Introduction
So you’ve acquired a pooch and want to see what it can do in the event ring but where to start? Well this
basic event guide from the game's actual help files has some basic information. To expand upon that I decided to make my own guide. I’ve spent much of my time on VP either competing in the event ring or working on breeding lines to produce quality canines for eventing. So without further ado, I present Para’s Eventing Overview:
Glossary
Stats: the 10 characteristics a dog displays: friendly, aggression, adaptability, loyalty, courage, hyper, strength, endurance, intelligence, and speed.
Skills: the four areas a dog can be trained in: discipline, work, sport, show.
Stat maxed: all stats trained to 200 with the exception of aggression and sometimes loyalty.
Skill maxed: having two skills at 100 and one the option of a 3rd at 80 (total a dog can only have 280 in trained skills and there are 4 skills: discipline, working, showmanship and sporting)
Fully trained: a dog is considered to be fully trained when it is both skill and stat maxed by a profession sponsor trainer.
Event Classes
Showmanship: conformation, showmanship, and obedience
Working: assistance, tracking, herding, cattle herding, schutzhund, search and rescue, weight pull, mushing, and obedience
Sporting: field retrieve, agility, racing, flyball, canine disc, dock Jump, hunting, and obedience
Birth/Base/Trained Stats
There are roughly 3 types of stats.
Birth stats are considered to be the stats inside the (parentheses) that are always visible. These stats never change and give you an idea of what type of natural/birth ability the dog has. Some events score heavily on particular birth stats. These stats are what the stars next to each stat are based on.
Base Stats are considered to be the untrained stats a dog is born with. These stats can increase (some can decrease) with training. If you want to remember where these stats started at, make a note because as you train they will change.
Trained stats are the final numbers after a dog has been fully trained, which means skill and stat maxed by a professional trainer. Most stats reach their limit at 200 with a few that can go higher. Aggression stops at 250 while loyalty, adaptability and courage can continue to rise. Also aggression can drop very low and get into the negative numbers.
Training
A dog that’s been fully trained (defined in glossary above) by a professional sponsor trainer is needed to seriously compete in events. While events don't score solely on trained stats and skills they do make a BIG difference! Furthermore, dogs also need to be trained properly for the type of event they are competing in.
For example a player entering a racing event with a high birth speed Greyhound should
NOT beat a lower birth speed Greyhound
IF it hasn't been fully trained. Likewise, a high birth speed Greyhound that's fully trained in working events is not properly trained for racing, a sporting event, and again should
NOT beat a lower speed but properly trained dog.
Skills and Stats
Dogs will be trained differently in skills, and certain stats depending on what event(s) it will be entered in. Events all score differently so depending on how specific and specialized you want to be with your dog training can be customized. Below will be the most popular way to train a dog that can be used in various events belonging to the same class.
Showmanship: 100 in discipline, 100 in showmanship and optional 80 in working or sporting with low aggression (below 50)
Sporting: 100 in discipline, 100 in sporting and optional 80 in working or showmanship with high aggro (200-250)
Working: 100 in discipline, 100 in working and optional 80 in sporting or showmanship. Aggression is dependent on which working events you plan to compete in. Most require lower aggression with a couple (mushing and weight pull) usually have higher aggression dogs.
Scoring
Events score both on birth and trained stats and always score or penalize trained skills. Events will also score on a dog's overall condition, mood, energy level, and sometimes their grooming. Events each have a set criteria for what they judge. Many score very heavily on certain stats. Examples are speed for racing and strength for weight pull. Others may penalize certain stats, such as a penalty for aggression in herding events.
Breed Bonuses
A few specific events do give a bonus to dogs of certain breeds. Known breed bonuses are as followed. Greyhounds in racing, Mastiffs in weight pull, and it is said dogs that have it in their blood to withstand frigid cold and snow get a bonus in mushing.
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