This time of year we’re training as much as possible to get the dogs up to peak fitness for the up and coming trialling season. We’ll try and train on a variety of ground, which naturally lends itself to a variety of situations and scenarios to give the dogs more experience. Trying to send the dog back past another handler, for example or having to handle the dog out in the open while your hand signals are made unclear behind some shrubbery and a fallen tree. Essentially, although you never know what you’ll encounter at a trial, we’re trying to prepare the dogs as much as we can.