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got any helpful tips?!?


luvmybc's
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Hi-

Me and pal have our 1st herding trial this saturday, and i was wondering if anybody has any helpful tips that you think i should know before i get out there and make a complete fool of myself (i swear the dog's got it more figured out than i do)LOL. We've done as much work as we can and the last day that he can practice on sheep is tomorrow so if i get enough suggestions tonight then i can think and apply them tomorrow....thanks.

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Don't worry about doing well, just have fun! Be ready and willing to leave the post to help your dog be successful, and above all be ready to leave the post and stop your dog if it is needlessly running/chasing sheep.

 

Very few folks have perfect first trial experiences. And remember that while you may *think* everyone is watching you (and they might be), no one but you is likely to remember your run later (and if you're like most mortals, you might not remember much either).

 

Good luck!

 

J.

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The pain bills are work great. Seriously just go out there and enjoy one of the greats thing going you and your dog being like one. Take my word it is the best fun you can have and stay decent. You could be like one of my student she would put a small shot ( I told her a small one but as giggly as she got) of gin in her coffee about a 1/2 hour before her run. I don't know if it helped her but it did me, because everything was good when she came off the field. and she was not in tears.

Try this trick when you walk up to the field say to yourself this field look just mine and then go out and run on it like you do at your field.

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Eileen's right....Donald's article is a winner for "first timers." It's a must-read and most helpful. I've recommended that article to a few people new to trialing. When you know what to do and what is appropriate during your first few trials, you feel much better going on the field with a "plan" or some idea what to do if things go wrong.

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I just want everyone to know that Steve is talking about someone else. NOT ME NOT ME NOT ME! Although I also used to cry every time I left the field. My first run with my old Ben, he left my feet, did a beautiful outrun, and then crashed into the back of them (I found out much later that he had CEA and would literally not be able to see when he got too close to the sheep and would panic). He then split one off, chased it down the field (away from me) and took it down.

 

Thank you!

 

So it would be rather hard to outdo that. And the nice thing is that no one remembers this, or the next screw up, or the next, or the next.

 

Novice is a lot more competitive than when I first started, but you still get a lot of allowances. For one thing, you get real brownie points just for having the guts to go out there the first time. Everyone knows what you are going through!

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Go to the post like you're going out to work your dog on your home field. It's just another field where you're working.

 

Here's a tip if you're wearing while walking backwards and can't see where you're going. After the handler's meeting go stand on the wear line where you'll make your turn (i.e. between the panels); look back at the post and find an object beyond the post that lines up with the post. When you make your turn at the post line up the post and the distant object and you'll be on the line; keep the post lined up with this object and you'll walk backwards right through the center of the panels without ever looking over your shoulder. Use the same trick to find an object for the line between the panels and the pen (stand at the pen and look at the outside corner of the panel). Disclamer: it's where the sheep are that is being scored not where you're walking.

 

Now having said all that, don't be surprised if you can't use this trick because the sheep and/or dog are not settled. Just keep it handy when things are going nicely.

 

Mark

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Things that have helped me (in no particular order):

 

This is so much easier than whitewater canoeing and kayaking. I won't drown! I won't bust my head on a rock!

 

No one will remember it tomorrow.

 

Trust your dog, Joan.

 

Don't let your dog down, Joan.

 

Trust yourself, Joan. You can do this.

 

Take a deep breath, Joan.

 

I'm preparing for the next trial (not trying to impress anyone with this one).

 

I'm going out there to have fun.

 

I don't care about my score today, I'm just concentrate on improving X (outrun or drive, for example).

 

I'm just going to pretend I'm on my home field, working my dog.

 

Have a plan. For better results, have a friend or mentor remind you of the plan a few minutes before you walk on the field.

 

Scotch.

 

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

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Or, if you're like me, have your friend or mentor hide in the camper a few minutes before you walk out on the field. Probably with the Scotch. :eek:

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Not being much of a drinker anyway - I am sure that I would probably hurl at the post if I did before my run!

 

Just have fun. And no matter how bad it goes - get a good chuckle. A bad run is not worth tears. And if it is that bad...still give your dog a nice friendly pat when you come off the field (I can say this because usually the error is mine!).

 

From one novice to another, Good luck!

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Originally posted by Shelby Kennels:

Not being much of a drinker anyway - I am sure that I would probably hurl at the post if I did before my run!

I'm not much of a drinker, either. That's probably why one good swallow of scotch does the trick. :rolleyes:
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