REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: Click HERE to Register

Date: Saturday, July 19, 2025 and Sunday, July 20, 2025
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (includes 1 hour lunch and 2-3 15-min breaks)
Location: Pioneer Christian Academy, 331 E Blakely Ave, Brownsville, OR 97327
Cost:
$350.00 for working teams (Sat/Sun)
$150.00 for auditors (one day only)
$250.00 for auditors (Sat/Sun)
(Fee includes “With Winning in Mind” book by Lanny Bassham and a Performance Analysis Journal)

Registration is limited to 20 working teams plus auditors. Working teams MUST attend both days, auditors are strongly encouraged to attend both days.  Each day will consist of a powerpoint presentation/lecture in the morning, followed by application (working teams) of the Mental Management principles in the afternoon.

Payment in full is required upon registration.  After filling out the Registration Form, please send the workshop fee via Paypal to contact@herocanineconsulting.com in order to reserve your spot in the workshop.  You will receive a registration confirmation upon receipt.

Indoor crating may be available.  Dogs must be able to stay quiet out of sight of their handlers.

If you have any questions, please email Silke at contact@hero-dog.com

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Imagine looking forward to Nose Work competitions knowing that you have all the fundamental skills you’ve already learned about your sport and now adding an ability to perform at your best under pressure.  In this workshop, we will cover the following:

THE MENTAL MANAGEMENT MODEL
In competition there is a place between effort and ease, where excellent performance seems easy. Learn how to balance the parts of the mind to allow you to feel focused and relaxed as you navigate the trial day. Learning the building blocks of Mental Management helps us understand how our minds work and how we can bring our mind to a place of optimum performance as a handler.

THE MENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM®
Imagine being able to control your thoughts in a pressured situation like a Nose Work Trial. Instead of those niggling little fears or doubts that might enter your mind on the day of the trial or right before you enter the search, imagine being able to fill your mind with thoughts of your choosing. Learning how to take control of your thoughts before, during and after an event will help you feel confident and focused on the day of trial.
PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE
Why do we show up as different handlers the day of the trial versus practice? Ever notice that you are confident in class and feel great and yet sometimes the day of the trial here come the butterflies and you feel unsure about your abilities? Learn how to turn that around so that you can use pressure to your advantage and actually look forward to the opportunity to test your skills! We will also discuss how to handle all those pesky distractions at trials including parking lot chatter.

BUILDING SELF-IMAGE
Our self-image has a huge impact on everything we do in life. Self-image includes our habits and attitudes and often feeds into our perception of the world in general and either positive or negative associations with specific situations.  Discover how to build and protect your self-image so that you can participate in a Nose Work Trial or any life situation with confidence.

APPLYING THE MENTAL MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Dog/handler teams will perform nose work searches, breaking down and applying different aspects of the Mental Management System. After each search, we have a group discussion to debrief and answer questions. Auditors are asked to help by playing certain roles in the “audience” that mock a real-life parking lot and trial situation. This segment helps handlers learn how to apply what they learn each morning.

TESTIMONIALS

“My dog Wally and I struggled significantly at NW3 to the point where trialing was no longer fun for either of us. I enrolled in a weekend Mental Management course and it completely turned things around for us. Teah gave me the tools to deal with my chronic overthinking and trial nerves. During the seminar we got to run multiple searches each day where we could learn how to apply the concepts in real time with Teah’s guidance. After putting the concepts into practice during training and at trials we finally started to have success and earned our NW3 Elite in no time! I can’t thank Teah enough for introducing us to Mental Management and bringing the fun back to nose work.”  Melissa Looney

“In 2018 my dog and I began our Nose Work journey. It started as “just something to do with my dog to keep her entertained” and evolved into competing at the highest levels in NACSW and AKC. During these events, I struggled with competition nerves. I tended to focus on the things that went wrong and not what went right. I really don’t think I understood how much  attitude and mental preparedness affected our training and trialing experiences. Though I was familiar with Lanny Bassham’s book, With Winning In Mind, I didn’t know how to apply the concepts to Nose Work. After more than a few disappointing trial experiences I realized that my mental game was a losing one. A friend suggested that I sign up for Teah’s Mental Management For Nose Work Handlers Seminar. During this two day workshop, Teah  explained ways to incorporate Mental Management into our Nose Work training and trialing. She also set up several search scenarios for the dog teams so that the handlers could practice their new mental program. Attending the seminar gave me the tools to help me start my new way of thinking…not just in Nose Work but in other aspects of my life.” Susie Zonge