# Training after a Trial



## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

I'm looking for some thoughts on how everybody gets back to training after a trial. Do you take some time off or just keep right on training like you have been? Do you take a few steps back and then work back up to where you were?

How about motivation? Do you just wait until you get it back or set a goal and get your butt out there to do it? Right now I don't even feel like walking my Rott let alone getting up early to track so I'd just like to hear anyones experiences to see if it helps get that obsession back for me. Thanks.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Training is a whoooooool lot more relaxing after a trial. :lol:


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

We stay with it. With our dogs and with the other members and their dogs. Some didn't trial every trial so they have to keep going. Not enough hours in a week. Not all get to come out on training days so we work with their schedule. That's hard because even our schedule has to be moved around. We have to train every chance we get so we can't just relax. That's ok though. It keeps us Lyda boys out of trouble. I'm not excluding Matt, David and Mike, it's all of us.


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## Leri Hanson (Apr 3, 2008)

Much depends on the reason for my trial. If I am trialing to pick up a leg or get a qualifying score for another upcoming event training plans will vary. Wherever holes are exposed, I'll usually continue to train at least those areas. If things went really well, I'll take a break and maybe just play with the dog for a week or so. 

In my club, the dogs preparing to trial are the focus of training for at least a good month or so leading up to trial. Of course all the club dogs get worked regularly but trial dogs are the priority. So if my trial went well with expectations and/or goals met, I take a step back so others can get the necessary time in that they need to bring their young dogs up to speed. 

If my trial was a "prep" for a bigger event to come (regardless of results) no rest at all. If my trial did NOT go as planned, again, no rest.

Leri


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Lol, well it didnt go as planned so I better get back out there.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Tell us all about it. Start from the beginning.


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## Michael Santana (Dec 31, 2007)

Jerry Lyda said:


> We stay with it. With our dogs and with the other members and their dogs. Some didn't trial every trial so they have to keep going. Not enough hours in a week. Not all get to come out on training days so we work with their schedule. That's hard because even our schedule has to be moved around. We have to train every chance we get so we can't just relax. That's ok though. It keeps us Lyda boys out of trouble. I'm not excluding Matt, David and Mike, it's all of us.


I agree with Jer, 
It's hard for us to get together and work each others dogs, So we really take advantage and enjoy when more than one decoy is able to make it.


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## Mo Earle (Mar 1, 2008)

In the FR club I was in, and the protection dog club, the next session after a trial was a day off- you were just to go out and have fun with your dog, throw a ball, go swimming...nothing formal- then next training day- you worked on it all again-the good and the bad.


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

We have a short trial season. Usually we start training outside in April- no tracking until May. First trial in July and then there is usally the other clubs trial in August and our last trial in September. We are lucky in that we have 3 helpers right now and even the newer one is pretty capable/natural. 

We train immediately after the trial. We usually have a small seminar with the judge the Sunday following the Fri/Sat trial and then our club meets Tues,Thurs, & Sun as usual. All of our members are expected to be at training. Almost everyone will have a dog that will be expected/ready to trial (unless it is under age). 

After the September trial we usually continue training until snow/extreme cold hit (October) and then we take some time off before we start indoor winter training.

Julie


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Tell us all about it. Start from the beginning.


First thing in the morning we failed tracking. He did a nice job on the scent pad and started down the track very well but before the first corner he shot off the track after something, got out as far as he could go and started rooting up grass and rolling around in it. Looked pretty funny, just the worst possible time to do something like that. They let me call him to me and re-start him and he got the first corner and downed nicely on the first article but then lost it again at the 2nd corner.

Obedience went well though. We got 88 and it would have been 90 except I brain locked and sent him on the voraus from a sit. I wasnt nervous, I just did something stupid.

Protection just started off bad when we entered the field and I should have done a little bit better job with the obedience part of it. He ran the blinds at half speed, didnt bark for about an hour and then we failed when he came off the sleeve twice. Here's the little bit I have on video. Like a dope I didnt have the one good thing we did (OB) taped. But here's the protection.

http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u89/s-strom/andy/?action=view&current=CLIP0001.flv


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## Keith Jenkins (Jun 6, 2007)

From a fellow Rottie owner sorry about the trial. We usually take a couple of weeks off after a trial, gives a chance for everyone concerned to relax and unwind a bit.


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## Leri Hanson (Apr 3, 2008)

Although he did release on the drive, he stayed frontal/forward and seemed interested. Did he by chance fang himself on the initial grip?


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Thanks everyone for the replies. The trial was 3/1 so I'll get going again with him the week of the 27th. I want to try again the end of August. He did yelp both times he came off Leri but thats just the way it goes.

I'm not too bothered by not passing, I wanted to of course but I'm enjoying the training and everything I'm learning. I'm pretty happy with being this close. He's a dog I got for show, he never saw a sleeve until he was over 4. About a year and half of training. So We have a few things to work on and then we try again.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

I have had those days. I do find that writing about it kinda gets me over it much faster. I wish I had video of Buko's first trial. I pretty much thought he was going to run off and look for the decoy the whole time I was out there. I had ate some bad queso the night before, so between the dog and the shits and the urge to vomit, the trial actually didn't go all that bad. 

I failed, but I didn't shit myself, and I didn't throw up. That was actually the good part of the trial LOL


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## Leri Hanson (Apr 3, 2008)

I've had plenty of failures myself (and still do!) so not passing a trial is not near as important as not learning from the experience.

One of my favorite sayings...Experience is what we get when we don't get what we want ;-)


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Lol, I enjoy talking about it and with forums I don't drive my wife nuts.


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Well, I'm 0 for 2. We only passed ob again and didn't do as well as last time in that. Here's the video I have with all the errors to see. I'm not going to trial Andy, my Rott again. He'll be 6 in a few days and I doubt we could get any better then where we are. I have an 8mo old German Shepherd that I want to start training now and hopefully get farther then I have so far. 

The clips are kinda long and have some parts where the quality isnt very good, but it shows the whole routine and I didnt want to edit anything out. And I can't figure out that friggin movie maker program for the life of me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm_WvicEGKk&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sde9iatJLw&feature=channel


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

I only made it to 4:20 something on the OB before youtube decided to putz out. I think I was filming, looks about like my vids LOL

You go out MANSTYLE !!!! Feel free to switch to Mondio, we need more people like you that just go out and do their best.

Look at it this way, your dog is more obedient than 95% of all dogs in this country. I want to see what you can do with your new dog.


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Thanks Jeff. I'm pretty happy with what my Show Dog does for me. Kinda sad to be finished with him but I can't wait to see how my shepherd turns out.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Quote: Kinda sad to be finished with him

Go watch the "C" again. You will get over it. : )


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Quote: Kinda sad to be finished with him
> 
> Go watch the "C" again. You will get over it. : )


Lol. Yeah I know.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I remember my first trial with a Landseer (white and black Newfoundland). He was the first Landseer to trial at that time in Switzerland. It was free searching in tracking at first level working trials. I sent the dog out and he ran along the track and then decided to roll on his back and kick his legs up in the air.

I persevered, got him through to the second stage - he was a good tracker in bad weather, so where all else failed, he won.

The moist poignant incident was in level 2, where the decoy shoots off down the field and Ben decides to stay with me where he would have nabbed him if he had touched me. His handler protection in level 1 was fantastic.

His object guarding was exemplary in our working trials, however.

The thing is, this dog taught me to laugh at myself, made me aware of what I could do maybe in sport, made me think how a dog ticks, made me humble, made me proud.

Congratulations on the 88 OB and good luck.


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Thanks Gillian. Hopefully I've learned enough with him to do better with my new dog.


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