I have a confession…I’m afraid of spiders. I wish I had a dollar for every time some well-meaning-soul said “They won’t hurt you!” because I would be RICH! So when I saw this commercial the other week, I just about fell over laughing!
This video captured EXACTLY what my imagination secretly had been telling me all these years…that given the chance, the little spider was going to drop kick me and then drag me away to some unknown demise! I have to admit, after watching the commercial and seeing my fears unfold before me, I’m not feeling so afraid of the multi-legged little guy.
Agility fears effect us in much the same way. At times, we irrationally build the fear up and before we know it, we’re unconsciously altering our behavior. Here are some fears I’ve seen and even had to conquer on an Agility Course.
- Fear of not being able to get a Front Cross in so the handler won’t go up into an area of the course.
- Fear of a dog missing the bottom of a contact obstacle so they move in and hover in the exact spot their dog needs to be.
- Fear of an off-course, so the handler stares at the wrong course obstacle
- Fear of not being able to get down a line of obstacles so the handler leaves the dog and neglects to handle.
Fear can be an emotion that can be a detriment to us. For example, fear can;
- Make us act weird.
- Put us in a fight or flight mode.
- It can paralyze our thinking.
- It makes us forget the ‘other things’.
- It can make us doubt ourselves.
- Entices us to ditch our hard earned training.
- Fear can make us give up before we’ve even started.
On the other hand, fear can be a good thing! It can;
- Force us to grow a back bone we never knew we had.
- Teach us the lesson of accomplishment.
- Encourage problem solving.
- Add to our confidence.
- Force us to train.
- Teach us to believe in our training.
I’ve found the best way to conquer fear is to:
- Verbalize it. Have a quite conversation with someone you trust and someone who won’t let you wallow in the fear.
- Train. Identify what could potentially assist your fear and then train that possibility out. For example, if you’re afraid your dog will miss the contact obstacle, train the behaviors so you can anticipate the positive outcome at least 95 times out of 100.
- Have a plan. There is always a chance SOMETHING is going to happen. Have a step, ready to be activated, so you can immediately fall back on a non-emotional Plan B.
- Know that you can’t control everything. At some point, no matter how good you and your dog are, strange things are going to happen. Be prepared to roll with it.
So whether your fear is a spider, your dog’s speed, a lack of training or something else, my best advice is to embrace and think of your fear as a normal part of the process.
Happy Handling! Lisa
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