Interesting things from this weekend

[GSD Woman]

This weekend my obedience club held our agility trials. Yesterday was a long day. I was there almost 12 hours. I did have a chance to run home and take the dogs out but otherwise I was there helping. Too many people had dogs they couldn't control. It is one thing to find out that your dog needs more training in Novice but to have the same problems in the more advanced levels, I don't know.

One man had a border collie that barked and would look at other dogs and then bark at them. I suggested he feed his dog up until it is time to enter the ring. He didn't know he could do that. We talked after the class and he said the other places he had run had told him I couldn't feed in the line up. I showed him where other people had placed their treats and no one cared. He was surprised that I had never had a problem at other trials with feeding. I told him that I ran a large, intact male German Shepherd and that may be why. He really appreciated the advice. He's getting a pacemaker next month and that will help him physically.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I've done a couple of agility foundation classes with my older dog (he already knows place commands, does a 1m hurdle and A-frame in his normal sport and knows holding areas but with no more than four dogs) but I know an actual competition/waiting in line would blow his brains.
My friend leads a local league with her dog but it has been bitten quite a few times by our black and white friends while waiting to go on at bigger events.
I don't think a lot of people realise what a high stress environment it can be.

 

[Clodagh]

I've done a couple of agility foundation classes with my older dog (he already knows place commands, does a 1m hurdle and A-frame in his normal sport and knows holding areas but with no more than four dogs) but I know an actual competition/waiting in line would blow his brains.
My friend leads a local league with her dog but it has been bitten quite a few times by our black and white friends while waiting to go on at bigger events.
I don't think a lot of people realise what a high stress environment it can be.

It always looks like collie purgatory to me.

 

[blackcob]

It is easily the most stressful thing I ask my dogs to do, and there is a special place in hell reserved for people who stand ringside gossiping with their mates while their dog stares, barks and lunges under the ring rope.

 

[CorvusCorax]

In fairness I don't even think it's a breed thing. There's a few years where they've thrown the agility world cup in with our world championships and done the closing ceremony/presentation all on the same day, which helpfully prolongs the whole thing, which is already long and stressful, by about an hour but daft things like bringing their dogs way too close to unknown dogs, including, for example a team standing in a circle in a holding area with dogs and handlers that all know each other and...them just...walking a whole bunch of strange dogs through the middle of them....mad lack of spatial awareness. And standing around looking judgey when something they have done has prompted another dog to kick off, sigh....sorry I know not all agility people are like this but I thought some people would have more cop on.

 

[GSD Woman]

COVID has actually helped with the over stimulated dogs. There is limited crating space and we try and leave 6 feet in between dogs in the line up. Rudy loved the game so much that he didn't care as long another dog didn't get too close. I was always aware of other dogs since my GSD would have blamed just because he's a GSD.

Some of the people have dogs that love training but hate trialing. They've told me so. Why in the world would you trial such a dog?? Freddie has only been to 1 runthru but she didn't seem stressed and had good runs. I'll see how she does at her first trial. If it's too much she won't have to trial but can keep training.

I'm glad that problem dogs aren't only in the USA.