For anyone interested there are 2 NAPD Trials in Oxnard, CA this weekend. The dates are 28 & 29 Jul. The trial is being held at the Oxnard High School Football Stadium.

If you don't know about NAPD it is a different style of Trialing. There are 2 phases, obedience and protection. All tests are announced the day of the trial for both obrdience and protection. The obedience is fairly basic, heeling, sits, downs, stays, and comes with distractions (people playing ball, aggitators in bite suits...). After the obedience phase the protection scenarios are announced, there are generally 4. There is usually at least 1 call off and one multiple aggitator sceinario. They get pretty creative with distractions and threats (water buckets, leaf blowers, Dummy suits, hoses...). Full bite suits are used and points are not based on where the dog bites, but if it bites. All dogs start at 100 pts and points are subtracted for dog or handler errors. Zeros for biting or not biting when the dog should. The trials are fun to watch and a tough test on the dogs and handlers. It is not uncommon for every dog in the trial to take a zero on one of the exercises.

They added a proofing phase for new dogs that must be worked on leash because of problems with control on some new dogs. There are some very good dogs competing and some very bad dogs. Dogs I have seen in training that do good work cut and run when stressed on a new aggitator. It is a good place to proof your PPD to see how it, and you, work under stress.

Sounds like fun.