# When do you know you are ready?



## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

So I am thinking about entering Dante for his IPO 1 the first weekend of June. I am not sure we are 100% ready and not sure we ever will be. There isn’t much in the way of practice trials to enter for schutzhund, he is my first schutzhund dog and a real challenge at that. I am not going to put tons of pressure on him leading up to the event, just keep training as we are, and hope for the best. He just turned two April 8th and is not what one would call a “sporty” dog. I have found the best training method is just be patient but not let him get out of doing something. He has great drives but will still decide when and if he is going to listen and like a lot of males has a sense of humor when it comes to training. When he is on, he is amazing and when he is off, he doesn’t know what “sit” means. 
 I am eager to get on the trail field, not so much for the title, but for the experience. How do you know you are ready though? Tracking is by far the best area… I think that just comes down to genetics and early imprinting. Protection is strong, but being young can get overly enthusiastic depending on how much pressure the decoy lays on him… he LOVES a good fight. Obedience is our big gamble… he can be perfect, or a happy goofball who has never had a single training session. So when do you decide to step on the field? If they are correct 98% of the time? Or 75%? Is it bad to do a trial with the mindset it is a learning exercise?


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I have zero experience with IPO, but we've been herding and even though I didn't think I was ready for our first trial, I went anyway. The first day was a complete disaster but the second day went really well. You have to start sometime! I really learned a lot about my dog, then me, then how I handled- or didn't- handle him well. The judges were very helpful and so were the others at the trial. So I would encourage you to jump in and give it a try!


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I'll trial for the 1 when my dog is ready for the 3.... I don't know if *I'll* ever be ready, even if my dog is. Trial nerves!
Wish you luck in June!


----------



## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

All the best on your 1. Only advice from me is to enter the trial and go from there, nothing gives you better feedback than trialing!


----------



## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Also take into consideration how many trials there are in your area. Where I do live there is one, at much two trials I can enter every year, so even if I'm not ready, not trialing may mean to wait a whole year.

I was not ready at all for the A on Diabla, all I wanted was some experience for the IRO test one month later. Diabla had not even bit in almost a year... and we passed. Unless you live from titles the worst that can happen is to have to try again later. Certainly I don't care what anyone else thinks or says, we had had our share of embarrassing moments too.

All I'd care is if the dog is ready to confront a helper with full pressure, that may be different than your old helper of always at training. Even if I had all the exercises ready (which I'm not even near) I know for sure that Akela is not mature enough for trial and won't be soon. If your only concern is control... videotape and post it here after the facts


----------



## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I feel a little better about doing it with the understanding there is a good chance I make a fool out of myself! 

Catu, it will be video taped so don't worry! And if it goes anything like our BH, where even the judge was laughing and poking fun at us, it should be entertaining. We did pass our BH though, and the judge did compliment us on how good our relationship was and how Dante clearly was having a blast. Going into it though Dante had run that routine, in mock trail fashion, perfectly.... more than once.... So it goes to show, you never know what will happen come trial day! Dante has worked with different decoys, at least five to date, and it doesn't bother him. Pressure makes him more intense, but I worry about control, so we shall see!:crazy:


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Packen said:


> All the best on your 1. Only advice from me is to enter the trial and go from there, nothing gives you better feedback than trialing!


Agree. I waited WAY too long to do my 1 with Nikon, should have done it exactly a year before I did. My dog was doing better at that time but I was really busy outside of dog stuff and wanted to wait. The dog got bored, other issues surfaced, and I learned that no matter what I always feel like I'm "too busy"! As it is he's basically trained for the 3 (has all the obedience and the additional transports and control in protection) but has some other lingering issues and right now I'm focusing on Pan.

I train for the 3 but won't wait to trial, especially not with Pan. I want to someday to at least a regional with him. I'm terrible at trialing, people say I look fine but inside I feel like I'm choking up, I literally have to remind myself to breathe. I get nervous and the dogs pick up on it. Nikon's SchH1 was actually one of my best trials as far as nerves, I think I was more nervous for his CGC! Because of this I force myself to trial and trial in a lot of things. Between the two dogs I have over ten trials/tournament/events this March-June and many of those are 2+ day events. Pan is doing a BH on Saturday and another one in June and he's not ready for an IPO1 yet, let alone a 3 (we've barely tracked, his obedience needs a send out and stand, and protection needs transports and the transition between outing and guarding). If I want to do well with Pan once he is at IPO3 level I need more trialing experience whether he is perfect or not.


----------



## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Sarah, I think we should just get out there and do it. Worrying and obsessing over perfection is just going to make us sick in the long run. If worse comes to worse, we'll know our weak areas and what to work on for the next time. We can't always be scared of not passing. I guess it's truly not the end of the world.


----------



## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

Liesje, that is what I want to avoid with Dante, once he figures things out he gets bored... and creative, so I need to strike while the iron is hot so to speak... 


So you are going to enter then too Alexis?:wild: I am really considering mailing my entry Monday so I can't change my mind. We are running out of spring trials...
Are you still coming down to show Gator next weekend?


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

What trial and where exactly is it? Odin and I have been ready for the BH and i've been looking for different trials that are even relatively close by. :crazy:


----------



## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

First weekend in June, Liberty Schutzhund Club, in Troy NY.


----------



## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Good Luck. I'm at the Bolster Seminar that weekend. Wished I had known earlier, would have come to the trial instead. 

Anyhow, I'm sure you can do it. I just had "the talk" with our "Uebungsleiter" in the Ring Club today (that's where I just started training now), he said if I want to go for the 1, the dog should be ready to do the 2... 

My problem is, even though I know we can do it eventually, deep down I'm very insecure in myself. I need constant proofing, just like in SAR. I can't take any chances and the kind of handling I'm learning right now differs from Everything I've ever known. There are some things I know my parents used to do, but when I look at what we learned at the Club in Germany, it's nowhere NEAR what I learn over here. So it's a new learning process. I feel rather clumsy at times and I have no idea when or how we'll be ready. 

To say it with your words: We shall see!

Good luck for the trial. You can do it!


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

There was a interesting article in the UScA magazine a number of years ago written by a competitor that was competing for the first time at the national and world level. He pointed out that most of us go into a trial hoping our dogs will keep everything together that day. On the other hand the performance and training of the teams that are consistently on the podium is a default "V". 

I don't need a trial to figure out what needs to be worked on. I know our strengths and weaknesses beforehand. I trial when I am ready. Sometimes I am very confident going in and other times it is done on hope and a prayer.  I used to hate to trial and I still get nervous, but now sort of enjoy trialing.


----------



## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

MilesNY said:


> Liesje, that is what I want to avoid with Dante, once he figures things out he gets bored... and creative, so I need to strike while the iron is hot so to speak...
> 
> 
> So you are going to enter then too Alexis?:wild: I am really considering mailing my entry Monday so I can't change my mind. We are running out of spring trials...
> Are you still coming down to show Gator next weekend?


I think I'm going to enter for his one. I'd like to do it because the only thing holding Aiden back is me and my nerves. When I am confident in what we are doing, then he is confident. Plus the trial field and tracking fields are amazing and Aiden is familiar with them.

I don't think I'm going to do the show anymore. It's a big training weekend for us and the trial is so soon that I don't think I can afford to miss any..


----------



## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

BTW - Anybody interested in entering should do so pretty soon...We've got quite a list going already.


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

Ahh, I don't know if I could get everything in order in time.. was going to join WDA a few months back, but i'm thinking USA is probably the better option for this area. 

Odin and I went out to Troy last May for the temperament test.. I think I remember meeting a few members of the club then.


----------



## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

VomBlack said:


> What trial and where exactly is it? Odin and I have been ready for the BH and i've been looking for different trials that are even relatively close by. :crazy:


Empire's is the second weekend in June and it's just in Marion. Probably--what-- a 45 minute for you?


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

GSDElsa said:


> Empire's is the second weekend in June and it's just in Marion. Probably--what-- a 45 minute for you?


Oh! When I looked at their website I thought their trial was later in June, during the weekend I was going to be out of town. I'll have to double check, thank you.


----------

