though. I would go 2 days running and just walk trial area onlead 1st and second day to see if there are changes between 1st and second day, even when not performing. You did push your dog a tad early in a lot of things and this could be some type of mental pressure on her. Keep a journal on her reactions, since you are not asking her to perform should be no real harm BUT if there are bad reactions spooked etc then leave the area. You are looking for info.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate it. 

I will get her eyes checked and back off of her and watch.

I am grateful for the replies.


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