162. Lessons in Preparing and Testing at the NAVHDA Invitational

Alston Peek makes his long awaited return to the podcast to recap his journey from qualifying in a NAVHDA Utility Test last year all the way to the Invitational Test held recently in New Mexico. A lot of honesty in this episode including what it's like to work so hard and fall just short of your intended target! Playing a "game" vs. the "real thing" The decision to retest the Utility to qualify for the '22 Invitational Using "versatile" dogs Mentally preparing for the Invitational Test Going all the way back to Scout's foundation of steadiness Training backing with bumpers?! Baby stepping all the way to a dog that backs! Diversify the training with new places and new dogs Keeping it fun, real, and fresh What its like working year around and still come up just short The day of the test and lessons learned Any regrets after "failing?" Episode References:91 Backing and Honoring124 Backing Dummies---Patreon and Partners:Support the Podcast: PATREON Gear: STANDING STONE SUPPLYTraining Collars: DT SYSTEMSWhiskey: Ugly Dog DistilleryOther GDIY LINKS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices