Choreographing Your Performance

As a child, I did a lot of acting so I know that every movement on a stage is planned. The same can be true for your obedience performance. 

In last week's blog post I suggested that after teaching your dog the necessary skills, you needed to learn how to coach your player on the day of the show. That is, how you intend to warm-up and how to choreograph your performance.

Whether you are in Novice, or pursuing an OTCH, it is important that you have a strategy for moving around the ring. When you plan your choreography, it will keep your dog engaged, keep you focused, and cut down on your nervousness.  

In the above video, I offer drawings, a show ring video, and sample training sessions, to illustrate how you might choreograph your own performance.

Last week I suggested that becoming fully prepared involved-

Skill Preparation (70%) + Warm-Up (10%) + Choreography (20%) = 100% Prepared!

However, even if you've nailed the warm up and planned the choreography, you still need to be prepared to handle the strange things that happen at dog shows. You don't want equipment falling, dogs barking, doors slamming, or loudspeakers blaring to derail your performance.

Next week I’ll post one more video to discuss the unusual events that can cause us to stumble in the ring.