Angela’s Introduction.

Thanks for dropping by.

I hope the information here will help you understand the impact your mind has on training and showing, and how to enjoy your specific dog sport regardless of the circumstances, the outcome, or how well you and your dog are working.

A great deal has been written and much has been made of the training of dogs and handlers for trials, tests, and competitions. The science and practice of dog training continues to evolve into a well defined body of work. There are many fabulous trainers who are fantastic at teaching you how to train your dogs. They are way better than I am and I wouldn’t be without them.

Unfortunately, equal attention to the mental game has been neglected and unwritten about by the mainstream dog training industry. It’s often not addressed or even mentioned in the world of dog sports. Even if it is, more often than not it’s misunderstood. It assumes that more training, and working hard on your issues will automatically lead to a better experience and improved results.

But is that true?

How often has too much focus on training your weaknesses created other issues? How often have your nerves affected your decisions and handling? After your dog has worked a good round or progressed through the tests, how long is it before the doubts start to creep in? As you progress how quickly does the pressure increase and your confidence plummet? Many good handlers and their dogs are struggling.

It’s well known that stress can vastly alter how your messages come across to your dogs. When you are nervous about going into the show ring, or anxious about passing another dog in the street, you are likely to inadvertently tell your dogs all sorts of things you really don’t mean to or want to.

When training or competing stops being fun you usually have two choices. Either a quick fix; or a complete overhaul of your training – ‘let’s re-train it!’

But if you’ve explored these options and are curious about a different way of training and showing please continue reading this page. have a look round the site. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

Click here to join my private Walking Round In Circles Group to learn more about my alternative approach to training and competing, and to get first dibs on virtual and live events.

Are You Doing Something Wrong?

Perhaps. But I doubt it.

The problem may be: The template you’ve been handed by the ‘mainstream’ is pointing you in the wrong direction. When you’re struggling, it’s natural to try to diagnose your faults and try to rectify them. But when you’re battling and trying too hard, things seem way harder, and usually go way worse.

I have an alternative approach to offer you to consider. After years of struggling to compete in the ring in the way me and my dog were capable of, I stumbled upon a different approach to the mental game which I’ve distilled into the 8 R’s - 8 Realisations – which I’ll share with you below.

My own performance was changed as this new understanding started to sink in. Me and my dog were working to our potential more often – with less drilling, less struggling, and less pressure. Of course, I still had my moments, and my fair share of disappointment, but I would bounce back more quickly. I got over bad rounds more easily and my focus and concentration improved. I found myself having more fun at dog shows again, rather than my enjoyment being conditional on how we were placed.

Mastering The Inner Game

The Inner Game of Dog Sports is an in-person workshop that will help you become a better trainer/competitor by focusing on your inner game.

These ideas are grounded in tried and tested philosophical principles that have been around for hundreds of years.

They will help you simplify your approach to training and showing, so you can work your dog with more freedom, clarity, and enthusiasm.

• Simplify your approach to the mental game.
• Explore what your specific dog sport means to you
• Understand the three main reasons for feelings of tension and anxiety when you compete.
• Bust the biggest dog sport myth.
• Stop trying to control your thoughts.
• Handling Pressure
• Take your inner game to the dog sport game.
• Trust Your Self

What I’ve got here could be a fit for you if you…

• Are not great at competing. You love your sport and you’ve had some success because you’re good at training your dog. It’s not because you’re great at handling your nerves. In fact you find trialling and competing completely nerve-wracking and feel sick with nerves the night before, and spend pretty much the entire day with your heart in your mouth. When you do have a good round it feels more of a relief than a cause for celebration.

• You keep putting off going to trials and shows. You have secretly been intending to give competing more focus…but uhhh…you just never seem to get round to going to a show, or if you do…you usually use it for training. You just don’t ‘love’ the idea of going to a trial/show to compete…(even though you love training your dog). If you’re honest you don’t feel you can cut it when you look around and see all the ‘top handlers’ and many others who have impressive track records. You feel totally out of your depth.

• You want to get much better results and get placed more consistently. You know in your heart, mind, and gut that if you could sort your head out, you and your dog are capable of so much more. But you don’t know how to do it. You tried all the mindset prep, visualisation techniques, and ‘positive thinking’ strategies prescribed by sports psychologists and performance coaches but you haven’t seen an improvement in your nerves or your enjoyment of the sport. In fact, you just seem to have even more stuff to think about!

• Like the notion that competing could feel good. What if it could be stress free, fun, easy, in flow, effortless, enjoyable, working as one regardless of the challenges your dog throws at you or the results. You want to ditch the mental clutter. You want the freedom and confidence to work with your dog like you do in training, and take something positive from every round you work or trial you do. You want to train better, improve faster, and enjoy competing more.

• Are finally ready to stop taking your dog sport so seriously. (Yes, read that again!) It’s been an expensive hobby for years but you’re finally ready to start realising your own and your dog’s amazing potential. Not just for the prizes, but for the thrill, the challenge, and the great feeling you get doing something you love with your dog. The reasons you got into the sport in the first place.