[Shayne Mehringer]

Stole from another thread. Thoughts?

At home training grounds are not an advantage....They have run tests there and know it like the back of thier paw.Familiarity with a slightly similar test set up....can make them nervous and blow up on you. They will remember a channel and stay in it, do not touch that point,now touch that point....I find that you can burn out an advanced retriever out on a piece of land or water.

The only first hand experience i have with this is watching Pin Oak dogs run the Metro trial twice a year. Given their success rate at that trial, i'd say they would disagree with the above statement. Especially when the Kweez monster isn't there and someone other than Ed is allowed to win the AM.

What do you guys think? While there are arguments for both sides, i think the good out weighs the bad as far as having a trial/test on your home grounds. Familiar cover/terrain and no stress of travel on the dogs or the handler.

Shayne

 

[Chris Atkinson]

Shayne,

I think this is one of the best topics posted here in a long time. Could I trouble you to edit your post and turn it into a poll? I would really be interested to see what the feedback of handlers more accomplished than I (and that's most) have to say!

(or I could just start my own poll, but didn't want to highjack your thread)

Thanks! Chris

 

[Shayne Mehringer]

Shayne,

I think this is one of the best topics posted here in a long time. Could I trouble you to edit your post and turn it into a poll? I would really be interested to see what the feedback of handlers more accomplished than I (and that's most) have to say!

(or I could just start my own poll, but didn't want to highjack your thread)

Thanks! Chris

Done. Can we "rig" this one like we did that "neutering young dogs" poll????? hehehe

Shayne

 

[Travis Wright]

Ya'll have more experience with this than I do but......

One of my training buddys has a really nice peice of technical water. As good as it is, he has ran everywhich way imaginable. It is hard to find new setups, marks and blind wise. I have seen his dawgs fall apart on relatively easy things, just because they think they are supposed to be going somewhere else, or remember an old fall, or think they are being setup for a cheating mark.......all kinds of stuff.

Anyway that's all I got about that.

Travis

 

[EdA]

I think one has a decided advantage running on familiar grounds. There may only be a handful of really good water blinds on a particular area.

Additionally familiarity with the grounds, the terrain and the scents is an advantage.

and the dogs generally tend to behave better since they're trained there.

the occassional disadvantage could result if some clever judge puts a mark contrary to a classic appearing blind, where dogs who don't remember the mark will perform the familiar water blind.

 

[Chris Atkinson]

Shayne,

I think this is one of the best topics posted here in a long time. Could I trouble you to edit your post and turn it into a poll? I would really be interested to see what the feedback of handlers more accomplished than I (and that's most) have to say!

(or I could just start my own poll, but didn't want to highjack your thread)

Thanks! Chris

Done. Can we "rig" this one like we did that "neutering young dogs" poll????? hehehe

Shayne

Thanks! This should be interesting.

 

[achiro]

Dude, you suck at polls. You forgot(AGAIN!)to put "other" or at least "it depends"!

 

[EdA]

Dude, you suck at polls. You forgot(AGAIN!)to put "other" or at least "it depends"!

don't need "other" because either it's an advantage or it isn't

 

[Shayne Mehringer]

Dude, you suck at polls. You forgot(AGAIN!)to put "other" or at least "it depends"!

There is no "other" - and the only "depends" are under Jerry's jeans. It's black or white, yes or no, gay or not... there is no in between. :lol:

Shayne

 

[Jerry]

I think the only disadvantage would be if one happened to train on a setup sort of similar to what one saw in the Trial. Otherwise, it has to be an advantage.

And I'm gonna choke Shayne the next time I see him!!!!

Jerry

 

[achiro]

there's always an "other" Jerry used "both", that is an "other" :lol:

 

[Andy Carlson]

I think it most times is an advantage but it is no guarantee of success. A dog can have a bad day at home as well as on the road.

Andy

 

[Jerry]

there's always an "other" Jerry used "both", that is an "other" :lol:

Did I do good???

 

[Sundown49 aka Otey B]

I think we need on that says "IT DEPENDS"

I believe that it is possible to be BOTH. THe advantage is that the dogs are on familiar ground an may actually have run marks set up in test before. The disadvantage I think is that they have been put in certain situations at certain places on the grounds and when they hit that spot they will do what they were trained to do which may not be what is required to finish the test. I have limited grounds and dogs with big memories and it has bit me before.
.

 

[Randy Bohn]

grounds

If the judges know there on someones home court, and they're good judges, your at a disadvantage because a little twist here and a tweak there the home field dogs get lost very quickly, or you can see where the big corrections came recently. Go judge somewhere and when they take you to see the grounds...Remember the first thing that looks like a great blind or set of marks it's probably already been done. MOVE!!

 

[AmiableLabs]

I agree with achiro that there should be a third choice, because I think it is a wash. It is neither strictly an advantage nor a disadvantage.

I was taught by more than one FTer that it is a disadvantage because dogs remember old marks and blinds. And if you run confidence blinds on the training grounds, your goose could really be cooked!

However, I think both my dog and I are more comfortable and more confident on our home grounds. And that has to count for something.

 

[achiro]

Re: grounds

If the judges know there on someones home court, and they're good judges, your at a disadvantage because a little twist here and a tweak there the home field dogs get lost very quickly, or you can see where the big corrections came recently. Go judge somewhere and when they take you to see the grounds...Remember the first thing that looks like a great blind or set of marks it's probably already been done. MOVE!!

See! It dependes!

 

[AmiableLabs]

Re: grounds

. . . .you can see where the big corrections came recently.

Oh yeh, I was told that one too! :!:

 

[Jay Dufour]

Hello...

All of those things are what I was referring to.

 

[Ted Shih]

Although it can be a disadvantage, I believe more often than not it is an advantage.

First, the handlers know the terrain. They know where the dogs drift out of sight. Where a whistle will carry and where it will not. Which way the dogs break when they hit a ravine. What the back sides of points look like.

Second, the dogs are more likely to be complaint on their home grounds. Even if they have not run the same water blind, they will remember that they have been corrected around a given piece of water and be more careful.

Third, you can get hurt if you train on one setup a couple of days before trial and the judges tweak the test slightly.

Overall, I think home field is real. And that while "it depends" may apply, it doesn't apply that much.

And when we place our bets on the 2004 National Open, you better believe that I am going to consider home field advantage when considering Danny Farmer's dogs.