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How many runs is too many in a trial?


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I know that every dog is different, but I would like to know other's experiences.

 

Because I live in a country town, I usually have to travel between 4 and 5 hours each way to reach a trial, so I have to convince myself the trip is worth it. This means I go to two day trials, not one day trials. There are multiple runs at these trial, and competing in novice jumping and novice agility, my Oscar and I will usually end up in between 8 and 12 runs over the weekend (4 to 6 each day). Oscar seems to handle this fine.

 

Last weekend, at our local trial, I tried Oscar in open jumping (a harder course with an exclusion zone for distance handling) and he did really well, despite not really training at distance handling. So I would now like to start running in open jumping occasionally.

 

The next trial I am looking to enter will be in late November. I have never done this trial before. They have morning and afternoon runs on Saturday and Sunday, but they run back to back novice courses, first one way and then the reverse. So just with novice classes, there will be 8 runs each day. If I add in the single open jumping runs, that would be 10 runs a day, about double the usual.

 

I am worried that I need to cut down that number. Oscar is stronger in jumping than agility, so I could just run him in jumping, which brings it down to 6 runs a day. Or I could only enter him in one of each novice run and not do the reverse courses, again that would be 6 runs each day. Or I could enter him in them all and scratch if he is getting too tired. Or I can mix it up, do different things each day, enter more in the morning and less in the afternoon....

 

I am not concerned about the cost of entries, I am worried about making sure that Oscar has fun. He does love his runs but I do not want to overload him, either physically or mentally. On the other hand, I have no concrete proof that he will not cope with all the runs.

 

So how would you approach this?

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Average here is 3-4 runs a day but some shows offer up to 6.

 

Currently our 2 year old may do 5-6 because he doesn't get trained very often and needs the ring experience. Next year will be 3-4 I'm sure. It's plenty. Just because a dog can do it doesn't mean it should and you don't get the most successful handlers entering every class they can.

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I think that one needs to gradually start building up to runs per day. Unless your dog is extremely fit, you can wind up with a very lame, sore, and sour dog by doing 16-20 runs over a weekend.

 

This.

 

There are also variables in play regarding what those courses consist of, how long they are, and what the classes are and knowing your dog.

 

Kylie started doing 3 runs a day, could do 4 if one was tunnelers (so 7 per weekend max).

 

These days she can do 12 if tunnelers is on the first day, but only 11 if it's the last of the second. She doesn't like tunnelers enough to end the weekend on it. She cannot do more than 3 weaving classes in a day if I want her to continue to weave with speed and happiness (as opposed to burning them out). That typically means Regular 1, Regular 2, and Weavers. If Chances that day has weaves, she gets scratched from weavers, or one of the regular runs. She can't do both rounds of elite regular and elite jumpers the same day, because those courses are crazy long for her. So, sometimes she drops a level for one of the two.

 

You just have to know your dog and be willing to walk away from a run or end a day early if you dog is struggling or not enthusiastic and happy to be there - and learn signs of "nope, I'm done" and ACCEPT THAT.

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Average here is 3-4 runs a day but some shows offer up to 6.

 

Currently our 2 year old may do 5-6 because he doesn't get trained very often and needs the ring experience. Next year will be 3-4 I'm sure. It's plenty. Just because a dog can do it doesn't mean it should and you don't get the most successful handlers entering every class they can.

 

Given her format, she's probably running NADAC (which ironically is fairly common in Australia)- where most people, including the successful ones, DO run them all. But in NACAC you have classes like chances, touch and go, or weavers which are 10-14 obstacles long, and other classes where novice courses may have 12-14 obstacles but elite has 25. It just varies. Know your dog. Balance it.

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After consulting the rules, where I am novice jumping is around 14-16 obstacles, including flexible tunnels, ordinary jumps, a broad jump, a spread jump (uneven) and a tyre. Anything but the spread can be used multiple times . Novice agility includes the above and a scramble/A-Frame, dog walk and 12 weave poles, and has the same number of total obstacles. The open jumping course has the same obstacles as novice but around 16-20 of them arranged in a more difficult pattern with the exclusion zone.

 

Novice generally has fairly flowing runs, with straight lines and sweeping curves. As my dog is in the highest jump height class (by one millimetre!) he tends to prefer this.

 

I am thinking that I may only enter Oscar in the jumping runs in the November trial, and if he seems to slow or be too tired, I will scratch. I have scratched him before when he seemed to be slowing down, usually on the afternoon of the second day. But I would like to try the open jumping, perhaps only in the morning when he is fresher. That would make 5 runs a day. I am sure he can manage that.

 

And yes, lots of people I know who trial will enter every class.

 

I am glad I am on the right track in limiting his runs. Just because I can does not mean I should. And if I want Oscar to have a good time (which I do!) I have to make sure it does not become a chore. Hopefully later today I may be able to post a link to a youtube video of my so-close-but-yet-so-far jumping novice run from the weekend.

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There is a feeling in the horse world that horses have a limited number of jumps in them. I am sure that the same is true for dogs. 16 obstacles per course by 6 courses=96 x 2 days= 192 obstacles. That is a lot for any dog. If one is not doing strength and conditioning with their dog, they should be.

 

As one goes thru their agility career, one learns (or should learn) to be more strategic with the classes that they enter at shows and with their training time. That is, don't enter classes just because you are there, but because doing the class allows you to meet (or puts you towards meeting) some sort of goal. Be selective with what you eat at the smorgasbord.

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Less is definitely more when your first starting out. I have occasionally run a novice dog in novice jumping and open jumping if I haven't been happy with their contact performance but they are more then ready to handle the distance challenge in open.

 

No NADAC here in this part of Australia its all ANKC or kennel club.

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I've never done strengthening or conditioning exercises with any of mine in the last 18 or so years, just tried to keep them reasonably fit by normal exercises.

 

Managed to keep them all injury free (except for one that has had a couple of twinges) and the ones that enjoy(ed) agility competing and being placed until 11-12 yo. Retirement has come with failing hearing and eyesight.

 

I do agree with the idea of "only so many jumps" and have never trained more than twice a week, more often once and not for more than an hour or so in a group. A weekend show would be an absolute max of 160 obstacles over two days. Training could easily be over 100 in an hour if working full courses, which we often don't.

 

Limiting runs in competition is more about keeping enthusiasm than any lack of physical stamina on the dog's part.

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My limit is typically three runs per day per dog and, on the very rare occasions when we go back for a second day, I usually cap off at two. I stretched this a bit when Tessa and I were getting close to our C-ATCH and we had categories that needed to be finished, but normally I stick to that.


This means that I don't progress through the levels as fast as most people, but I don't really care about that. We get there in due time.

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I hope this works. This is a video of Oscar's novice jumping run on Saturday afternoon. It was his fourth run for the day, and the course was beautiful for him - lots of space and flowing turns. He kinda almost stuck his start. I let him down at the end in not calling him through the tyre properly, or it could have been a clear run.

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Depends on the condition of the dog. When I started trialing with my first dog I competed 2 classes on day one, none on day 2 and 2 on day three. I did this for a couple of trials, then added in 2 on the second day. Then I did 3/2/2, 3/3/1/, 3/3/2 and then 3/3/3. These were AKC trials at the Novice Level and it took a full season to get to 3 classes daily.

 

I did a USDAA trial and didn't realize that Team was 5 runs in a day, LOL - needless to say we managed, but I wasn't ready and I didn't feel like my dog was ready.

 

I think that most people overtrain their dogs and start their babies in competition way too soon.

 

Fitness training should not be overlooked. If done correctly it can have a great impact on a competitive career.

 

CHeers!

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So in the end, I have entered Oscar for 12 runs over the two days, 3/4 and 3/2. I am fully prepared to pull him out and scratch runs if he seems tired, and am probably not going to run him in the last session at all. Most of these runs are jumping runs, with only two agility runs on Saturday afternoon. He has done ten runs in a weekend before on several occasions with no problems, so I am confident he can handle that many. I am also seriously considering dropping the agility runs on Saturday afternoon, so I do not plan for him to do more than 10 runs whichever way it happens.

 

I have been warned that the ground for the trial this weekend is a flood plain, with swampy patches, and there will be swarms of mosquitoes. The weather in Victoria this year has been perfect for breeding mozzies (as we call them in Oz). At my last trial in Victoria (about a month ago) they were so thick they were landing on food and biting Oscar. Any ideas on how to keep them away from my dog? I can bathe in repellent if need be, but I am not sure about putting it on my boy. I keep my mouth shut; he won't.

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Lemongrass essential oil is an excellent mozzie repellent. It would have to be applied more frequently than synthetic chemical repellents, but worth it IMO. Plus it smells great.

 

Catnip essential oil is even better -- proven to be 7 times more effective than DEET in a university study. Downsides are that it's hard to find, pretty expensive if you can find it and smells horrific. It would also have to be reapplied more frequently.

 

I add a tiny bit of catnip EO to lemongrass EO to boost its effectiveness, but have used straight lemongrass with very good effect.

 

Probably best to dilute any EO in some kind of carrier oil, both for safely (neat EOs can result in sensitization) and for a longer lasting effect. Just about any kind of oil that's OK for skin application is fine (be careful about over applying so you don't end up with a greasy dog). I like fractionated coconut oil because it washes out of clothing and is thin enough to use in a spray bottle, but regular coconut oil would be a good choice too. You can apply it to a bandana or cloth collar for the front end of the dog, and then apply some elsewhere to repel from other parts of the body.

 

Just be careful not to get it in the dog's eyes, of course. And you may want to test it on the dog first. One of my dogs absolutely hates any kind of EO applied to him to the point that he goes nuts trying to rub it off himself. You wouldn't want that kind of distraction when you're trying to compete. :rolleyes:

 

Good luck.

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Thank you GentleLake, I will try to find some lemongrass EO and dilute it in coconut oil. I was really not liking the idea of using a human style repellent on my boy.

 

I am looking forward to the weekend. TBH, my boy is a much better agility dog than I am an agility handler. I am trying to learn, and I try to go into trials with no expectations beyond having fun, or only small goals. It does not really work out that way, but I never let on to Oscar if I am frustrated or disappointed. I have found if I feel overconfident or stressed, Oscar does not respond well. I would rather have a dog that was enjoying himself even if he is a DQ than one that has a clear run but is unhappy and stressed. Of course, both a clear run and a happy dog is the ideal!

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