08/25/2026
YOU AND YOUR DOG ARE WALKING A FINE LINE
This one is for high-level trainers and competitors getting a dog ready for Nationals or the World Championship, but it also applies to every pet dog living at home
One thing I learned while travelling and preparing my dog for the World Championship is that the closer you get to competition day, the more pressure you feel
You want more control
More precision
Better performance
So without noticing, you start asking for more and putting more pressure on the dog
A little stress today, a little more tomorrow, then more the next day
If the dog has no way to release that stress, it keeps building until a small issue becomes a big problem
At this level, you are walking a fine line
You need control, but you cannot keep adding pressure just to get it
You need to let the dog recover, but you also need to understand what recovery means for your dog
You need a real balance between negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement if you want good-quality training and a dog in the right state of mind
Sport dog or pet dog, it is the same basic rule
Everything the dog does starts as a reaction to instinct, pressure or the environment
The reaction happens again
Then again
Then it becomes a behaviour
After enough repetition, that behaviour becomes a real problem
That is when the trainer or owner starts asking
How do I make my dog stop doing this
But the dog did not create that problem overnight
The signs were already there in small moments, you just did not notice them or you did not think they were important
Then you added more pressure, the dog repeated the same reaction and the small issue became something you could no longer ignore
Before you put a lot of pressure on a dog, learn how to create balance in your training
Learn when to apply pressure and when to release it
Learn when to reward and when to let the dog breathe
Learn how much pressure your dog can handle and what kind of recovery your dog needs
Feel your dog
Know when to keep training and when to stop
Know when the dog needs work and when the dog needs a break
Do not let your stress about the competition become your dog’s stress
Before a big competition, the goal is not to train more every day
The goal is to arrive on the field with you and your dog in the best physical and mental condition possible
And if you are thinking about getting a dog
First learn how to raise one
Then get one
When you understand the dog from the beginning, you stop asking how to fix every problem because you learn how to prevent a reaction from becoming a behaviour and a behaviour from becoming a problem
High-level training is knowing when to push, when to release and when to stop
AMJAD&ANNA
World Championship Preparation 2026
