What does a backache have to do with mindset? handler skills mindset Feb 14, 2023

My back is killing me. It's day two, and I have zero patience for it.

I'm doing a nine-week workout program, and this girl likes to stay "caught up." I carefully pushed through yesterday, but today I popped a muscle relaxer, slathered on magnesium, and put on comfy clothes instead.

This is what...

Continue Reading...
Can you manifest a Q? Kind of. goals manifesting Aug 17, 2021

The idea of “manifesting” is hardly new - some people think it’s crap and others swear by it. No matter where you fall on this continuum, you’re right, of course. Me? I’m firmly in the manifesting camp but I don’t believe you can simply wish something into...

Continue Reading...
Pass me the eye drops (from watching the Olympics!) mental skills Aug 05, 2021

Anyone else glued to the Olympics?
As a kid, time stopped for the two weeks of the spectacle, and I watched whatever they showed on network TV, paying particular attention to the equestrian events (obvi!). I remember where I was when we heard “the team” won in ‘84, and I know...

Continue Reading...
I’ve got pressure on the brain! anxiety & fear mental skills Jul 15, 2021

I’ve been considering the concept of pressure a lot lately - mostly because I am finishing up a Masterclass offering on the subject and using the Q-Members as my test subjects - lucky them!

I think what’s interesting about pressure is that it’s not a skill per se, but something...

Continue Reading...
What if you were already resilient? mental skills resilience Jun 29, 2021

As more of us are emerging post-pandemic, we are finding a new test for our resilience. I hear so many people saying, “When things go back to normal.” I gotta admit, that sentence is KILLING me! (metaphorically, obvi).

Here’s my breakdown of that sentence:

When - waiting on the...

Continue Reading...
Ya know, you are allowed to rest 😮‍💨 dog care goals Jun 15, 2021

Over in the Q-Membership this month, we are talking about the impact our energy has on our dogs and our performance. One of the first things that came up was the “energy of chasing,” or the concept that we are always chasing after something. Titles, Qs, big events … you name...

Continue Reading...
Westminster called - it wants you to have FUN! goals mental skills Jun 02, 2021

Proximity being what it is, I have many friends who are headed off to Westminster this month. Unlike previous years, this time, it will take place in a pastoral setting (think natural grass) away from the hustle and bustle of the city and cement. I am performing all the good-weather rituals for...

Continue Reading...
The power of making a decision goals May 20, 2021

I talk about goals a whole bunch, precisely the difference between outcome goals and process goals. But from now on, I'm adding a layer above outcome - decisions.

Decision. To decide. From my handy-dandy Mac app:

de·cide | dəˈsīd |

verb [with object]

come to a resolution in the mind as a...

Continue Reading...
When real life interrupts your plan (or, Mox we've gotta RUN!) goals mental skills May 04, 2021

The other weekend I was running agility with Moxie. As the cruelty of the schedule gods would have it, we were in the first and last classes of the day.

Or so I thought.

So there I was hanging out in the parking lot, spread out in my end spot with Indie lounging in the sun, and I just happened to...

Continue Reading...
Is comparison stealing your joy? goals mental skills Apr 20, 2021

Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Social media has almost set us up to compare our real lives with those carefully curated and shared on platforms designed to judge. (Don’t believe me? Think about the origins of Facebook!). And social platforms...

Continue Reading...
Mistakes are "sticky!" mental skills Apr 06, 2021

Get over it.
You’ve just got to let go.
It’s time to move on.

I’ve got platitudes for days when it comes to helping all of us to let go of a “mistake” or NQ that still haunts us. But they are all useless if we’re not ready to hear them. Sometimes we just aren’t done beating ourselves up.

Letting go,...

Continue Reading...
Where oh where did the stamina go? dog training mental skills Feb 04, 2021

I get hung up on words or concepts periodically. “Curiosity” was my word pre-2020. I was trying to get myself and others to look at training challenges with openness and wonder instead of judgment and failure. I still love curiosity and it has shifted my training and feedback habit,...

Continue Reading...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7