Confidence is learnable. confidence membership Nov 05, 2024

Confidence is on my mind these days. In part because the membership is working on developing confidence this month, and in part because I am really obsessed with giving my young dog confidence every time we train. (I have Moxie to thank for the latter and my coaching clients...

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Introducing the "celebration session" celebration dog training Oct 29, 2024

In dog sports, it's easy to get caught up in striving for the next big goal—new titles, clean runs, more Qs. But sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for both our dogs and ourselves is to slow down, take a breath, and celebrate how far we’ve come. Enter the...

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Just the facts. bouncing back evidence Oct 22, 2024

In my coaching calls, we talk a LOT about "evidence." Collecting it, looking for it, reviewing it. Evidence is our way of looking at just the facts - sometimes even statistics - of what's really happening in our performances without the weight of emotion.

When you think about it,...

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Quality over quantity dog training plan Oct 08, 2024

We spend so much time attending class, taking seminars, doing online lessons, and listening to experts, but have you ever paused to create a true training plan for yourself and your dog? It seems like we are so busy going from lesson to lesson without first identifying...

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Make every run perfect mindset visualization Oct 01, 2024

Every athlete in every sport makes mistakes - even the most elite. After all, we are fallible, imperfect creatures trying to do some really hard stuff consistently alongside a partner with their own agenda. Mistakes are going to happen.

 

I've talked about the ache of wishing for a...

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Better ways to measure progress. goals measure Sep 17, 2024

On a coaching call the other day, I said something that was an "Ah-ha" moment for both of us: "I believe that you are focusing on your process goals, but I think you're measuring by outcomes."

 

The handler agreed, and we went on to unpack how this was showing up and...

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A page from my journal - digging out of a bad headspace. bouncing back mindset Sep 10, 2024

Prologue: This is longer than usual because I'm sharing my very real struggle of getting myself back in a good headspace after a disappointing day. On Friday, Moxie and I had Rally, and it didn't go well. As I write this on Saturday morning, we are entered in...

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Getting ahold of stress. anxiety & fear stress Sep 03, 2024

Stress is a normal part of life—especially for those of us who compete in dog sports. Whether it's the pressure of performing well, the fear of failure, or just trying to stay focused, stress can creep in and throw us off our game. While you can't avoid stress entirely, you ...

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You are upset because you care. bouncing back mindset Aug 27, 2024

Two different clients recently asked me, "But why do I get so upset?" My answer was simple, "Because you care."

 

Of course, my answer doesn't solve the problem of getting upset, and I don't think it should. What I mean is, we should care deeply about...

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My favorite zero-point run! fun process Aug 20, 2024

I had one of those runs this past weekend where the score does not tell the story.

 

Moxie and I were entered in two Rally runs on Friday in our quest to pick up some Masters points towards our RACH. Our first run was a respectable 98, giving us 8 points - Yay, us! The run wasn't memorable...

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The power of positive momentum confidence mindset Aug 13, 2024

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to keep going when things are going well in the ring? That's the power of positive momentum, and it's just as critical in dog sports as it is in any other part of life. We shift our mindset when we focus on the positives—our progress, the bond...

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If Bambi would have just paused! mindset self-talk Aug 06, 2024

We are very emotional when it comes to competing, and the reason is pretty simple: we care what happens. The downside is that the same emotion that fuels us can also get in our way when things don't go the way we expect or hope.

 

I'm never going to tell...

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