nowwown Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 This weekend, we watched Cody tear around our neighbor's large fenced in yard with their Visla. The 2-year old, very active Visla couldn't keep up with Cody on the straightaways or with Cody's fast stop-and-change-direction moves. Even when Cody had a ball or something in his mouth, he still outran that dog. Will that be an advantage for agility training? And, how fast is your BC compared to others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Piper the BC is fast but Woo can keep up with her if tries, and he is no BC. And Parker the greyhound is faster than both of them. Tweed can run really fast if he wants to, he just generally does not. Red Dog can't run at all anymore. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Our Lightning (BC/lab) couldn't be more aptly named. He is fast, fast, fast, and in fact we race him. My daughter competes in the Kid & Mutt classes at all of the dogsled races that are anywhere near us (up to about 2 hours away). It's just a fun class, a very short sprint something like a 100 yard dash, but man does he move! This year the first race we went to didn't go so well though, Lightning decided that he couldn't run going away from me (I held him at the start and sent them off, but then he turned to look back at me and I had to take off running up beside the sled and by then they'd lost too much time). Last year that wasn't an issue, but I'm wondering if after doing agility lessons with him he's become even more focussed on me, and what I'm doing. The other 4 races went better, 3 wins and a second place where they only missed 1st by .17 seconds. One of the races was a 2 day race where they combined the times from each heat for the final placing. At that one they won both days and ended up 15 seconds ahead of the next competitor. That may not seem like a lot, but actually it is a big lead, and although there are sometimes some other pet dogs in the class, there are also "real" sled dogs that have actual race experience in the other classes (4-mile, 6-mile, 8-mile sprints and up to about 40 mile mid-distance races). Lightning's competed against siberian huskies, alaskan huskies, pointer mixes, aussies, a rottweiler...and probably other mixes. I also entered a 2-dog sportsman class myself with Lightning and Thunder (our who-knows-what for sure mix), and they came 2nd in a class with 5 entries. It was a 2.5 mile race going out and back the same trail so there was head-on passing with the other teams. Neither of my dogs had ever raced before besides Lightning's efforts in the kid & mutt classes, in fact Thunder had never even been to a race and seen all the activity but they did great! There are some people who race whole teams of BC's, though of course you don't see that as often as the northern breeds. ETA: regarding speed and learning agility, I found Lightning's speed actually made my agility lessons harder, but that was because it didn't leave me much time to think about what was coming next, where to position myself, what commands to give... I'm sure that the speed is great to have when you have the handling skills, but it was all new to me and I found myself rushing to try to keep up with him. Lightning also bounces around and barks alot. My instructor said that the dogs generally learn pretty quickly and it's us handlers who need to work at perfecting our handling skills so that the dogs understand what we're trying to ask them to do. It was still alot of fun though. I've also started working Thunder on some equipment at home and he's so much easier to work with. He's slower but steady and quiet, he gets the job done without all the bounce and fuss. If both dogs were given the same amount of training though and had a really experienced handler, I'm sure that Lightning would outperform Thunder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStacks Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Fenny Roo is fast and I MEAN FAST! He can outrun any dog at the park and has taken a Greyhound and a Whippet and made both look slow (they were not). People watch him run in amazement and he will make your head spin. The boy is just quick.....and never acts worse for wear after running like a madman for long periods of time . If I could bottle it and sell it I would be rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Dazzle is fast and can outrun plenty of dogs if she wants to. But by golly I must have the fastest Shih Tzus out there - for little floppy mop dogs they can MOVE. It is actually quite frightening sometimes. They can almost keep up with Daz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 My lab mix (who we suspect could be mixed with whippet) is faster than Jack. Jack is pretty fast, but he's a big, goofy boy, wipes out all the time. Alex, I think is going to be really fast! He already keeps up with the big dogs pretty well and man, he can change direction on a dime. When they start playing chase, he can keep out of the way pretty good, even when he's not fast enough, because he "cuts" so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flrpwr52 Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Zoe is the speedster in our family. Ari is quick but Zoe can just about out run all the dogs at the dog park. She has a reputation as being a fast runner and some people bring their dogs to see if they can beat her in a race for a ball thrown out of a Chuck it. Zoe wins 99% of the time. Do you ever have people standing back watching your dog/dogs run? People we meet often say it is so fun just to watch them run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderlicious Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Dakota is very fast. He's never been up against a greyhound but he can outrun Whippets with ease, and he usually has no problem beating other Border Collies, either. Eve can outrun Dakota already. She's insanely fast and has beaten conditioned flyball dogs to the tennis ball. My Papillon actually can outrun both of them, but not for long. He's like a rabbit, he'll sprint at INSANE speeds for about 100 yards and then collapse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 My Papillon actually can outrun both of them, but not for long. He's like a rabbit, he'll sprint at INSANE speeds for about 100 yards and then collapse. Oh that's like Woo. He goes whacko fast but not for long periods. I can't believe how fast he is! RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoZo Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Our BC Zoey is scary fast- other dog owners at our nearby park are normally astonished at her speed. My favorite thing is to call her from the other side of the park, which is a pretty good distance, where she will come full-charge the entire lenght and come to a screeching halt a few inches in front of me. I think she likes to show-off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Ouzo is by far the fastest dog at any dog park we've been... especially when it comes to running for his tennis ball.... Often on our way back to the car, when he's already dead tired after 1-2 hours of running, and his tongue is hanging out, and he still runs, but slower, for his ball, people comment on how fast he is And I know that's like seeing a car run in the 2nd gear instead of the 5th or 6th ETA: Forgot to add that Ouzo is also the fastest swimmer at the park. He outswims any labs, retrievers or other water dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Pepper is very fast! Popcorn is almost as fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I've been trying to figure out which of my dogs is faster. I think Missy wins by a hair - but only because she is bigger. Do you ever have people standing back watching your dog/dogs run? People we meet often say it is so fun just to watch them run. I like to stand back and watch them run! I get a big kick out of watching them go all out. Their whole expression says "this is good" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossie Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 In a game of chase, there are very few dogs that Buzz cannot catch--this is as much because he outwits them as because he's faster than them. My brother's coonhound/pointer is the fastest dog I've ever seen, but she's kind of sloppy--when she runs down the hill at my parent's house she almost somersaults at the end because she's out of control. The BCs are a bit slower than her, but they are much more graceful and controlled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clara Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Ling is CRAZY fast, and always gets ooohs and aaaaahs about her speed in agility, especially paired with her ability to stop or turn on a dime. That speed has, as someone else said earlier, made agility more difficult as a novice handler. At our first trial, an experienced handler asked me if she was my first agility dog and commented that it was unfortunate that my first dog was so fast. The first time my husband saw her at a trial (a couple of years ago), his description of her speed was... "She's like a big block Corvette with a stuck gas peddle and loose steering!" I'll leave it to your imaginations just exactly what that meant on the agility course!!! Fortunately, we have improved some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Yep Hoku is like greased lighting, and so darn agile and quick. He does those cut and dodge moves so quick and clean, he leaves other dogs tripping in the dust (or mud as the case may be ) trying to keep up. The only other dog who can begin to keep up is another BC, but she gets winded fairly quickly, while he can run for hours and not even seem tired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Clara: She's like a big block Corvette with a stuck gas peddle and loose steering! Love it. That describes my Fergus to a T. (i don't do agility with him - haven't found a way to tighten up the steering and unstick the gas pedal yet!) Fergus is pretty fast, though doesn't have the endurance. He can outrun most of the dogs he runs with - except a friend's seriously fast agility Whippet. Fergus was running with a group one day after training - leading the chase as he likes to do, with the Whippet cruising along. All of a sudden, Flynn, the Whippet, decided he'd had enough of Fergus being in front, so he put on the Whippet turbocharger, and took off. The look on Fergus's face was delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Meg is lightning. When she was a puppy we used to call her 'blue streak' for the trail left by a .220 swift on a humid day. I used to know a lovely old rescue greyhound who was faster however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Reading everyones description about how gracious your BCs move, I have to admit... mine is as gracious as a rock, especialy when he puts on the breaks and tumbles ass over head... in a big cloud of dust... in front of everyone... but I have to say, his selfconfidence and ego don't bear even one scratch He usualy does that when he outruns the ball, then turns fast to catch it, well... the grace of this exercise depends greatly on the degree of ahdesion of the surface I've seen him take two consecutive tumbles in the air and snow in one stop, but he got the ball nevertheless Before any other dogs were even close to him! He's all function over form, for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haleigh Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hmm...If Joy tries, she can outrun my mothers Belgian Malinois, and she outruns barely her chihuahua terrier mix. Joy is also as graceful as a swan when I train her; when it comes to training she's about as graceful as Ouzo from what I hear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Reading everyones description about how gracious your BCs move, I have to admit... mine is as gracious as a rock, especialy when he puts on the breaks and tumbles ass over head... in a big cloud of dust... in front of everyone... but I have to say, his selfconfidence and ego don't bear even one scratch He usualy does that when he outruns the ball, then turns fast to catch it, well... the grace of this exercise depends greatly on the degree of ahdesion of the surface I've seen him take two consecutive tumbles in the air and snow in one stop, but he got the ball nevertheless Before any other dogs were even close to him! He's all function over form, for sure! When it comes to ball, the only point of the game is to get the ball . I would descibe my two as fast and agile when it comes to playing ball, but never gracious! They run into each other, Missy has run into stationary objects (ouch), Kipp has been bowled over by Missy, Kipp has been bowled over by his own excitement to get the ball before Missy does, and they have both nearly suceeded in knocking me over. The two of them look like a 3-ring circus, but man, are they having fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbear Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Reading everyones description about how gracious your BCs move, I have to admit... mine is as gracious as a rock, especialy when he puts on the breaks and tumbles ass over head... in a big cloud of dust... in front of everyone... Hmm. Do I have anything like that in my household, say, tangled up in computer cables under my desk as I type? Nahhhh ... I call the two tuxedos Amazing Grace and Clunk. Wick is very light on her feet, turns on a dime, fastest acceleration, blah blah blah. Big Head runs into trees, park benches, tennis balls bounce off his head, he looks like a motorhome when he tries to corner ... except when he's working. When he's on his sheep, he suddenly becomes beautiful, graceful, natural. And he rarely runs into things. But as anyone who has ever set for him can attest, he sounds like a Clydesdale coming up the field. Actually, he's pretty graceful in agility too, though there is no WAY I would do my suicide front crosses with him. Wick has never run into me in agility. Lou got me 3 times our first time practicing front crosses. Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderlicious Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Who said anything about graceful? Dakota's a friggin spaz. I can't count the number of times that he's jumped straight up and smacked my face with his big block head during agility. When he does zoomies in the house, we either madly try to tackle him and drag him outside, or throw ourselves over anything breakable to protect it from an otherwise inevitable doom. Though really, it's a futile effort since this dog could break an anvil. This is also the dog that is convinced that his 12" wide body can fit through a 6" wide opening. He has fought and struggled, scrambling to squeeeeze himself through the narrow bars of a fence when there is an open gate just 5 feet away. *shakes head* Eve and Ripley are both graceful, agile, almost cat-like in their movement. It's neat to watch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat W. Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Our Meg is a blur it is pure pleasure to watch that dog run. On the agility course she runs at my daughters speed but ask her to run with my aussie and she just flattens and runs. She must have been a cutting horse in another life for turns, spins and cut backs, she leaves Riley flat footed every time and hes no slouch either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Oreo used to have a lot of kick, but not anymore. She may sprint for a very short distance but then she just slows down to catch up later... but she's getting older. I can't compare Zeeke and Zoe to other dogs, they really aren't around other dogs much. Zeeke could probably do pretty well (he's a german shepherd) but in the backyard Zoe can often outrun him... she has the advantage of being light on her feet. They don't like to run straight though, they swerve and turn to catch/miss each other... Zoe usually wins but when she looses she gets completely flattened. ETA - As for graceful... Zoe's pretty graceful, if spastic. Oreo's graceful. Zeeke (again, not a BC) is a friggin truck. He runs into us - and the walls, and Zoe, and whatever's in his path - ALL THE TIME. Which can get really annoying in the house, he's not a small dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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