Why Does My Dog Run Differently at Agility Shows vs Training at Home?

You have trained. You have prepared. You know your dog is capable. Yet the moment you step into the competition ring, everything changes. They run slower. Or faster. They miss jumps. They lose focus. Or they simply switch off. It is a scenario many agility handlers face and one that often leaves people feeling confused and disheartened.

You may find yourself thinking, why does my dog run beautifully at home or in training but struggle in the show ring?

This is not just about skills. It is not about whether your dog knows the course. It is about emotion. It is about arousal, environmental change, pressure, routine disruption and how dogs process novelty and stress. This post explores what is really going on, why it happens and what you can do to support your dog more effectively in both training and competition settings.

The Environment Has Changed, Even if the Equipment Has Not

From your perspective, the setup might look familiar. Jumps, tunnels, weaves, contact points, the gear is all there. But from your dog’s perspective, nothing is the same.

The ground smells different. There are people standing still instead of moving around. There are tents, crates, speakers, applause, new dogs and perhaps your own nerves in the mix. The weather, the travel, the wait time. It all adds up.

Even something as small as the way the grass feels under their paws or the shadow cast by a ring barrier can have an impact. Dogs are highly sensitive to context. They do not generalise skills across environments as easily as humans do. That means the same course can feel like a completely new challenge simply because it is in a different place.

This difference in familiarity alone can shift your dog’s performance. They are not being difficult. They are navigating new sensory input and trying to make sense of it in real time.

Arousal, Excitement and Emotional Overflow

A big part of agility success is managing your dog’s emotional state. In training, you control the setup. You might warm up with play. You might keep distractions low. You might adjust the challenge to suit the dog’s current focus.

At a show, everything is heightened. There is build-up. There is waiting. There is cheering. Your own energy may be different too, even if you try to hide it. Dogs notice the subtle changes in your breathing, pace and tone.

Some dogs respond to this by becoming over-aroused. They run too fast, miss cues or shut down mid-run. Others go the opposite way. They move more slowly, hesitate at jumps or disengage entirely. Both responses are common. Neither means your dog is being stubborn. It means their emotional state has tipped into a place where performance becomes difficult.

Agility dogs are not machines. They are athletes. Their performance is tied directly to how they feel in the moment.

Familiar Routines vs Sudden Structure

Training at home tends to follow familiar rhythms. You set the pace. You break things down. You let your dog take breaks when needed. There is a shared rhythm and a comfort in routine.

At a show, that rhythm is often disrupted. Your dog might spend an hour in a crate or in the car. They are pulled from that space and expected to perform immediately. They do not know how long they will be out. They may not have had a proper warm-up. You may not have had time to reconnect through play or focus work. All of these little shifts matter.

Dogs thrive on predictable sequences. When that is lost, some dogs become unsure or anxious. Others go into overdrive. It is not about whether they love agility. It is about whether they feel emotionally ready to perform at that particular moment.

The Impact of Your Emotions

Even if you are calm on the outside, your dog may still detect changes in your mood or body language. Competition tends to bring tension. That might be subtle changes in the way you cue. It might be your breath holding, your posture stiffening or your facial expression changing.

Dogs read us constantly. If you are nervous, even slightly, they will know. They may interpret it as a warning sign or become unsure about what is expected.

This is not to blame you. It is to remind you that you are part of the team. Just as you work to regulate your dog’s state, it helps to regulate your own. Pre-run rituals that include grounding, connection and calm play can make a huge difference to both of you.

Pressure to Perform Can Shift Your Handling

In training, you might repeat a sequence a few times. You might laugh off a mistake. You might reward halfway through a run. You are flexible and responsive. But in a show, that changes. There is no reward during the course. You only get one go. That naturally creates pressure.

This pressure can lead to rushing, over-cueing or second-guessing. Even small adjustments to your handling can confuse a dog who is already feeling the effects of a new environment.

The more you can keep your handling style consistent between training and competition, the more stable the experience becomes for your dog. Training should reflect what the dog will actually experience in the ring, while still giving them the confidence and feedback they need.

Dogs Remember Emotional States, Not Just Outcomes

One of the most overlooked aspects of agility is how dogs link emotion to experience. If your dog feels anxious or overwhelmed in the ring, they do not just remember missing the jump. They remember how it felt to be there. That emotional memory sticks.

If your dog finishes a course and you look frustrated, they may internalise that energy. Even if you are not upset with them, the experience becomes coloured by tension. This is why decompression, post-run connection and celebrating effort are so important. Your dog is not reading your scorecard. They are reading your emotional feedback.

Building positive associations takes time. It means focusing less on whether the run was clean and more on whether the dog felt successful. That mindset shift can change everything.

Understanding Ring-Specific Triggers

Some dogs seem fine during warm-up but change dramatically the moment they cross into the ring. This sudden shift is often not about the equipment or the course itself, but about the cues the dog has come to associate with the show environment.

The sound of the gate closing. The silence before a whistle. The stillness of the judge. These are all details your dog notices. They may not feel like part of the training to you, but they are part of the emotional context for your dog.

You can recreate some of these moments in training. Practise entering a gated area, standing quietly, and then beginning. Help your dog experience those moments as calm and predictable rather than uncertain or charged.

The Role of Ring Familiarisation

Dogs often do better when they can take in their surroundings before being asked to perform. If you can, give your dog the opportunity to observe, sniff and settle near the ring before their run.

This is not the same as flooding. It is quiet familiarisation. A few minutes walking calmly past the equipment. Some light focus work away from the action. These small acts help your dog build confidence and reduce reactivity when their name is called.

The Limits of Proofing

Many handlers increase distraction training when faced with inconsistent performance. While that has value, it is not always the missing link.

Proofing sharpens a behaviour’s reliability. But agility is not only a test of behaviour. It is a test of emotional regulation. A dog who feels steady and safe is more likely to apply what they have learned. Repetition without emotional support often creates frustration or shutdown rather than clarity.

Train for skill, yes. But also train for stability. That combination is what carries into the ring.

Building Emotional Flexibility

Some dogs perform best when they are slightly excited. Others thrive when calm. Modern agility training supports dogs across that spectrum by building flexibility.

This means creating sessions where arousal levels vary. Teaching your dog how to return to focus after excitement. Reinforcing calm before activity. Encouraging sniffing as part of decompression. Every one of these layers helps shape a dog who can adjust in real time, even in an unpredictable environment.

Final Thoughts

If your dog runs differently at shows than in training, they are not doing anything wrong. They are responding to their environment, their emotions, and your energy. That response deserves our attention, not frustration.

Agility is not just about cues and timing. It is about relationship, trust and emotional fluency. Help your dog feel ready, not just rehearsed. Train the dog in front of you, not just the one you hope will show up.

Performance will follow.