Merlin seems slower at trials than in practice, or just running in the park, and I put that down to confidence. Also I tend to get a bit stressed at comps and I know he notices.
I had a practice session with a competition trainer on Sunday and she picked this up straight away, in particular she noticed how Merlin sped up on the course towards the end and was so excited at the finish when I was saying what a good boy he was. She said she wanted to see that at the start, so instead of calming him at the start, I am to fire him up with lots of fuss and getting him hyped - boy did that help! He just shot forward instead of taking a few steps to get going!
He is also slow at the weaves (though apparently not as slow as I think!). This is due to how I trained him, the trainer was explaining he doesn't know where to place his feet so he is walking the poles. I have to go back and channel weave him and that should solve the problem.
She also said that when we finish a course, I must crouched down to praise him and not lean over him, as I normally do, to build his confidence.
So really it is all about confidence, confidence, confidence. I wouldn't be surprised if Pyper is the same. I would also try entering a few comps with the attitude that you are just running for fun. Forget about times and placings and remove the pressure from yourself and Pyper and see if that helps.
I try hard to not pass on my nerves to Merlin, but it can't always be helped. However experience does make a big difference, as we all build in confidence.