Tuesday, May 11, 2010

facing my fear.

"Decide that you want it

more than you are afraid of it."

~ Bill Cosby



I am putting K in the ring for the first time for Open Obedience this weekend, not a big deal to some people I am sure, but for me, it is NOT the place I am most comfortable, but who wants to go through life and never challenge yourself? He is also debuting in Advanced Rally.


We've been training hard and hopefully if I can keep my nerves in check we will do OK. Kaleb is so sensitive to my emotions, more than any of my other dogs, so as long as I can stay calm, confident and not panic we should be OK, otherwise he will get anxious and panic too - which is not pretty.


I have a little list of tips and reminders that I will try to remember...

1. Have fun
2. Smile
3. Be a tree (i tend to move my body too much)
4. Be confident for Kaleb
5. It's just another training day
6. Don't move until the Judge tells you too
7. Breathe
8. Line my self up in the middle of the high jump, not kaleb
9. Connect with him during the transitions
10. Bring my dumbell
11. Don't pet him in the long sits and downs (i did that in his CD and lost 2 points!)
12. Exhale

... any other helpful hints would be appreciated, I can use all the help I can get!

... and Just because she is cute ... it's Gyppie :)

7 comments:

Laura and The Corgi, Toller, & Duck said...

good luck in the trial this weekend! I'm sure you and Kaleb will be just fine

Nicki said...

You can do it! Good luck!

gussysmom said...

Drop your shoulders - mine always have a tendency to end up around my ears. When you do the transitions burst out laughing a couple of times; you and Kaleb will both appreciate it. And measure out the approx distance from the broad jump that you want to set up at before you get in the ring; mentally mark the gate and then you know you're starting back far enough to be fair to Kaleb. Knock 'em dead!

Kim said...

I heard that a shot of Tequila before you go in the ring helps :)

onecollie said...

see ya there! You can give me pep talks before I go in the ring!

manymuddypaws said...

you will do awesome. breathe. don't forget to breathe.

Sarah said...

thanks for the tips everyone ... especially Kim's LOL