24 Kvě Trial Series, Part 2: Trial Training Sessions

In the first part of this series, we talked about setting up the trial and getting the attendees together. In this article, I want to describe the weeks leading up to the trial.

After knowing the number of dogs that will be present, I schedule a training session every week for 6 weeks before the trial so I can keep an eye on my clients throughout the whole trial preparation phase.

I like to set these trial training sessions up differently from my regular sessions. In the regular sessions, people come in one after the other, so they don’t have to spend too much time at the field. In the trial sessions, I purposefully have more people come in at one time so they can help each other out. We create a more trial-like vibe at the field with more people there, having enough people for the group during the heeling pattern, and so on.

So, for six weeks, we had a big training session every week with around 10 people attending as we worked on the trial preparation phase. There are a couple of specific goals I have during those training sessions, all of which I need to hit with everyone attending to ensure success at the trials:

1. Some of the clients were initially trying to choose between two different trials. For example, they were unsure if their dog would be ready for the Upr1, and they had IBGH1 in reserve, which doesn’t have any obstacle or retrieve exercises. For these individuals, one of the first goals we had was to determine which trial was going to be the one for them and set that decision in stone so we could fully focus on it.
2. Once everyone has settled on a particular trial, I try to make sure everyone is familiar with the regulations and knows the trial by heart—the flow of the exercises, what to look out for, when you have to wait for a judge’s instruction, when to praise, how to help your dog within the confines of the rules, etc. I have some e-book cheatsheets for the trials (translations to English are in progress—stay tuned!) which I have them read.

We also do a couple of sessions where I make them go through the trial without their dog and really concentrate on what they have to be doing. I want to be able to wake them up at midnight and have them go through the whole routine without missing a step. Not only the dogs but the handlers also have to be prepared.

3. Once the handlers know the trials by heart, we start getting the dogs used to the flow of the trials as well. I make sure to mimick the trial situation as closely as possible. I pose as the judge, they have to report to me, and I am carrying an umbrella (which looks very silly when there is no rain) so the dogs aren’t surprised by that when it rains at the trial.

I give the handlers instructions like a real judge would do, and they perform the trial more or less the way it will officially go. We usually just make it a bit shorter and, of course, with enough rewards for the dogs to keep motivation high.

4. Once the handlers—together with their dogs—are getting familiar with the ins and outs of the trial, we start to work out the ideal order in which the dogs will go. This, again, can be different in other countries. You may be forced to go in a random order or in an order determined by the judge.

Fortunately, here, we can determine the order beforehand, which is very helpful. We can try out different combinations of downed and performing dogs and choose the best ones. I usually try to alternate between male and female dogs so the probability of a fight when something happens is lower.

I always think about ways to make the trial as comfortable and as safe as possible for my handlers. I want it go smoothly and to be a good experience for handler and dog. This is the big difference between a trial and a competition: the trial is at your familiar field, prepared and tailored so it suits you as best as possible. It’s perfect for beginner handlers and dogs to get the feel of what obedience is really about.

Competitions with their much stricter judging as well as unfamiliar and unfavorable conditions are something completely different and really test the handler and their dog under pressure. I try to have my trials with as little pressure as possible. Going for your first trial is pressure enough, in my opinion. There’s no need to add to that.

5. At this stage, we have the trials worked out, the handlers are ready, and the dogs are familiar with the trial situation. We know the order in which they will go, and they are getting used to downing while a specific other dog is performing.

Now, we are just working out some small little details. You should not attempt to teach anything major to your dog in the trial preparation phase. If he can’t do it six weeks before the trial, he shouldn’t attend the trial. Polish an exercise, yes. Work out some small issue, sure. But don’t teach a whole new exercise.

At this stage, we also make a test run of the BH-VT traffic portion. This is part of the BH-VT trial, which does not take place at the training field but rather in the “real world” outside. So, in one of the sessions, I took all my BH-VT wannabes, and we simulated the traffic portion outside.

6. After everything is worked out, I like to create a very detailed plan for the whole trial. I will write out the order of the dogs and their respective trials. I’ll note exactly what has to be done and when: setting up markings on the field, preparing various dumbbells for different trials, getting a blind ready for down under distraction for specific trials, and then removing it for others. I will map out every little detail that has to be taken care of so that, on the trial day, we just go by the checklist, and we can be sure everything will be taken care of.
7. During the whole preparation phase, I am always there for my clients when they need to have a little chat about anything. They text me with little questions, ask about problems that arise when they train at home, and they confess their anxieties and fears. I know this is very hard for them, so I do my best to really be there for them and give them full support so they can fully focus on the task at hand and be the best handler they can be for their awesome dogs.
8. In the last session before the trial, I get everyone together, and we go through the whole trial just as it will happen. This includes everything: reporting to the judge, checking the dogs’ chips, going in the exact order we will be going at the trial, figuring out all the little details, and testing the detailed plan I have written out to make sure everything goes smoothly. We fine-tune the last little details of the plan, and we are more than ready to tackle trial day knowing we did everything we could. After that session, we have a long discussion about anything that might go wrong, and I give a little pep talk and send them home—see you on trial day!

After such a tedious preparation process, you might think the trial would go so smoothly that it would be boring. Well, look forward to next week’s article where I will show you that there is always something that can influence even a near-perfect plan. Stay tuned, and be mindful!