Course Details
You’ve put in the hard work. Your dog is trained. You sent in your entry and it’s trial day. Oh no! Now the nerves kick in! There is so much to think about. Getting ready to compete is so stressful. We have the best of intentions, but it all goes out the window. And that definitely impacts our dog and our performance. Contrary to popular opinion, you CAN learn to manage your ring nerves.
After the trial is over, we are filled with emotions. We tend to focus on everything that went wrong. And that feels terrible. We are often frustrated and disappointed. We need to take what happened and turn it into valuable information that can improve our training and future performances.
In this presentation we will talk about actionable strategies you can employ to help you have a positive state of mind as you prepare to compete and for trial day. We will talk about how you can constructively analyze your run so you can utilize the information to better prepare your dog and yourself for future events.
About the Instructor:
From Petra (she/her):
I have trained and competed in hunt tests, field trials, agility and nosework. But my first love has always been competitive obedience. My first dog Duncan earned a MH title and a UDX. Tyler was a two-time National champion, First-Runner Up and World Champion. He was QAA and a MH. His son, Zeal is also a National Champion. Zeal won the 2018 Obedience Classic, and multiple Regionals. Zayna won the Novice Division in the 2019 Obedience Classic, was Second Runner Up at Nationals and won and placed in Regionals. Zesty is my youngest and what an exciting dog he is! He’s already earned multiple perfect 200’s, two Regional Placements and shortly after turning 5 years old, won the National Obedience Championship! And Zayna placed fifth this year. All my dogs have earned multiple 200’s, High in Trials and High Combineds. But my most meaningful accomplishments are when my dogs are confident and animated in the ring. That is always my primary goal and what keeps me motivated to continue training and learning.
All my dogs love swimming, hiking and hanging in the yard with me. I have always loved the outdoors and physical fitness. I’m currently running, practicing yoga and indoor rock climbing. I hike multiple days a week. With the dogs of course! I am passionate about mental management and I meditate.
I love teaching and giving back to dog sports by sharing what I have learned. I routinely write and post blogs and training videos and recently started the Canine Connection Podcast with my friend Laurie.
