Trial Nerves

[Dory the Doted One]

Last time I trialled it was close on 20 years ago, give or take a few years. I was pretty nervous then too.

I have about 7 weeks to get ready, this is doable. I have to proof her long down, drop or greatly minimize a lot of the handler cues and put the routine together (without it getting too boring for a clever dick Rottweiler). Oh...and train her on a lot of different grounds, this I haven't done so much because I thought I would kick off trialling at a Club trial. You know, get the first one out the way on familiar ground...for ME, not for her! :laugh:

This part of the plan did not come together. (Stupid work)

So now I'm stuck doing my first trial in 20 odd years at a freaking NATIONAL. (nerves are kicking in already)

And I'm crapping my pants.

My number one fear is her knicking off halfway through the routine to go and say hello to the Judge or The Crowd. How does one even prep for these things? Especially as I've been prepping for a Club trial, on club grounds. Although I have taken her to other places and worked her, it's not really the same. The atmosphere will be vastly different. I have no concerns about her being nervous or anxious...far, far from that. I'm more worried about her losing focus and being over stimulated by all the new people, dogs and different surroundings. (plus my nerves, which I'm worried might trigger her to break and be sociable).

I'm not a super competitive person, this is not about a High in Trial (we will be doing a BH [very basic IPO/Sch title]). It's about doing our best out there, and hopefully not stuffing up someone else's trial result with a Knob Head dog that broke the long down to say Hello. (She's not broken her long down to run off before...I REALLY don't want to mess up someone elses routine).

Anyway...that's me...second guessing myself...wishing I had've done things a little bit different.

For what it's worth, anytime we have done a Mock Trial, she has been infinitely better than I thought she would be. So this is probably much more a Handler exercise/training/trial prepping query than it is a dog one.

[BarbedWire]

Visualize yourself trialling successfully. Practise without your dog. Check your breathing because dogs pick up on your stress and sometimes your voice will come out funny, sort of high and weak, so rely more on signals. When it is your turn just go into the zone and forget everyone other than yourself and your dog and what you have practised. Oh and judges are human, don't be scared of them. Good luck!

[Kavik]

I found that the nerves got better after some experience in the ring. For me the important thing was to relax and not put too much pressure on us to do well. To trust my dog and my training. To remember that it is not the end of the world if something goes wrong, even the experienced people make mistakes. To remember that regardless of what happens, the judges have seen it ALL before, there is nothing you or your dog can do in the ring that hasn't been done many times before! That people who are watching are barracking for you and want you to do well :)

Things are probably more strict in IPO, but in agility it is reasonably common in Novice classes for dogs to run off/leave the ring/visit the judge, happens with a lot of inexperienced dogs.

[The Spotted Devil]

Embrace your nerves. They are there to help you be your best. Dogs are dogs and stuff will go wrong so don't dwell on it. I've competed in 3 Dalmatian Nationals, 1 Agility Nationals and 2 Retrieving Nationals. The nerves don't change but how I channel them into being on the ball and there for my dog has Aim to see your dog full of JOY and the rest will come. Or won't matter :)

[Kavik]

When I start my young dog, my aim for my first competition will be for him to run fast and happy and stay in the ring with me and go vaguely in the right direction :laugh:

[Dory the Doted One]

LOL. Thanks Guys. It's a real exercise to get out of your head, isn't it?

You've all made me feel better.

For now. :laugh:

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Practice with every distraction you can think of including off lead drills around people she normally goes to say hello to...

If she does a drill well - send her to the person - go say hello... but if she nicks off - have the person ignore her, look over the top of her... and then just go get her and try again, maybe with that person a little bit further away... but ideally - try again with the person still there...

Ie work out what she will nick off for, and include that in your training...

And my dog when a bit frustrated because I didn't make it clear what we were doing next - has gone to say hello to a very nice judge that neither of us had met before (hi Jane...)... and I just had to catch her and exit. It happens. what I do have is a very solid remote drop and that helps a lot with catching a dog in the mood to play chase me. Just wish my recall was as solid as the drop. No idea why it isn't.

[ness]

You have nothing to worry about - I'll let you trial Kenz and then you have LOTS to worry about .

[huski]

I get super nervous, and I had a lot of people tell my I needed to get my nerves under control.

That's easy to say but next to impossible to implement if you are really nervous!

So instead, when I train my dogs I try to embody the person I am in the trial ring. There is no point being 'loose' and relaxed with your body language in training if you aren't that person in the ring. For eg - I don't yell READY? Excitedly, I just say 'ready' like I would if I was standing nervously at the start post. When I release my dogs to reward that is when we have a big party. So my dogs will never look at me in the ring and think 'that nervous nelly doesn't look like the person who usually rewards me'.

When it comes to entering a trial, I don't give myself a specific time frame, I just wait until I look at my dogs and go 'you are so ready to trial' (I had this moment with Wiz just before she came into season and had pups, lol). If your biggest concern is how she will work in a new environment, I would be training her from now until the trial only in new environments. Look up the trial schedule in your area, then take Willow to the next obed trial and act as though you are going to enter her. Set up her crate, run through your trial prep routine with her to find what works best for her and you. I do this a fair bit because I find getting the right trial prep/warm up really important for my dogs.

Edited June 17, 2015 by huski

[Red Fox]

Have you seen the grounds where the trial is being held?

Some tips (from memory in 2013). There's a busy road running along the side where she will do the long down, there's also a footpath. Proof for that.

Spectators will be well out of the way. But as far as where - they'll be behind you when you start and only have access from that one side.

Your group will be close to the fence where the spectators are though, so if you think she'll be distracted proof your group up near the gate where you enter the club grounds as opposed to where it usually is.

You WILL have to walk through the spectators to get from the carpark your dog to the starting point (unless you come right around the back of the building).

The judge will obviously be new for her (but he's pretty good), you'll also have the trial secretary on the field.

Other tips:

know you pattern so well that it's automatic. Even if you think you know it you will forget when you're nervous if you don't know it 100%.

Walk it out every day without the dog (do it while she's in the long down) and yell out your commands when you do (helps proof the long down). Get someone else to do the same, particularly with the recall command. A LOT of dogs break if the person your paired with uses the same recall, but just proof the lot (heir, here, come, etc).

If you forget the order of exercises in a BH you can ask the judge for directions. BUT you will lose points for stuffing up the number of steps in the pattern.

Practice entering the field, checking in with the judge, and keeping her engaged throughout.

Practice taking the leash on and off and putting it away without fumbling it - long down and group

Practice dropping off and picking the dog up from the long down. ALWAYS make sure you can walk a straight line up to the marker, NEVER comein from the side or she'll end up crooked.

Practice entering and leaving the group - know from EXACTLY which point you will enter and where you will exit, know where you will sit the dog and try and make it so you are facing the judge when that happens, know where you will leave. Know where you will take off the leash and make sure you have a straight lead up into the group again (avoids losing focus and position).

Can't think of too much else right now...

Grounds are good, minimal distractions either side beside the traffic. I've seen you mock trial. You'll be fine

Anything else give me a call and I'll talk you through it.

ETA, I've got a book that might help you with the nerves. Author is Kathy Keats. Let me know if you want to borrow it....

Edited June 20, 2015 by Red Fox

[Dory the Doted One]

Thank you, Red Fox!

The books sounds good too.

We've had some success calling her away from distractions. Although the soccer ball and the kid was waaaaaaaaay too much this weekend. And it was a bit hard to say....DON'T PAT THE IDIOT DOG. She was being too friendly. *sigh*

Joys of training on an oval that is used by random, oblivious members of the public.

[Red Fox]

The joys of training at Wingfield I'll send you the book

[dezzyno.1]

there was a lady at our club who tried to pass her CD but due to the lady's nerves they always failed....they tried for many season and eventually the ladies at the club sat her down and gave her a few glasses of sherry and guess what they passed and got the top score for the day

I know how you feel as I cannot trial in obedience due to my nerves and in tracking I am actually that sick but have managed over the years to not think about it and concentrate on myself and the dog....I am now trialling another lady's dog for her.....by the way this is without the sherry :D

[grumpette]

Yep totally know the feeling.

My dogs' biggest handicap is me. I get so nervous that I tense up, and forget to breath, which throws my body language and signals out totally, and the dogs look at me as if to say, WTF are you asking?

The more trials you enter, the more experience you get and the less the nerves.

And it also helps to think that there is always another trial :laugh:

[Dory the Doted One]

Mock Trial today. She did very well and very...erm...enthusiastically. lol

Know what to do some extra time working on. At least she was having a good time. And she ran to Me, rather than the laps it looked like she was going to do. :laugh: :

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Well done DDD.

[grumpette]

Nice work. It is all in the body language.