Types Of Events

GRC is a grassroots movement in the world of dogsports.

Sanctioned events can only hosted by official GRC clubs.

Those clubs putting on events, is the engine that drives the whole sport forward.

Because it is so important to the development of the sport…… For clubs to keep their charter they have to host at least one event a year.

To help you guys figure out what kind of event you want to host I’ll list the different types of events and the pro’s and cons.

  1. Seminar: For a seminar to count as a cubs required event, the presenter must be a current GRC judge in good standing in the subject matter being covered. (IE- SR workshop should be an SR judge. SP workshop should be a SP judge. etc…. An apprentice judge may be accepted by GRC Dogsports under the right circumstances). The subject matter must be in SOME way related to the sport or prepping for the sport. Basic training skills. Sport specific. General athletic development. All these would work. A nosework seminar….. While cool….. Isn’t related. To register a seminar, or get approval on a seminar’s recognition just contact GRC Dogsports. Pros- Easier for people to do because someone is presenting. No one has to “know” GRC to do it. Most people can make money on a seminar depending on the presenter. But at the very least they usually don’t lose any money. Cons- Have to arrange it. Generally more up front expenses to host.

  2. Fun Run Through Event: A “version” of GRC events. Able to scale and modify events to the experience level of the participants (IE- Lower SP height, Ramps for WC, allow rewards and leashes in events, etc…..). Pros- Not a lot of pressure on being up to “standards”. Open to participation from people that aren’t fully invested in the sport. No need for official judges. Cons- Not the actual picture of competition. No scores, or points go towards any titles. No accomplishments are recorded.

  3. “Mock” Events: These are events that are run to the exact same standard as a real event. There should be no difference in any way. Pros- This allows competitors, apprentice judges AND staff practice in the EXACT competition picture they will see. This is invaluable practice for people wanting to pursue GRC in earnest. Because it is not a recorded event…. There in no need for official judges. And…. Competitors do not need to be GRC registered. Cons- Results are not recorded. Any accomplishments do not go towards titles.

  4. Fully Sanctioned Events: These are events that will have official judges. They will be held to standard in all respects. THIS is the gold standard. This is the goal. This…. IS the sport. Pros- All accomplishments will be recorded. Points towards titles will be accrued. Cons- You must meticulously hold the standards of an official competition. You must have an official judge. Every competitor must be registered with GRC to participate.

All of these events must be open to the public. No private, “closed door” trials.

Any event that is to be recognized must have written approval from GRC Dogsports. Please make sure you follow the appropriate steps to have your event sanctioned and your club credited with it. For more info about registering an event, contact grcdogsports@gmail.com.

I hope this has been helpful in showing you on what event may be right for your club.

I look forward to seeing 2020’s events!

-Jay

Role Of The Helpers in Advanced SRs

The role of the Helpers in advanced SR tests, are to HELP the Judge TEST the dogs SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Not to try to make the dog fail. And…. There is a difference.

Helpers actively testing the dog’s “Defense” reaction:

The helpers are not trying to threaten your dog. They are trying to make sure your dog knows that the things they see in the world aren’t a threat. It is NOT to see if your dog can tolerate a threat. It is to make sure your dog can discern that new strange pictures are in fact NOT a threat.

Now…. Of course…. That’s the ideal. But…. The truth is there will be MOMENTS where your dog is going to feel defensive. When a helper playing the role of a carpenter starts hammering on wood loudly….. your dog may decide….. “That’s scary…. Bad man with noise stick”. And that is where your obedience will have to override their defensiveness. So…. Of course in the course of doing their job…. A helper is likely to scare your dog. But they are not TRYING to scare your dog. They are trying to show your dog pictures of things that aren’t threatening and make sure that they are either 1- Realizing correctly it’s not concerning, or 2- Even if it’s concerning…. I’m on task and can’t worry about that. I have a job to do. focus on the job. That’s not just semantics. Understanding this responsibility will change what pictures helpers choose. The need to understand this cannot be understated.

Helpers actively testing the dog’s “Prey” reaction:

THIS will seem FAAAAAR more like trying to fail the dog. I mean….. Helpers are squatting down and making kissy puppy noises enticing your dog to break the down. That for sure looks like intentionally screwing them up. But…. The truth is it’s not. When we are doing this we are testing the dogs commitment to resisting competing motivators. Social invitation is a competing motivator. So…. we must test it. Other competing motivators….. Food. Toys. Fast movements. Tempting movements and sounds. Like people playing and having fun. We need to make sure that the dog doesn’t take ANY of these temptations as an acceptable reason to break off their work. So…. we try to be creative in showing tempting pictures and make sure the dog understands it’s job. Now…. If your dog finds any of these temptations to be threatening instead…. See above points on “defense”, as this is now the test at hand. The dog inappropriately deciding a non threatening picture is threatening. And having to use obedience to keep them out of trouble. But…. That’s back to the first point. They helpers are helping test the dogs understanding of staying committed to the work at hand, and not taking any of these tempting things as a reason to quit working.

Now….. These “active” distractions, whether the dog is perceiving them as temptations or threats, will ONLY occur outside a 10 ft bubble of your dog WHILE YOUR DOG IS WORKING!!!! They will never be done inside that bubble because you as the handler have the right to control the dogs direct space. And we are not going to force your dog to tolerate nonsense directly in their face. These will only occur outside 10 ft, and only during work. During Verbal Obedience the dog has very clear parameters. During the Leash Sections the dog is at liberty INSIDE THE PERIMETER given by the leash. But…. Because the leash is a max of 6 Ft and the Helpers can only actively distract at 10 ft….. The dog SHOULD have a very clear picture…. THAT is outside your picture and not your concern. We are about that Loose Leash Job.

NONE of these “active” distractions will be done during the Liberty Sections at all. During the Liberty Sections and at all times inside that 10 ft bubble…. Helpers may only use “passive” distractions. Their neutral presence. Food or toys on their person but not “brandished”. Neutral presence of helper with or without food and toys. They may speak to you or your dog. But will ask before physically addressing either of you. And will always follow instructions inside your dogs 10 ft bubble.

During the breaks in scoring there will be NO distractions. The helpers will leave the field if possible, or at minimum get as far away and neutral as possible.

Hopefully…. This clears up the role of the Helper. And will give you better ideas for training and trialing scenarios.

US Nationals Wrap up

Well…. We had the first ever US National Championships!!!!

It was such a great event. We had people come in from as far away as Utah, and even had a Canadian competitor!

Here are the Overall Stats as far as titles and results:

SR1

Meg Terrio & Cable (Old Port Original GRC)- earned SR1 title

Peter Stoddard & Eleanor- earned SR1 title

SR2

Amanda Dunmore & Titan (Dogs Fit For Life GRC)- first leg towards SR2 title

Meg Terrio & Cable (Old Port Original GRC)- first leg towards SR2 title

Peter Stoddard & Eleanor- first leg towards SR2 title

SR3

Jay Jack & Mabel (Old Port Original GRC)- first leg towards SR3 title

MR1

1st Place- Jay Jack & Jax (Old Port Original GRC) jax posted his MQS for MR1

2nd Place- Amanda Dunmore & Titan (Dogs Fit For Life GRC)

2 dog division

SP1 (Saturday)

1st Place- Meg Terrio & Cable (Old Port Original GRC) Cable posted his MQS for SP1

all other dogs in the division NQd

SP1 (Sunday)

1st Place- Meg Terrio & Cable (Old Port Original GRC) Cable earned his SP1!!! First US SP title!

2nd Place- Heather Sidmore & Desmo

2 dog division

WC1

1st Place- Starla Howard & Tyson (Motley Tribe GRC) Tyson posted his MQS for WC1

2nd Place- Meg Terrio & Cable (Old Port Original GRC) Cable posted his MQS for WC1

all other dogs in the division NQd

WP1

1st Place- Jay Jack & Jax (Old Port Original GRC)

2nd Place- Peter Stoddard & Eleanor

2 dog division

Leashes, Lines, & Safety In Trials.

This is one of those seemingly small things that I never thought about drawing attention to. But….. After watching people mess this part up….. I realized I needed to.

In a trial….. in ALL events at L1….. The dog will under positive physical control from the spectators at all times. This means that the dog will:

1- Attached to a leash in handler’s control.

2- A: Attached to a back tie. -OR- B: In a fully enclosed, sturdy, fenced in area.

The fully fenced in trial ring is rare. Awesome…. But rare. So…. MOST of you will be trialing on a long line.

For the safety protocol to be met…. You must follow a bit of Handling Safety 101 that shouldn’t need addressing. But…. does.

NEVER REMOVE A SAFETY LINE, WITHOUT ATTACHING THE NEW SAFETY LINE.

It drives me nuts when I see people remove a leash, and THEN reach for the long line. Or…. The reverse. It’s just a break in handling safety. Practice good habits. Is it guaranteed a disaster? No. But….. Redundancy in safety is just smart. Treat all guns as if they’re loaded. And all dogs as if they may go off. Then…. you’ll never run into issues.

Now…… We already said that all events at L1 follow this protocol.

All Drive Sports at L2 follow this as well.

SR2 has a small moment of running without a safety line. After the Tactical Heel Figure 8 there’s a Down In Motion. At that Down you drop your leash at the verbal cue, and walk away. As soon as this is done, the judge will tell you to return to your dog and attach the safety line and remove your leash (in that order). This makes a small (10 sec or so) moment of working without a “net”. It’s a good check for what comes next……

At L3 in ALL events…… There is no safety line. Regardless of trial set up. Even if it’s out door. At L3…. What keeps the dog safe is their teamwork and cooperation. This is like all of the other high level sports. Many of which don’t even allow collars of any kind during a trial! Once you’re at SR3, or WC3….. You should not need a safety line. There’s no clock running. You can take your time getting there. Or…. Stay in the 1’s and 2’s if you want the safety assist. As always do what’s best for your dog.

But….. That’s how it’s all laid out.

Know the requirements at each level.

And ALWAYS….. handle leashes and lines with the right protocol.

Now… go play with your dog!!!

Loose Leash Vs Heeling

People always lose points on the figure 8s in the Leash Sensitivity section of the SR test.

After seeing almost everyone at the last trial in Chicago lose points on it…. I thought, I gotta say something!!!

The problem everyone is having….. The criteria in the excercise. And, maybe trial nerves.

Criteria-

In the Leash section…. The “ideal” picture of Loose Leash is the dog at liberty inside the perimeter of the leash that’s given to them. They are responsible for being calm, yielding to any tension in the leash, and not letting things split the line (tangles). They are NOT responsible for being in a certain position relative to the handler like in Heeling.

This is because MOST people don’t give a shit about actual heeling. They just get stuck in a conundrum of dog training. Not showing the dog what you ACTUALLY want….. But showing them a behavior that prevents mistakes. That’s not semantic. That’s actually important.

If you teach a dog to heel, you will prevent them from venting drive into targets. But you won’t teach them to let go of drive. You will avoid leash tension. But you won’t teach sensitivity to the leash. You can teach them to stay so close that nothing can split the line. But, you won’t teach them the concept of keeping the line untangled.

And THAT’S why most people teach heel. People think it’s easier avoid dealing with the leash via the heel position than teaching the dog how to think about the leash. Truth is…. It’s not easier. By a long shot. Teaching a real attention heel is super time consuming. Once you know how…. Teaching leash sensitivity is actually pretty easy.

But…. This isn’t a “how to” article. This is a “watch out for” articles.

Watch out for losing 15 points by “heeling” your way through the Loose Leash 8s just to avoid learning how to teach a new set of criteria.

Trial Nerves-

The other way people lose a lot of points is by getting discombobulated and forgetting what the criteria for what the exercise actually is. People sometimes DO train the right criteria. But….. At the moment of truth… just plain lose themselves. The dog will start to speed up and they start popping the leash to slow them down and KEEP THEM IN POSITION. They lose points. But…. that’s just panic. The dog can totally forge ahead as long as there’s no tension. They forget….. It’s not a position!

Or when it goes really bad…… as the rounding a corner…. the dog tries to speed up and cross over. Now…. this is totally allowed in the criteria of Loose Leash. But…. People forget that and pop the leash which stops does stop the dog….. DEAD IN FRONT OF THEM. And then they stumble. Or they do the super common “speed up, high step goose walk/soccer kick” combo to keep the dog from crossing and negatively reinforce them BACK INTO HEEL. Best case (happens literally in almost every test) there’s points lost for the pop and the acceleration/stumble. Worst case (seen a couple of times) they totally freak out the dog or fall down and completely NQ at that moment. All because they just straight forgot the criteria in the haze of ring fog.

So……

Determine what your criteria is and train to that standard. Hopefully….. that’s chasing the exercise’s ideal picture of Loose Leash Sensitivity. And if so…… Just remember what it is so you don’t go off script in the trial.

Obviously some people will need to, or just prefer to, teach heel instead. And it’s allowable. But will cost points as it’s not the sport’s standard. But, It’s allowable. So, if you, or your dog don’t do well with the standard….. You do you! Heel away. Hell… It’ll cost you less points in the long run than doing LL badly, and pop, stomp, stumblefucking the dog around the corners.

Just decide what your criteria is. Train to that standard. Practice till it’s natural. And keep your head in the game during the moment of truth.

But…. That’s not just GRC. That’s all of dog training.

Actually….. That’s life.

Jas Whiting Crushing It

Australian GRC Competitor and Judge Jas Whiting is accomplishing huge things in GRC.

First…. She put the frst ever SR-3 on her dog Jenta. This is a CRAZY hard test of both the dog’s AND the handler’s skills. Check it out:

Next….

She became the second ever Mentor Judge. Anyone seeking to pursue their Judgeship can contact her for assistance. This will begin to open options for folks.

The sport is really growing!!!!

SR Levels Making Waves!

We recently rolled out the proposed 2020 rules on the members forum and have allowed competitors to volunteer to compete under these updated rules. This also means that we’ve allowed people to start competing in the new advanced SR levels. This is awesome news for people who want to go deeper into the training concepts of the SR model, but aren’t neccessarily into the drive sports. Or… Just looking for more challenges. So…. There have been a handful of folks to get a successful leg on the SR-2. But…… Only two people in the world to get these new titles. In July, Australian powerhouse Jas Whiting smashed both legs of the SR-2 and all three legs of the SR-3 with her dog Jenta. This makes her the most titled and highest scoring SR competitor in the world. GRC founder’s Jay Jack followed that up in August getting his dog Mabel the first SR-2 in the US. These new levels are much more challenging. And a ton of fun. Stay tuned for video.

Old Port Original's Summer Showdown Produces Huge Results!

There were over 15 competitors today representing at least 3 different official clubs.

5 got their SR1s which is a US record at 1 show (I think Australia has the overall record?)

Jay Jack’s Mabel Passed the first leg of her SR2 with an 85 in the first official SR2 test ever done.

Kerry Pottle became the first certified Spring Pole Judge.

All in all…… A monumental show!

Congrats to everyone!!!

Proud to be a part of this.

Maine Gets It's SECOND GRC Club!!!!

Topsham Maine’s the home of the new Motley Tribe Dogsports GRC Club. Starla Howard is the contact person- motleytribedogsports@gmail.com. My Old Port Original club, and the New Motley Tribe club will be showing everyone how multiple clubs can make a wonderful local training culture. I’m super pumped to watch a new local club grow!