# How far will you go?



## Craig Wood (Dec 9, 2008)

I was wondering what is the average distance driven to:

1) Train in your sport of choice.
2.) Attend a Seminar.
3.) Attend a competition.


I drive 68 miles round trip every Sunday for Mondio
I drive 260 miles round trip every Monday for French Ring
I will drive 500 miles to a seminar
I will drive 1000 miles to a competition.

Side note I drove 4900 mile round trip to attend Sit Means Sit trainers school
and on a good month will drive 2000 + more miles to train dogs


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

I drive 77 miles RT 3 days a week for the Malinois club. The 2-3 of the other days I drive 54 miles RT to have my dogs worked by a different group.


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## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

I have driven 800 miles round trip countless time to train with the Utah gang, Ivan, Mike Ellis.

have driven 800 miles round trip to several Ring and PSA trials in Utah to Watch and Trial

have driven 1400 miles round trip to train and trial in New Mexico with Michael Ellis

have dirven 1200 miles round trip to train and trial in Northern California

have driven 600 miles to train and watch PSA trials in Arizona

have driven 2000 miles round trip to Spend a week training with Domique Piton in Colorado.

have Flown with my dog to Minnesota for a Week to Train and Trial for Mondioring

have driven 600 miles round trip to train in Oxnard CA with Joaquim Dovat and friends.

have driven 600 miles countless times to seminars, train and trials in SoCal, PSA and Schutzhund

Driven 120 miles round trip to train with Friends and seminars in Pahrump Nevada several times

Regular training, when I feel like it, is anywhere from 20 to 120 miles Round trip


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

Drove 600 miles RT to Savannah, Ga for a seminar.
Drove 1600 miles RT to WVa for a seminar.
Drive 40 miles RT to train with a local club.
Will drive 120 miles RT next friday to train with about 30 PSD teams.

Driven all over God's green earth testing dogs for police, PP and scent dog prospects. Almost went out to the Dakota's for a dog party but decided it was too far. Gotta draw the line somewhere.;-)


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## Sherry Spivey (Sep 7, 2009)

drove to massachussetts from florida for a week long agility seminar, we do frequent road trips to train with other clubs, went down to Miami (about 4 hrs) to work with Phil Hoelcher, used to travel an hour each way for training every week but then we started a USA club 10 min. from my house! So now I don't have to go far unless I want to. My SUV has 65K miles and I would say most of them have come from seminars/trials/training dogs.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

Howard Knauf said:


> Almost went out to the Dakota's for a dog party but decided it was too far. Gotta draw the line somewhere.;-)


there is no place BETTER than the Dakota's to go to a dog party! sorry about you missing out


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

I put 260K miles on my 97 Villager 98% dog related. I travel 150 miles from
Colorado Springs to Denver for regular club training every week. Plus cross training with other clubs. I've gone to Kentucky for a Ivan B/Mike Ellis seminar as well as Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and Missouri
for trials and seminars.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

The question we should be asking is how do we get dog sports to the point where we DON'T have to wander the earth to get it done.

I have limited funds but I enjoy going off to train with other people. Distance is not the problem as much as $$$


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## Holly Huryn (Mar 12, 2008)

I drive 1600 miles round trip a couple times a year to train with my friend Daniel in Alberta, or to attend a trial/seminar.
Occasionally I drive 620 miles round trip to train with my club members, or to attend trials or seminars.
Other than that, in order to attend trials and seminars, those of us in Ringsport that live in Western Canada must rely on the airlines to help us reach our destinations ... such as Montreal, Quebec, a 5 1/2 hour plane ride (Chicago, California ...)


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

Craig Wood said:


> I was wondering what is the average distance driven to:
> 
> 1) Train in your sport of choice.
> 2.) Attend a Seminar.
> ...


In the begining of my ring training, I travelled 1500km ONE way to train in BC with my mentor. I did that about once every 2-3 months for the first years. last year I travelled 600km round trip once a week, as well as a 300km rt once a week to get ring going. I also recently started going to calgary as well which is a 1200km rt.

For regular training I would easily drive 2-3 one way for training if I could get it, and gladly multiple times a week.

I will hopfully go to France next year which would be...hhmmm... 8000km one way?

And I am hoping to get down to Cali next year for trials, which is... 24000km one way.

Hoping to make it to Montreal next year as well.. which is about 4000kms one way.

Unless I put the trials on, the closest trial is 8 hrs away one way. The next closest is 15hrs one way. Once my dog is ready we will drive those without a thought.

Tamara McIntosh


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## Billy DiSciullo (Oct 4, 2009)

I would do what ever it takes to maintain or increase my skills or that of my dogs. Like I've heard time and time again about trialing here in the states.....distances is a problem for a sport with so few members!! So if I need to travel to find a club or train or even get a score to maintain an adverage it's what I will do. I think it helps grow the sport as well. ONCE AGAIN....THIS IS JUST MY OPINION....ITS NOT TO OFFEND ANYONE OR SAY THAT ANYONE DOES ANY LESS!!!


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## Erik Berg (Apr 11, 2006)

I guess I´m very lucky, maybe a 5 minutes drive to the local workingdog club, a couple of more clubs 60-70 km away, seems like there are some very dedicated dogsporters in US with those distances.


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## Billy DiSciullo (Oct 4, 2009)

Erik

For 7 yrs. I drove five and a half hours twice a week to train with my club. I got to the point where I sold my house in Danvers MA. and moved to Torrington CT. to continue training with my club. 
I am now back in MA and I'm training with a new club much closer to where I live.....I now only have to travel 3 hrs. round trip twice a week. In a couple of weeks I will be heading to Puerto Rico for a trial in Nov.

It's what I love......

THIS IS NOT CHEST THUMPING....ONCE AGAIN....I HOPE NO ONE TAKES OFFENCE....


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## Craig Wood (Dec 9, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> The question we should be asking is how do we get dog sports to the point where we DON'T have to wander the earth to get it done.
> 
> I have limited funds but I enjoy going off to train with other people. Distance is not the problem as much as $$$


I was looking to get a feel for the passion others have for their sport of choice.

The original thought that sparked the question was..... 
If as a group we could pool this passion for our sports, we could generate venues for people without the desire and or funds to travel great distances.

With time some of the newer members might develop the desire to pay it forward.

But even those who will never attend any event farther than 50 miles away will be a resource for decoys / helpers to hone their craft.

I am new to this and may be way off base but if given a choice I would prefer to work dogs as opposed to the hours I presently drive.

That being said I am glad there are venues as close as there are, others have no viable options.
Hopefully a day will come that will change. It can happen just look at the UFC.


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

Craig Wood said:


> I was looking to get a feel for the passion others have for their sport of choice.
> 
> The original thought that sparked the question was.....
> If as a group we could pool this passion for our sports, we could generate venues for people without the desire and or funds to travel great distances.
> ...


If I was just concerned with training my dog, I would not spend an eighth of the money I do. I agree, Craig, that life would be so much simplier if we could just get people here trained. But it is so so so rare here to find people really dedicated, whose passion for the sport over rides everything else, to get these things done. To me it seems that people want things all on their own terms, without having to expend effort or expense.

I have had several people who currently train sch tell me they enjoy ring and would switch if there were more trials. But unless I get the people training and trial ready it is useless to host trials, a club should be able to support at least the minimum entry requirments for a trial, without depending on other clubs to help out. As well we always need decoys, but to train the decoys we need the dogs to train the decoys. But the dogs/handlers are waiting on proof of trials. It is a viscious mofo cycle that drives me insane.

Finding people who are truely dedicated is hard. Most people are so wishywashy. When it suits them they will train.

I talked to Jean Marc Alan extensively about this matter. He and I have set up a 2 week decoy training for next year. But already I am hearing whining about people being able to take a full 2 weeks off. Jean Marc was adamant (and I agree!) that to make any real progress an extended period of time is needed, and a month would be better but two weeks is the minimum. I would be open to making this a national event or even north american event. But quite honestly, I can not afford to do these things all on my own!

Once again... we need dogs to train decoys. In 2007 I offered FREE seminar spots to people if they would only bring their dogs to help train decoys and for a decoy certification. NOT ONE PERSON replied.

I have offered to pay decoys fee's to seminars, or give discounted rates, never taken up. I have offered to pay to send new decoys to vancouver to train with an experience decoy and a club that has many dogs and quite a few higher level dogs, nope again.

I have desperatey been trying to find a decoy in france or ANYWHERE that would come to canada for 3months or long to help. 

This email souds exasperated and it is. I love this sport so much, as a wise man once said "It's an obsession, probably an unhealthy one, but there it is".

Tamara McIntosh


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

I have in the past and I know I will in the future drive to where ever it's going on.

I did get smart though. I raised my own decoy from a baby. He's no baby now and can handle anything biting on him.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

People are looking to "do something with my dog" not I really love ____ sport and cannot wait to get to ______ 3.

The other thing that I get when I tell people I am going to train my dog is the comment "What is he, retarded ?? He should be trained by now" LOL

Way too many pet people into working dogs causing damage to the sports. Having a "Working" line dog is a big thing now.


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> The question we should be asking is how do we get dog sports to the point where we DON'T have to wander the earth to get it done.





Amen to that! What is dang deal!?!?

We used to travel to Tulsa once or twice a week (2 hour one way trip)until gasoline started requiring actual blood sacrifice. Now we arely get up that way, even though gas has gone down.


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## Richard Rutt (May 14, 2009)

> The question we should be asking is how do we get dog sports to the point where we DON'T have to wander the earth to get it done.


That would be a great topic, that should get discussed. 
How do we get more dog clubs?
How do we get more decoys/helpers/
How do we get more Trials?
The first way will be by co-operating and working together to solve this problem, put personalities aside and do it for the sports, and the dogs.
Another way would be do have clubs with more than 1 sport. the club I belong to in France has over 300 members, only 10-12 do Ring the rest are agility, obedience, etc. the club I train at has about 60 members 10 do ring 12 do Mondio, and the rest are split between Agility, and OB. that way all of the overhead expenses are split by a much larger group of people.
Why can't an existing Sch club open it's doors a couple of days a week to Ring and Mondio people and vice versa?
Another thing that is important is taking responsibility for bringing people into the sport and mentoring them, taking personal responsibility for their success. we all need to ask ourselves how many new people have we brought into dog sports that are still active?
I'm sure with the collective intelligence, experience, and resources on this board that there are probably many excellent ideas.
The reality is that if we don't work together, even if we have to agree to dis-agree, the sport you choose to play may some day soon cease to exist!. Look what is happening in some countries in Europe. In Switzerland, you can't use any form of E-collar, pinch or prong, one step further, in other countries, any form of biting SPORTS is reserved for the police and Military. It isn't a far stretch of the imagination for some Politician (maybe Jeff O. congressman when he finishes with his 75 new laws) to decide training dogs to bite, Sport or not, is dangerous. and tries to legislate it into non-existence. It doesn't even have to be a logical reason, as you can't argue logic with someone not listening. If we can't work together and we stay in splintered groups always arguing, and fighting, how we be able to come together to protect our Sports when we need to.
In the mean time I would love to hear ideas on how to get more of everything, so that we spend less time traveling to our trials and training, and more time training,instead of the other way around. 
just food for thought.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

That is a pretty damn good response. I never thought of having agility or just obedience. That would jump the numbers quite a bit.


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## Jackie Mulligan (Mar 15, 2009)

Craig Wood said:


> I was wondering what is the average distance driven to:
> 
> 1) Train in your sport of choice.
> 2.) Attend a Seminar.
> 3.) Attend a competition.


1) I'm lucky and my club is located just 15 minutes from my house. I used to travel an hour and 20 to a different club I used to train with.
2) Too poor.
3) 100-150 miles, one way.


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