Doggie Blunder

A video clip from Crufts 2012 is getting a lot of attention on the internet (see above), going viral with just over one million views. In it a dog "does his buisnes" right in the middle of an agility run, disqualifying the team. It was such a shame because up that point it was a beautiful run. The owner, to her credit, held her head high, cleaned up, and managed a smile. I don't know if I would have been that brave. 

There is nothing worse than getting DQ'd for fouling the ring. I can speak from personal experience. My dog is notorious for DQ's in the obedience ring. It took me two summers to get my CD because she DQ'd so many times. I don't feed her right before shows and I walk her around before she goes in the ring, but sometimes it just doesn't matter. I think she does it to get back at me for obedience training. lol 

As much as I hate the "no poo" rule, I understand why it's in place. Firstly, when you work with your dog they should be focused on you. They should know that when they are in the ring, they are working. They aren't going for a walk, so they shouldn't be sniffing around looking for a good place to mark. In agility, it would wreck your time anyway, even if it wasn't a DQ. You would loose too much time to recover from. Marking the ring can  also sometimes be a show of dominance. The dog is saying, "Here's what I think of your commands!" At 4-H one day, one of the dogs peed on their handler's leg because he refused to let the handler be the leader. I felt so bad. (In the video, however, it was more of an emergency pit stop.) In addition, fouling the ring distracts the other dogs. Once one of them goes there, they all have to go. (Even if it was cleaned up and sprayed with odor control. Sometimes they still smell it.)

I hope we see this team at Crufts again next year. Hopefully, there won't be anymore...ahem...mishaps.

Dog Manners for People

I usually hate when people go on long internet rants that start with “u know what i hate” and go on for 1,0000 very spiteful paragraphs, but I have something to say (and I’ll keep it short). I own/show an 12 year old Westie and dogs are a huge part of my life. I honestly don’t mind if someone comes up says, “Can I pet your dog?”. (Hey I’ve been doing that since I could say the word dog) I do get upset when people don’t ask first or give me a dirty look when I say no. It doesn’t matter if you have/had dogs or know everything about them; ALWAYS ask the owner and respect their answer. Now, yes dogs by nature are extremely adorable, but that doesn’t mean they are public property. Every dog is different and running up to one you don’t know could be very dangerous. Some dogs get frightened when approached behind, some are scared of certain things (ex: small children, hats, sunglasses), and some are just stressed. REMEMBER ALL DOGS BITE!!!!!!!! 

Another dog manner people forget is that a dog show is not petting zoo. You can’t just walk up to cages and take pictures or try to pet dogs. If the owner is around, ask first. (If they are a little irritable it's just due the pressure of the show. They probably need to get the dog on the grooming table or to the ring, it's nothing personal.) But just walking up to a crate and getting in a dog’s face is just not cool. To the dog that crate/ex-pen is his haven, his de-stress zone and he’s saying, “WHOA DUDE PERSONAL BUBBLE!” It would be like if that over affectionate aunt/grandma just barged into your living room and started messing up ur hair and pinching your face. You’d be saying “Come On I’m trying to watch TV here! LEAVE NOW!”

So just remember to respect a dog’s boundaries. I think it's a lesson that everyone needs to learn. I had to and now I’m passing on that wisdom to you. :p