10/04/2025
AS ALWAYS A VERY GOOD READ, AND GREAT ADVICE!
4 TIPS to Develop Mental Fortitudeâ
Mental fortitude empowers you to resist distractions, stay focused and control impulses, all of which lead to improved consistency, one of the greatest forces in life.
While mental strength and self-discipline are often associated with competition,
they are perhaps even more critical in your development as a trainer and handler.
For example, a handlers concentration can often vary within a training session.
When youâre focused and consistent, your communication is clear and easily understood. However, when focus wanes, it can lead to confusion or frustration for your dog.
If a command (such as âlie downâ or other) is consistently employed, your dog understands the expectation.
But if the handler becomes distracted, we often see the followingâŠ.
âhandler gives âlie downâ,
dog continues walking, but slows to lovely pace
therefore, the handler doesnât repeat or enforce the lie down, they decide the pace dog being offered is really what they wanted,
but not what they asked.
From dogâs perspectiveâŠ.
When you give a "lie downâ command that sometimes means lie down (when you enforce it), and sometimes means âslow downâ (when you let him walk on after giving the command)
the training is not intuitive;
youâre asking for interpretation, instead of understanding.
It teaches your dog, âlie downâ doesnât mean lie down, rather, it is optional, which can be problematic.
For dogs that lack confidence or are sensitive, this method can initially build them up, as they ârun throughâ the command.
They are the decision makers and for a timid dog it can appear and even be, empowering.
Itâs when and how you go back to reestablish the lie down, (for additional training such as, sheep running towards something and you need a stop, prevent conflict w/ aggressive sheep, lambing, stop short on an outrun, teach a bend, turnback, and list goes on), that it can be an issue.
Correcting a softer or timid dog for the lie down that you havenât been consistent with, can be unnecessarily confusing, defeating or both.
For stronger willed or excitable dogs, letting them carry on through the lie down can fuel their independent thinking. Them deciding when they need to comply with the lie down and when they donât can transfer to them not listening in other aspects of work, making training difficult.
Moreover, handlers can get frustrated when they actually need the lie down and their dog doesnât comply,
sometimes even admonishing or yelling at their dog,
when it was the handler that taught it was an optional command!
Of course, this isnât fair.
While this example is about focus and consistency, mental strength is equally important in controlling passion.
The training field is no place for temperâyouâre not teaching anything productive when you lose control of your emotions.
Mental strength is a habit that can be honed, strengthened, improved and ultimately transform your partnership.
Here are 4 tips to help build your mental fortitude:
1. View Failure as a Lesson
This mindset is crucial for resilience. Use setbacks as stepping stones for growth. Every mistake teaches a lesson, every loss is an opportunity for change. Successful people donât fear failureâthey use it as a data point in information gathering to fuel progress.
2 Seek Out Discomfort as a Tool for Growth
Resilient people step outside their comfort zonesâwhether that means, confronting fears, embracing the possibility of embarrassment, letting go of ego, reframing mindset, or other, the more you embrace discomfort, the more you build resilience.
3. Focus on the Present, Not the Past or Future
Itâs easy to get stuck in regrets about the past or anxieties about the future.
But true mental strength comes from focusing on what we can control right now.
By shifting your mindset to the here and now, you improve your ability to handle challenges, make better decisions, and fully engage in the moment.
4. Embrace Change
Change is constant. To thrive, it's important to adjust quickly rather than fight against it. "If you get on the wrong train, be sure to get off at the first stop. The longer you stay, the more expensive the return trip is going to be". Whether itâs learning a new skill, facing unexpected challenges, embracing a new method, or other, resilience comes from accepting change as a natural part of growth.
macraeway.com
