Hélène Lawler - Dog Sport Performance Coach

𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘪𝘰 @𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦.𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘳⁣ ⁣ It doesn’t matter how good your skills are...⁣ If you can’t execute them because mentally you’re a hot mess 🥵 ⁣ ⁣ 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮:⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Struggle with trial nerves? 🥵⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Forget the course you just walked? 🤔⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Avoid trials because you’re STILL “not ready”? 🙈⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Do well in one run (or trial) only to crash and burn in the next? 🫠⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Have a dog who’s a rockstar in training but can’t hold it together when you walk to the line? 😩⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Need three trips to the porta-potty before your run? 💩⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Feel like you don’t belong? 😶‍🌫️⁣ ⁣ ➡️ Know exactly what you need to do to succeed,⁣ but just... can’t? 😭⁣ ⁣ These are just a few of the ways mindset ⁣ challenges show up in Dog Sports.⁣ ⁣ The good news is, mental management is a SKILL. Not something you’re born knowing how to do.⁣ ⁣ That means, just like any other skill,⁣ you can LEARN how to master it.⁣ ⁣ In this FREE Masterclass, I will teach you what you need to know to master your mental game.⁣ ⁣ So that you can show up as your best self in training and at trials.⁣ ⁣ For your dog. For your dreams. For 𝘠𝘖𝘜.⁣ ⁣ 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫! @𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞.𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐫

Join me and international Agility Competitor Grace Heck for our brand new, totally FREE Masterclass: ⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬⁣ Monday, Jun 24 @ 7pmET ⁣ Here’s what we’ll be covering: ⁣ ⁣ ✅ Rethinking handling errors:⁣ ⁣ - The 2 common training practices most of us are doing in training and trialing that inadvertently cause over-arousal.⁣ ⁣ Specifically: The ways most of us have been taught to respond to mistake.⁣ ⁣ NOTE: These practices are one of the biggest sources of over-arousal in dog sports.⁣ ⁣ - What to do instead! Including a detailed video example to show the difference in performance when you apply this strategy.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ✅ The essential skill of FLOW:⁣ ⁣ Why you need it, and how this rarely taught skill antidotes over-arousal!⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ✅ How MINDSET is the #1 skill that changes everything.⁣ ⁣ - How mastering the mental game is THE critical ingredient for also mastering Optimal Performance.⁣ ⁣ - What this looks like in practice, both in training and competition.⁣ ⁣ - Why Flow is important for handling errors in a way that maintains Optimal Arousal—at both ends of the leash!⁣ ⁣ Yes, there will be a replay! Click the link in my bio to sign up now! @helene.lawler

Over-arousal in dog sports happens by accident ALL. THE. TIME.⁣ ⁣ Optimal Arousal, on the other hand, doesn’t. ⁣ ⁣ Optimal Arousal is a 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥, which takes understanding and practice to make consistent.⁣ ⁣ The good news is that, since training and competing in Optimal Arousal is a skill, not an accident, you can learn how to make it a consistent part of your dog sport practice.⁣ ⁣ This is the work I’ve been doing with international agility competitor Grace Heck. And we want to share what we’ve learned with you in our brand new FREE Masterclass:⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞… 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭!⁣ ⁣ 𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐧: Monday, June 24 @ 7pmET (replay available)⁣ ⁣ 𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Zoom! (Register to get the link)⁣ ⁣ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: Click the link in my bio!⁣ ⁣ In this masterclass, we’ll:⁣ ⁣ ✅ Dissect these problematic practices⁣ ⁣ ✅ Explain why they cause over-arousal⁣ ⁣ ✅ Teach you what to do instead⁣ ⁣ We’ll then do a deep dive🤿 into The HOW of putting this new strategy into practice!⁣ ⁣ Grace will share how she applies these key strategies in practice, running multiple dogs in at Big Events (world team tryouts, US Open, US and Canadian Nationals etc.).⁣ ⁣ The results? ⁣ ⁣ Consistent clean runs, countless Q’s, multiple podium placements, and a national title, just to name a few of her successes in 2024 alone 🥳⁣ ⁣ By the end of this FREE Masterclass, you’ll know⁣ ⁣ 🛑 What to STOP doing⁣ 🏁 What to START doing⁣ 💪🏆 The path to Optimal Performance in your training and trialing...⁣ ⁣ ...No matter what sport you compete in!⁣ ⁣ Click the link in my bio to join us on Monday! (Yes, there will be a replay)! @helene.lawler

Skills are important, but a nervous system that can maintain optimal arousal in a sport or working setting is more important. Without a stable, grounded nervous system, all the skills in the world won’t get you where you want to go. Shaping and patterning a stable nervous system in your dog (and yourself!) takes time, practice, planning, awareness, and understanding. Every dog will start with a different level of arousal programmed in, and then our job is to shape what we have into something solid and functional. Ideally this work starts in puppyhood, but you can to re-pattern arousal levels at any age. That said, it’s harder to undo over-arousal habits than to build in solid optimal arousal patterns from day one. For this reason, I put a lot of time into teaching my puppies how to be puppy luggage: They learn to be in stimulating environments and just chill. It’s not always about them! #puppyluggage #highdrivedogs #workingdogintraining #optimalarousal #optimalarousalblueprint #kynicstockdogs #dogsportscholars

My dogs have 6+ fenced acres off the back of my house. And yet? This is where they hang out when I’m not with them. I can’t recall how many times I’ve heard people lament not being able to get a BC because they don’t have a farm. Having land makes life with a BC easier, but you still have to be out doing all the things WITH them. Just having land isn’t enough. I had BCs while living in an apartment in a city for 25 years before moving to my own acreage. It took WORK, time, dedication, and determination to meet their needs, but it was possible. Moving to the country eliminated the driving time, but everything else remained the same. I’m still outside with them every day, going for hikes, training, engaging, playing. And when I just put them out the door and stay in the house? They either wait by the door, or they go off and get into trouble. #highdrivedogs #kynicstockdogs #optimalarousal #optimalarousalblueprint #fastbodycalmmind

Today, Dara and I are off to learn how to be ‘puppy luggage’ at a sheepdog clinic. One of the biggest mistakes people make with their new sport or working puppy is to do too much, too soon. They take their puppy everywhere, train all the things, and put them in all the seminars and classes. We want to create calm, stable nervous systems capable of handling stimulating environments. That starts in small steps, and with not overstimulating. One of my foundation practices is to teach my puppies how to be ‘puppy luggage’. That is, to come along to events and NOT DO ANYTHING. Today, we are off to a sheepdog clinic, where I will participate and he will not. Instead, Dara will hang out in his crate, on his leash next to me while I learn, and on walks around the property to give him an outlet for his energy. I know the place well where we’re going, and know that puppies are welcome, there’s plenty of space to let him sniff and explore, other people and dogs will be appropriate, and if he fusses, no one will care. Importantly, I have nothing scheduled for him after this event for the next few days, to let him integrate the learning and his nervous system get back to a grounded state after the stimulation. So, after today, we’ll spend a few days doing his regular farm-puppy routine of sleeping, eating, and running about the farm. Dara is an easy puppy by Border Collie standards, but he still needs help becoming his best self. Learning to be luggage is a foundation skill that will serve him well for the rest of his life #puppyluggage #workingdogs #optimalarousal #optimalarousalblueprint #kynicstockdogs

🚒 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 #𝟏 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ And yet? ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Nearly all training solutions focus on what to do AFTER your dog is already worked-up or shut down.⁣⁣ 🤷‍♀️⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Pattern games and self-regulation tactics are important and can be helpful, but they don't address the reason your dog is over-aroused in the first place.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ And if you don't understand the ROOT CAUSE of your dog's over-arousal?⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ You might end up applying the wrong tactics to try and solve it, leaving you stuck in a cycle of constant management.⁣⁣ 😫⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Join me and discover how to make over-arousal a thing of the past, and Optimal Arousal -- at both ends of the leash -- your new norm 💪🐕🏃‍♀️💨⁣ ⁣ ⁣Link to sign up in the comments! ⁣⁣⁣ #OverArousedNoMore #RunWithConfidence #OptimalArousal

I love my job, but maybe not quite this much 🤣🤪

Struggling with a Sensitive Dog? If yes, you’re in good company! What many people don’t realize is that their Sensitive Dogs is a dog who struggle with OVER-AROUSAL (just like Worked Up dogs!) After training and working with dogs for 35+ years, I feel pretty confident in saying: Today, over-arousal is the #1 challenge trainers face in dog sports. Sometimes this looks like a Worked Up dog, and sometimes this looks like a Sensitive Dog. Why? And what can we do about it? First, I define ‘over-arousal’ as being in an arousal state that is too high for optimally performing the task we are trying to accomplish. This can look like: - “Worked Up” or stress-high behaviours: barking, lunging, biting, spinning, off-courses, victory laps, being silly, bar-knocking, box-smashing, etc. - “Sensitive Dog” or stress low behavoiurs: Going slowly, getting sniffy, avoiding, quitting, shutting down, going to sleep, whale-eye, scratching, shedding / dandruff etc. Yes, these are two sides of the same coin, and both are “Sensitive Dogs”. Although each category has its own unique set of challenges, and solutions. Broadly speaking, causes of over-arousal leading to Sensitive Dog Behaviour can be divided into three categories: 1. Over-arousal created through training: - Frustration and confusion resulting from a lack of clarity at either or both ends of the leash - Using over-arousal intentionally to create speed, especially when the handler isn’t experienced enough to handle the results (see first point, above) 2. Over-arousal resulting from Handler Stress - We may feel stressed to perform perfectly, have our dogs behave perfectly, or otherwise worry about not ‘getting it right’ - We may attach our self-worth to our dog’s performance, inadvertently putting a lot of pressure on our dogs to ‘get it right’ - Fear of judgement, rejection, or experiencing social anxiety - We may be stuck in a fight / flight / freeze state due to factors not related

Over-arousal is the NUMBER ONE problem dog sport enthusiasts face in training and trialing. Most trainings focus on strategies to deal with the aftermath of over-arousal, yet there’s very little available to help PREVENT it in the first place. In order to prevent over-arousal, we need to understand the root cause of why our dogs are getting over-aroused in the first place. This is precisely what I’ll be teaching in my brand new, totally FREE Masterclass: Root Causes of Over-Arousal in Dog Sports (at both ends of the leash). Join me on Wednesday, March 27 at 7pmET. Yes, there will be a replay if you can’t join me life. Link to register in bio! @helene.lawler

The snow and ice are gone, and the ground has thawed and dried out. Footing is safe again, so we’re back to training! This is the earliest I’ve ever been back to training after our winter break by at least a month. Not sure what to think of these crazy new weather patterns (or rather, I don’t really want to think about them) but this at least is an upside.

A 2023 study found that more than 90% of people give up on their New Year’s goals by mid-February, and only 6% actually achieve them! That’s because we’re told to set “resolutions”, but not taught the skills we need to take consistent action over time. Or what to do when life throws us curveballs. And there are always curveballs. Learn the skills you need to make your dog sport goals a reality this year! Join my 3-part FREE Goal Achievement Workshop for Dog Sport Handlers. Jan 29, 31, and Feb 02 (with bonus Q&A on Feb 05). #linkinbio! @helene.lawler