You folks are wonderful....I do not use treats in training, (maybe should but only use praise) but as I think about it I may be a bit more formal and stiff when I go into the ring and he may pick up on that.....I again worked him at home and he does everything correctly, but when he was in the ring, he just got nipping and trying to untie my shoe, being silly,it was not pretty. First two shows he entered he never did this, when he received his final leg, he did not do it....just on the Sunday after receiving CD on Saturday. It was like he knew it was a fun day, but I do not want him to do this again....I hope I did not push him to hard....first show was on September 2nd, second show was on September 16th and received his final leg on September 22nd. I am a novice so scores were so-so usually more handling errors than dog errors, then he started this....you all have great ideas and I will continue to contact you as we go forward in his training....thanks very much ....if you think I could use any more tips let me know....and yes I showed him two show in a row, one on Saturday and then again on Sunday, and we stayed overnight in a motel (a first for him) but he seemed to take it all in stride until we were in the ring....?????

I think you could probably ramp up your dog's performance by going to treats and/or toys. Read this: http://www.leerburg.com/pdf/theoryofmotivation.pdf . In it, Ed makes the point that while praise is critical in training, very, very few dogs will work for praise alone. I think of it as you must first teach the dog that praise means a reward is forthcoming before praise itself can be effective. By not using treats or a toy, you are in effect not paying your dog for his work -- and how long would you be interested in such a job? Again, the idea of treats/toys is to give the dog something to look forward to in exchange for work. As training progresses, your dog will be able to work longer and longer before receiving the paycheck, without his enthusiasm diminishing.