Question for the outdoor trained

Cleo2014 · Oct 20, 2016

So Cleo has been trained outside for agility and had her first trial outside the first weekend in October. The first weekend in November she will be having her second trial. It will be inside and on AstroTurf. I have taken her there before while watching shows and let her walk on the AstroTurf. It didn't seem to bother her but she hasn't actually ran a course on it. I am going to go and have fun but what are some things I may need to look for that can cause issues? I am more or less looking for experiences so I know what to expect and not think something is actually wrong. Thanks.

Silaria · Oct 20, 2016

I know this isn't exactly what you are asking but is similar...
We train on rubber flooring and run on sports turf 99% of the time (some TDAA trials are the exception to running on sports turf). When I go to events like CPE Nationals, we run on dirt and grass, something we MIGHT do once every 3-5 years. My dogs, Edan and CJ specifically because Keiran just started running this year, have never had an issue switching between surfaces.

I do know some dogs do have issues with different surfaces so it's a great question to ask. The fact that she's walked on it will help. Something you can do is see if the facility has run throughs/practice nights where you pay a fee for so many practice runs. This is assuming it's not too far away to make this possible.

Cleo2014 · Oct 20, 2016

Silaria said:
I know this isn't exactly what you are asking but is similar...
We train on rubber flooring and run on sports turf 99% of the time (some TDAA trials are the exception to running on sports turf). When I go to events like CPE Nationals, we run on dirt and grass, something we MIGHT do once every 3-5 years. My dogs, Edan and CJ specifically because Keiran just started running this year, have never had an issue switching between surfaces.

I do know some dogs do have issues with different surfaces so it's a great question to ask. The fact that she's walked on it will help. Something you can do is see if the facility has run throughs/practice nights where you pay a fee for so many practice runs. This is assuming it's not too far away to make this possible.

It is a 2 hour drive. And this is held in a sports arena. They don't actually train there. The only other indoor place is is located in Indy, pawsitive partners, and open gym is Thursday afternoon. And I work Monday-Friday 8-5 so I can not attend that either... They hold trials on the weekends and so they usually don't let people practice during that time.

lgore · Oct 20, 2016

Cleo2014 said:
It is a 2 hour drive. And this is held in a sports arena. They don't actually train there. The only other indoor place is is located in Indy, pawsitive partners, and open gym is Thursday afternoon. And I work Monday-Friday 8-5 so I can not attend that either... They hold trials on the weekends and so they usually don't let people practice during that time.

They should have a practice jump that you could try.

Cleo2014 · Oct 21, 2016

lgore said:
They should have a practice jump that you could try.

They do and I did both times I was there. But that is still different than actually running a course.

lgore · Oct 21, 2016

Cleo2014 said:
They do and I did both times I was there. But that is still different than actually running a course.

It is different than running a course but it gives you an idea on what to expect.

corbinam · Oct 21, 2016

I think it's just one of those things that you monitor when you enter your first trial. Some turf is awesome and mimics grass really well. Some turf is really slick and certain dogs struggle on it. You'll learn to identify which venues fall into which categories and may decide to skip certain ones if Cleo has issues with it.

Silaria above mentioned that she trains on rubber flooring. Her dogs are accustomed to it and do well. My dogs are horrible on it and after 1 trial I decided never again. But that's just my dogs! They also aren't the most cautious of dogs and that makes a difference too!

Lanie · Oct 21, 2016

Cleo2014 said:
So Cleo has been trained outside for agility and had her first trial outside the first weekend in October. The first weekend in November she will be having her second trial. It will be inside and on AstroTurf. I have taken her there before while watching shows and let her walk on the AstroTurf. It didn't seem to bother her but she hasn't actually ran a course on it. I am going to go and have fun but what are some things I may need to look for that can cause issues? I am more or less looking for experiences so I know what to expect and not think something is actually wrong. Thanks.

We've trained on rubber, dirt and grass. So far, I haven't noticed much of a difference in the way she runs from one surface to another. There's a little sniffing at the start line on grass, but as soon as I release her, she just seems to take off and go for it. Cleo may very well surprise you and not treat that surface any differently than the one you train on.

Calliesmom · Oct 23, 2016

we've run mostly on dirt but also in the nice indoor place with awesome turf, one place with rubberish matting and one with more gravel than dirt. I didn't like that one too much.