mum24dog Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 There are some odd ideas around that Agility dogs are unstable and badly behaved. One poster on here even said that he had been advised not to go near them in the car park at Crufts. My comments here are not specifically Agility related - more an attempt to dispel a myth and Agility is just an example of misguided beliefs that can be held by outsiders about anything. I have just spent 11 days running an Agility show (not single handed) - 6 days competition 1600 dogs entered to run and probably over 2000 dogs present - the majority being BCs/WSDs from all sorts of backgrounds. 18,900 runs in total. Incidents considered serious enough to be reported to me as Show Secretary - 1 broken arm - handler slipped walking her dogs in inappropriate footwear. 1 broken foot - handler slipped in the ring. 1 injured wrist - helper banging in pegs with a wrist broken 8 weeks ago. (All 3 people known to be accident prone.) 1 finger needing stitches - person changing gas bottle. 1 handler bitten by her own dog in the ring.(That was a BC.) 3 dogs taken ill needing veterinary treatment. 1 judge vowing never to judge again because of the behaviour of some handlers towards her - unfortunately she wouldn't name names so they could be dealt with. 1 dog in distress tied to a hedge. 3 people accused of mistreating their dogs. No complaints of dog - dog aggression. Seems like people are more dangerous, especially to themselves. The worst complaint I got about the many dogs allowed to run free in the exercise areas was of some handlers not picking up their dogs' mess. I'm not naive enough to believe that everything else was sweetness and light but the culture is shifting to one where more complaints are being made generally and I find the fact that we had so few remarkable given the numbers involved and the adrenaline fuelled nature of the sport. And I'm not claiming any superiority of behaviour over any other dog activity. Most of us, whether we work our dogs or participate in dog sports or other activities, have a vested interest in our dogs behaving in an acceptable manner and most of us will have a better idea of how to achieve that end than the average person in the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecretBC Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 I have no idea where all of these aggressive dogs are, either. I see a lot of stupid, naive handlers who can't read dog body language, but I see very few (if any, really) truly aggressive behavior from dogs. I see appropriate reactions to rude dogs who barge into another dog's space due to handlers who are completely vacant. I see handlers who obsess over keeping their socially inept dogs away from other dogs. I see dogs that throw off such spastic, frantic energy (think: young untrained Labradors....) that they set off the dogs around them when walking through the crating area. But aggression? No, just stupid people. It's an irritant of mine from competing in NADAC, where "safety" is taken to the extreme. Because people are apparently completely incapable of being accountable for anything, NADAC has oodles of stupid rules to keep everyone safe from themselves. They say it's an insurance thing due to the high number of incidences of aggression in dog agility, which I find ridiculous. There are people bringing untrained, unmannerly dogs to trials, but I wouldn't peg them as aggressive. Just annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 There are some odd ideas around that Agility dogs are unstable and badly behaved. Interestingly enough, the same sorts of myths are also often perpetuated about working stockdogs, and as you say, it's usually by people who don't participate in that activity and so really have no idea. Seems to be a universal problem (well, except perhaps for bench shows, where everyone knows it's the people you have to watch out for! ) ETA: Seriously though, I suspect that any time an activity becomes popular and large numbers of people join in, you will find a certain percentage who are rather dog clueless, and those few can make a bad reputation for all, unfortunately. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 The above stated statistics just make me glad that I am not running agility. Being that within the last few months I have seriously hurt myself just walking across my yard!!! Sounds like a very dangerous sport for people. Or, if we are already drawing conclusions, maybe a lot of people that "run" agility are klutzy? (jk) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 I think sometimes people just perfer to say i have an aggressive or reactive dog then to deal with other peoples and their dogs. As gate steward at one trial i had a novice class that almost every other dogs was supposedly "reactive". Idk if any of those dogs were actually reactive or if the people were told to say that to get out of entering the ring earlier. In my roughly 6 years competing i did have another border collie nail Cressa. But i think that lady was ostracize in our community after it. Or at least i know she ended up dealing with some very snide comments and whispers for the next couple of trials and i have since not seen her again.that and that was the only incident that had happen where a dog was aggressive to the point of attacking. But tbh i would perfer people to think my dogs were reactive or aggressive then to mess with them when i am not there. Specially since we sometimes have to worry about PETA people showing up. No offense i dont ever want to see a stranger messing with my dogs when they are in crates. Lol maybe i shouldnt have posted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted July 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Interestingly enough, the same sorts of myths are also often perpetuated about working stockdogs I can well believe it. I could add the belief that competitive Obedience dogs are only under control in the ring - total loons out of it. And that Flyball dogs never stop barking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 6 days competition 1600 dogs entered to run and probably over 2000 dogs present - the majority being BCs/WSDs from all sorts of backgrounds. 18,900 runs in total. Wow, I'm impressed!! Was this a national event? I will add though I have seen firsthand dog-dog aggression at trials and one case of dog-people aggression. I have heard from very reliable sources of other incidents as well. So yes it does happen, but I don't think it's because they're agility dogs or whatever, but because there are a few stupid people out there, as there are in any venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted July 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Wow, I'm impressed!! Was this a national event? No, but we have taken on a few more qualifiers for national finals this year and doubled the length of the show this time. It's basically an ordinary KC club open show but longer than most. We used to have a 3 day show, followed by 3 days off and another 3 day show run by another club on the same site. Last year the second club decided they didn't want to do it any more so we decided to do both ends of the week because a lot of people come for a week's holiday as we're on the edge of the Lake District. We're the biggest show in the north but the number of rings we have on each day (9-10 with around 400 runs in each) isn't unusual in the south I'm told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachdogz Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 There are some odd ideas around that Agility dogs are unstable and badly behaved. My comments here are not specifically Agility related - more an attempt to dispel a myth and Agility is just an example of misguided beliefs that can be held by outsiders about anything. Over the years, and right up to just recently, these are the things I have heard: • Agility dogs are out-of-control - they train them that way (said by obedience enthusiasts.) • Obedience dogs are like robots - and who wants a robot (said by conformation people or people who don't have a competitive obedience dog.) • Conformation dogs don't have a brain (said by obedience people who don't show in breed.) • Border Collies are hyper. • German Shepherds are mean (my answer was that we should warn the blind people of that.) • Dobermans turn on their masters. • Hounds are un-trainable (at least in un-hound things.) • Pit Bulls are vicious. • Conformation people are snobs. • Obedience people are snobs. • Agility people are snobs. etc. etc. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChantalB Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 • Conformation people are snobs. • Obedience people are snobs. • Agility people are snobs. Hahahahahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 Thirteen years ago, I was warned by my AKC herding friends to watch out for the USBCHA herding folks as they were very clickish and snobs.....I am still waiting to meet those snobs.....I quit AKC right after that...I found the USBCHA folks to be some of the warmest and kindest people ever... YOu can insert in the following "_____ people are snobs. Their dog breed is _____ and are _____. Furthermore their dogs do _________ and can not do ___________" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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