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Running through the same ritual is great. That is what we call part of the Hunt sequence. The gear difference is good. You don’t necessarily have to add more complexity to the hunt sequence, but it can take time for it to become a different established associated behavior.
Notice what you are wearing too. Do you wear the same thing for each sport?
As for the priming- good and you are right on the money with this: ” Or maybe you were thinking that I should tailor my priming to his enthusiasm and focus–either pumping him up more, or keeping things more subdued, depending on his mental state?”
We simply wanted to know if you performed the priming prior. Doing so, as you stated above tailoring it to Mo’s current emotional state, is great. For many dogs it provides information to a dog of what game is about to be played. And you are correct that you can affect Mo’s emotional state based on how you do that priming. We think at this stage it is good to prime prior to going into any area, but especially new scenarios.
Some dogs (for example one of my own) I do it every single time we go out. Again, it is about conveying information to your dog.