Recently, in a moment of weakness, I volunteered to judge obedience at the 4-H Maricopa County finals (the Phoenix area).
The only thing I knew about 4-H was that my wife had been a member when she was a little girl. "What did you do in 4-H?" I inquired.
"I ruined lots of material, " she responded. Which was her way of telling me she was in the sewing program, and not very good at it.
Arrangements for my judging gig were made with one of the leaders who quickly let me know that I wouldn't be judging OTCH-level performances. "We base our shows on AKC standards," she told me, "although they are somewhat adjusted to take into account that these are children with family pets trained by children." Then she added, "We (those who are teaching the kids obedience competition) are trying to stay one step ahead of the children."
Some of the "adjustments" include: If a dog poops or pees in the ring, that's ten points off, not cause for excusal. If a dog breaks a sit or a down during the group exercises, it's up to the judge's discretion how to penalize that team. One girl whose golden retriever had done relatively well had her golden get up from the long down only seconds before I was about to say, "Return to your dogs." I deducted ten points. A little boy's dog went down on the sit almost as soon as the exercise began. The boy quickly got the dog back up again and the dog finished the exercise sitting. I took off 20 points.
By and large the individual exercises were an adventure. Tight leashes were the rule rather than the exception. Most of those kids talked to their dogs throughout the entire run. About 75 percent of the competitors made a left U-turn when I said, "About turn." Clearly one of the leaders who was "staying one step ahead of the kids" was teaching the about turn in the wrong direction. I quickly stopped scoring that; those kids were doing what they had been taught.
One little girl -- a kid so tiny we were shocked to learn she was 12 years old -- was cool as a cucumber. They were heeling quite nicely when her dog stopped in mid-pattern and pooped.
While the stewards were cleaning up the mess, I asked her, "Did you walk your dog before you brought him in here?"
"Oh yes," she said, "and he went. But he saved some"
All that, though, is incidental. What really knocked my socks off was the appearance, the demeanor, the overall quality of that group of kids.
Strikingly polite. So well-mannered. After I had finished judging one little girl, I paused to make a note on the scoresheet. I was so focused on my clipboard that I didn't realize she hadn't left the ring. I felt something tugging at my right hand. She was determined to shake my hand and say, "Thank you." Which she did.
And the appearance of those kids! Clean-cut. Clean, pressed pants and shirts. I didn't see one kid attired in a T-shirt emblazoned with an obscene message.
Later, driving home, an astonishing thing occurred to me: Across the five hours I was with that group, I didn't see one kid glued to one cell phone for one second. Stunning!
And the parents. There they were. At ringside. Cooking lunch. Running the bake sale and the silent raffle. And of course volunteering their time as 4-H leaders. Parents who were committed to raising good kids . . . and were putting in the time.
Tight leash: 10 points.
Talking to the dog: 15 points.
Fluffy's failure to stay put during the stand for exam: NQ
The life lessons those kids are learning: PRICELESS!
Willard
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
MORE ON THE DECLINE IN COMPETITION OBEDIENCE ENTRIES
In the wake of several blog posts regarding the decline of participation in competition obedience, I received an email from a long-time astute observer/participant in the sport. Her comments dealt with misconceptions and lack of awareness that she felt might contribute to keeping people out of the sport. I'd like to share a few of those comments. The sentences in italics are my comments about her comments.
1. Some people assume that since their dog is spayed, neutered or not AKC-registered it does not qualify to show in obedience or any other performance class.
When the AKC began allowing mixed breeds to compete, a lot of us thought we'd see an immediate increase in Novice entries. I've seen precious few All-American dogs coming into the sport. That may be because the message is being preached to the choir -- to those who are already tuned into the AKC, dog sports and purebred dogs. The everyday mixed-breed dog owner may not even be aware of the channels through which the message is being sent. Much less the message itself.
2. Others assume that to train obedience you have to be mean or to hurt your dog. Still others believe from wives' tales or experience that obedience training is not fun for man or beast.
And why wouldn't those notions still persist? Our world is still filled with "old school" trainers, too weak to train, retardates who can only force a dog to comply. They're everywhere. Last Saturday I was in a city park, working with a student whose dog had fallen into the hands of an abusive trainer before they turned to me. (And how is that dog doing now? you ask. Quite nicely, thank you, and very happy.) During the lesson, we were flanked on either side by electric collar classes. Our distractions that morning were the pitiful yelps of the dogs as they got zapped. The ignorant suckers who had coughed up money to have their dogs abused probably loved those dogs and had no idea there was another way.
3. Pet owners who have shown enough interest to watch a competition in person are a source of potential competitors. But only if obedience looks like fun enough to overcome perceived obstacles and be achievable. Spectators rarely see teams having fun in the obedience ring. Outbursts of joy by the team in the ring are discouraged, and in some classes touching the dog is penalized. Isn't petting your dog a basic enjoyment of having a dog? Amen.
(Observers) judge the sport by how much fun the exhibitors and dogs appear to be having in and around the ring. Sadly, agility does look like a lot more fun.
Yea and verily.
Willard
1. Some people assume that since their dog is spayed, neutered or not AKC-registered it does not qualify to show in obedience or any other performance class.
When the AKC began allowing mixed breeds to compete, a lot of us thought we'd see an immediate increase in Novice entries. I've seen precious few All-American dogs coming into the sport. That may be because the message is being preached to the choir -- to those who are already tuned into the AKC, dog sports and purebred dogs. The everyday mixed-breed dog owner may not even be aware of the channels through which the message is being sent. Much less the message itself.
2. Others assume that to train obedience you have to be mean or to hurt your dog. Still others believe from wives' tales or experience that obedience training is not fun for man or beast.
And why wouldn't those notions still persist? Our world is still filled with "old school" trainers, too weak to train, retardates who can only force a dog to comply. They're everywhere. Last Saturday I was in a city park, working with a student whose dog had fallen into the hands of an abusive trainer before they turned to me. (And how is that dog doing now? you ask. Quite nicely, thank you, and very happy.) During the lesson, we were flanked on either side by electric collar classes. Our distractions that morning were the pitiful yelps of the dogs as they got zapped. The ignorant suckers who had coughed up money to have their dogs abused probably loved those dogs and had no idea there was another way.
3. Pet owners who have shown enough interest to watch a competition in person are a source of potential competitors. But only if obedience looks like fun enough to overcome perceived obstacles and be achievable. Spectators rarely see teams having fun in the obedience ring. Outbursts of joy by the team in the ring are discouraged, and in some classes touching the dog is penalized. Isn't petting your dog a basic enjoyment of having a dog? Amen.
(Observers) judge the sport by how much fun the exhibitors and dogs appear to be having in and around the ring. Sadly, agility does look like a lot more fun.
Yea and verily.
Willard
Thursday, April 5, 2012
WRITE ON!
Much has been said, many hands have been wrung regarding the drop-off in competition obedience entries in recent years. Clearly the task of beefing up entries in AKC obedience is multidimensional. This post addresses one of those dimensions.
It has been suggested to me that a letter to the AKC -- coming from many all-breed and obedience clubs --might prompt the AKC to look into how to tap the vast reservoir of "prospects" that take Petco or PetSmart obedience classes. But it will be effective only if many clubs take the initiative to send the letter.
Here is a suggested letter.
It would be nice to know to what extent a letter-writing campaign takes off as a result of this suggestion. If your club acts on this and sends a letter, perhaps you'd be kind enough to drop me a note at otchhb@cox.net
Thanks.
Willard
It has been suggested to me that a letter to the AKC -- coming from many all-breed and obedience clubs --might prompt the AKC to look into how to tap the vast reservoir of "prospects" that take Petco or PetSmart obedience classes. But it will be effective only if many clubs take the initiative to send the letter.
Here is a suggested letter.
YOUR CLUB’S LETTERHEAD
Date
Mr. Dennis B. Sprung
President & Chief Executive Officer
American Kennel Club
260 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Dear Mr. Sprung:
Much has been said and written across the past decade or so about the drop-off in competition obedience entries.
Various steps have been taken to make competition obedience trials more attractive and exhibitor-friendly. Novice A people are offered an orientation walk-through. New entry-level classes have been introduced, as have several intermediate classes. Some clubs offer token gifts to Novice A entrants.
Those are steps in the right direction. However, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is listening . . . As someone said, “It’s hard to embrace something if you don’t know it exists.”
Which is the case with the vast majority of the thousands of students who participate in the beginner dog obedience classes each year at Petco and PetSmart. Most of the instructors have no idea that a dog sport called competition obedience exists. Hence, neither do their students.
The purpose of this letter is to suggest that the AKC seriously explore establishing working relationships with Petco and PetSmart to introduce their students, in an attractive way, to the lifetime joys available in AKC dog sports.
Sincerely,
A CLUB OFFICER’S TITLE & SIGNATURE
It would be nice to know to what extent a letter-writing campaign takes off as a result of this suggestion. If your club acts on this and sends a letter, perhaps you'd be kind enough to drop me a note at otchhb@cox.net
Thanks.
Willard
Saturday, March 24, 2012
" Old School" One More Once
I thought long and hard before I posted this. But the message -- spontaneous and actually stunning to me -- is so potent that I decided it would be a mistake not to. What follows can be viewed as a self-serving pat on the back (and there's no way to keep it from being viewed that way). But if that's all you take away from reading this, you've blown it, missed the point entirely.
The back story: In my most recent post, damning "old school" (jerk-'em-around training) while offering examples of the benefits of positive training, I presented two examples of students and their dogs who are thriving under a regimen of positive reinforcement and stress-reducing play. FUN! Using assumed names, I featured Laurie and her splendid border collie Crash. They are snowbirds, wintering here from a major Midwest city. Unbeknownst to me, at the very moment I was typing that post, Laurie was tripping over something in her garage with the result that she ripped an 8- by 3-inch piece of skin off her shin. A very bad and debilitating injury. Yesterday I received the following email from Laurie. The parenthetical comments are mine, added for clarification purposes.
So I'm in bed with my leg elevated, and having a lot of pain when it turns certain ways. Changing the bandages is sort of like childbirth to me, but then I never did have any pain tolerance. I have no idea how long it will be before I can even do articles, and it is driving me crazy. This gave me some important insights which I thought I would share with you, and if you ever want to use it for a blog, I think it might be a nice followup to your last one.
So here we go! Every year at Christmas my trainers back home take a vacation between Christmas and New Years. Every year I can't wait to have some time off. It's great not to go through the same training that I do every week, and get a little break. It's not fun, it's work and the dogs seem to love the break. Now I'm lying here with this stupid injury that I can't blame on anyone else, cause I'm a klutz, and crying because I can't work this unbelievable dog for who knows how long. It (training Crash) has become the highlight of my life. I never knew that you could have so much fun with a dog and still teach him to be an unbelievable competition obedience dog -- wait, just an unbelievable dog, even if it's only a pet home.
And that is the key to what you have taught me. I have been doing obedience competition for 30 years, but have never had fun until now. My first border collie was born wanting to know who to watch. But we always lost points in heeling because, what a surprise, she forged. But she loved her work in spite of me. Today, knowing what you've taught me, there is no telling where we could have gone, even though she did get her OTCH. But she was a one in a million dog that came out of the womb wanting to know who to watch, and forge with.
These, Willard, are my thoughts today, in between tears from not being able (to work and have fun) with the dog of my life. Thank you so much, my dear friend, for changing my life, which is always obedience competition. I can't wait to get back here next year.
Willard
The back story: In my most recent post, damning "old school" (jerk-'em-around training) while offering examples of the benefits of positive training, I presented two examples of students and their dogs who are thriving under a regimen of positive reinforcement and stress-reducing play. FUN! Using assumed names, I featured Laurie and her splendid border collie Crash. They are snowbirds, wintering here from a major Midwest city. Unbeknownst to me, at the very moment I was typing that post, Laurie was tripping over something in her garage with the result that she ripped an 8- by 3-inch piece of skin off her shin. A very bad and debilitating injury. Yesterday I received the following email from Laurie. The parenthetical comments are mine, added for clarification purposes.
So I'm in bed with my leg elevated, and having a lot of pain when it turns certain ways. Changing the bandages is sort of like childbirth to me, but then I never did have any pain tolerance. I have no idea how long it will be before I can even do articles, and it is driving me crazy. This gave me some important insights which I thought I would share with you, and if you ever want to use it for a blog, I think it might be a nice followup to your last one.
So here we go! Every year at Christmas my trainers back home take a vacation between Christmas and New Years. Every year I can't wait to have some time off. It's great not to go through the same training that I do every week, and get a little break. It's not fun, it's work and the dogs seem to love the break. Now I'm lying here with this stupid injury that I can't blame on anyone else, cause I'm a klutz, and crying because I can't work this unbelievable dog for who knows how long. It (training Crash) has become the highlight of my life. I never knew that you could have so much fun with a dog and still teach him to be an unbelievable competition obedience dog -- wait, just an unbelievable dog, even if it's only a pet home.
And that is the key to what you have taught me. I have been doing obedience competition for 30 years, but have never had fun until now. My first border collie was born wanting to know who to watch. But we always lost points in heeling because, what a surprise, she forged. But she loved her work in spite of me. Today, knowing what you've taught me, there is no telling where we could have gone, even though she did get her OTCH. But she was a one in a million dog that came out of the womb wanting to know who to watch, and forge with.
These, Willard, are my thoughts today, in between tears from not being able (to work and have fun) with the dog of my life. Thank you so much, my dear friend, for changing my life, which is always obedience competition. I can't wait to get back here next year.
Willard
Thursday, March 22, 2012
"Old School"
The names of the people and dogs featured in this post have been changed to shield those who get it from the damn fools who don't.
I've hit the jackpot in the last few months. I've acquired two students who are super-motivated and have glorious dogs.
Melissa defines the words "quick study." In large measure perhaps because before she got into dog sports she was an accomplished horse trainer and instructor. She gets it, then knows how to apply it . . . with love.
Her dog Midas is a big, gorgeous, happy golden retriever. He's still in his second year and the world is his tug toy.
We're doing exercises to loosen up his rear end, to make it more agile -- indeed, to help him discover that he has a rear end. "Oh yeah," Melissa says, "just like horses." Then she proceeds to build on what I've suggested. Like I said, she gets it.
So does Midas. He's Melissa's Novice A dog, but you'd never know it. He bounds around in training, grasping every new thing quickly and with great joy. I've never had a dog who was heeling beautifully as quickly as Midas. And happy, happy, happy.
Except for one thing. Midas is terrified of the dumbell. Petrified! Panicked! Before they got to me, Melissa and Midas fell into the hands of an "old school" instructor. She put a choke collar on Midas, strung him up until gagging, eyes bulging, about to die, he opened his mouth. Whereupon the "old school" trainer stuffed the dumbbell in.
What's missing in the anecdote I've just related? What's missing is that nobody strung that "old school" trainer up . . . and left her hanging there.
So now Melissa and I are on a slow, slow, ultra-gentle desensitization program to undo the damage the "old school" trainer did. It's a noble experiment; I pray that it works.
Then there's Laurie, a snowbird, and her once-in-a-lifetime border collie Crash. Laurie is no newbie; in earlier times she's put OTCHs on two border collies.
In here (Scottsdale) for the winter, Laurie and Crash were having heeling problems. So I've spent the last few months teaching them Pinpoint Heeling. Laurie is astounded and euphoric. Nobody in the part of the country where Laurie has lived for a lifetime has even heard of the method. But now Crash has. And he's heeling happily, confidently, head up, eyes locked on Laurie's armband . . . because he wants to. Crash gets it, too.
Back home, Laurie has had the same "old school" instructor for decades. She describes that instructor's method this way: "She yanks, yanks, yanks, until the dog gives in and complies."
In 2004, right after my first book, Remembering to Breathe, was published, I received an email from a novice trainer in the upper midwest. She and her young golden retriever had blundered into the hands of an "old school" yank-'em-around trainer. By the time she had read Remembering to Breathe the dog was beaten down, dispirited. And the owner was ready to quit.
I advised her to pick herself, dust herself (and her golden) off and find an instructor who used positive methods. I suggested maybe the damage could be undone.
Long story short: Today, eight years later, they have completed their UDX2 and OM2 -- and both of them are having a ball.
None of what I'm describing here is unfamiliar to me. My Novice A dog Honeybear and I began in a parks department class. The teacher was "old school." I can still hear it: "Harder, Willard! Honeybear doesn't even feel those little pops you're giving her." But Honeybear did feel them and she didn't like them. I quickly wised up and for the rest of Honeybear's OTCH career she was trained with increasingly positive methods. But I've always felt that she never quite got over the imprint made by her first experience with obedience training -- being jerked around "old-school" style.
The point of all this is that every day thousands of dogs are being ruined by the cretins of obedience training who don't know or don't care that "old school" was recognized as an unsatisfactory training style three or four decades ago.
It's just this simple. Those of us who have been paying attention know that dogs and people learn best when they enjoy what they're doing. Show me a trainer whose modus operandi is jerk-their-heads-off, string-'em-up and I'll show you a weak trainer. As well as one who is not too bright.
Not too long ago one of the people I most respect in dog sports was sounding off about her aggressive aversion to prong collars. I may have indicated that I thought she was overreacting. At which point she told me: "Willard, our dogs can't speak for themselves. That's why we need to advocate for them."
Which is the reason for this post.
P.S. Thanks to AnneMarie Silverton who developed Pinpoint Heeling. And to her disciple Louise Meredith who coached me in the method. It's made all the difference.
Willard
I've hit the jackpot in the last few months. I've acquired two students who are super-motivated and have glorious dogs.
Melissa defines the words "quick study." In large measure perhaps because before she got into dog sports she was an accomplished horse trainer and instructor. She gets it, then knows how to apply it . . . with love.
Her dog Midas is a big, gorgeous, happy golden retriever. He's still in his second year and the world is his tug toy.
We're doing exercises to loosen up his rear end, to make it more agile -- indeed, to help him discover that he has a rear end. "Oh yeah," Melissa says, "just like horses." Then she proceeds to build on what I've suggested. Like I said, she gets it.
So does Midas. He's Melissa's Novice A dog, but you'd never know it. He bounds around in training, grasping every new thing quickly and with great joy. I've never had a dog who was heeling beautifully as quickly as Midas. And happy, happy, happy.
Except for one thing. Midas is terrified of the dumbell. Petrified! Panicked! Before they got to me, Melissa and Midas fell into the hands of an "old school" instructor. She put a choke collar on Midas, strung him up until gagging, eyes bulging, about to die, he opened his mouth. Whereupon the "old school" trainer stuffed the dumbbell in.
What's missing in the anecdote I've just related? What's missing is that nobody strung that "old school" trainer up . . . and left her hanging there.
So now Melissa and I are on a slow, slow, ultra-gentle desensitization program to undo the damage the "old school" trainer did. It's a noble experiment; I pray that it works.
Then there's Laurie, a snowbird, and her once-in-a-lifetime border collie Crash. Laurie is no newbie; in earlier times she's put OTCHs on two border collies.
In here (Scottsdale) for the winter, Laurie and Crash were having heeling problems. So I've spent the last few months teaching them Pinpoint Heeling. Laurie is astounded and euphoric. Nobody in the part of the country where Laurie has lived for a lifetime has even heard of the method. But now Crash has. And he's heeling happily, confidently, head up, eyes locked on Laurie's armband . . . because he wants to. Crash gets it, too.
Back home, Laurie has had the same "old school" instructor for decades. She describes that instructor's method this way: "She yanks, yanks, yanks, until the dog gives in and complies."
In 2004, right after my first book, Remembering to Breathe, was published, I received an email from a novice trainer in the upper midwest. She and her young golden retriever had blundered into the hands of an "old school" yank-'em-around trainer. By the time she had read Remembering to Breathe the dog was beaten down, dispirited. And the owner was ready to quit.
I advised her to pick herself, dust herself (and her golden) off and find an instructor who used positive methods. I suggested maybe the damage could be undone.
Long story short: Today, eight years later, they have completed their UDX2 and OM2 -- and both of them are having a ball.
None of what I'm describing here is unfamiliar to me. My Novice A dog Honeybear and I began in a parks department class. The teacher was "old school." I can still hear it: "Harder, Willard! Honeybear doesn't even feel those little pops you're giving her." But Honeybear did feel them and she didn't like them. I quickly wised up and for the rest of Honeybear's OTCH career she was trained with increasingly positive methods. But I've always felt that she never quite got over the imprint made by her first experience with obedience training -- being jerked around "old-school" style.
The point of all this is that every day thousands of dogs are being ruined by the cretins of obedience training who don't know or don't care that "old school" was recognized as an unsatisfactory training style three or four decades ago.
It's just this simple. Those of us who have been paying attention know that dogs and people learn best when they enjoy what they're doing. Show me a trainer whose modus operandi is jerk-their-heads-off, string-'em-up and I'll show you a weak trainer. As well as one who is not too bright.
Not too long ago one of the people I most respect in dog sports was sounding off about her aggressive aversion to prong collars. I may have indicated that I thought she was overreacting. At which point she told me: "Willard, our dogs can't speak for themselves. That's why we need to advocate for them."
Which is the reason for this post.
P.S. Thanks to AnneMarie Silverton who developed Pinpoint Heeling. And to her disciple Louise Meredith who coached me in the method. It's made all the difference.
Willard
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
MORE ABOUT THE SHRINKING SPORT OF COMPETITION OBEDIENCE
My recent posts concerning the dropoff in competition obedience entries drew several responses worthy of highlighting in this space. Here they are.
1. There's a bright, active lady in Pullman, Washington who comments on these posts from time to time. I think she's retired, but I'm not sure. She was or is a vertebrate museum curator. Anyhow, she has interesting things to say, and I wish she lived in our neck of the woods. She blogs under the "handle" Palouse Dogs."
Recently she posted this comment:
. . . I disagree that obedience only needs more recruits. Just look at agility. I don't see anymore effort to get youngsters involved in agility than in obedience, yet agility is thriving.
Agility requires far more space and equipment (or access to such) than obedience. You hardly need any equipment for obedience and you can find a way to train in a house, on the sidewalk, in a park, etc. And yet, agility, not obedience, is thriving. Obedience never has been as popular as agility, even when obedience was practically the only dog game around.
Just about everyone in obedience has an opinion on how this or that change could improve obedience. I have a million ideas. Only thing is, it doesn't MATTER what anyone's ideas are. Obedience is etched in stone. And that, I think, is the real problem. Regular obedience doesn't seem to be able to try anything new.
Agility and rally can make dramatic changes practically overnight. Changing anything about obedience requires decades of pushing, and then the changes are little more than chips around the edges of the stone into which the rules have been carved.
I'm not talking about making obedience "easier." I'm thinking of things like more variety in the routines, maybe a "Preferred" option with lower jumps, higher and harder levels of obedience to move teams beyond the endless perfection of the same old, a reassessment of the value of exercises that people have complained about for decades (like the Open groups), etc. But mostly, I think obedience just needs to TRY some new ideas. Maybe they won't work and maybe they will.
Evolution: It's not just for antibiotic-resistant bacteria anymore.
Well, AMEN! Helen Phillips, one of the great thinkers in our sport, has been saying the same thing for decades. Is anyone out there listening?
2. There is a person here in our local environment who has participated in conformation and agility but has only watched competition obedience from ringside for more than two decades. What she brings to the table in this discussion is 40 years of national award-winning experience as a marketing excecutive. For at least a decade she's been saying:
Over the years I've heard a lot of people lamenting the dwindling number of young people in obedience. One thing that might help would be to award the winners in Novice an entry into their next trial, rather than giving them a tchotchke. Young people don't have a lot of money and it's expensive to show a dog in obedience. An award of their next show entry is more likely to bring them back than is a fuzzy duck.
3. Finally, an observation of my own. I'll make the comments that follow, then show up for the rally trials at the Fiesta Cluster in Scottsdale this weekend with a paper bag over my head.
One need look no farther than rally to identify a major contributor to the decline in competition obedience entries.
Firstof all, rally obedience is a misnomer. Better the sport should be called rally coaxing or rally luring or rally arm waving. To use the word obedience to identify the sport of rally and then turn around and apply it to the venerable sport of competition obedience is, I submit, a lot like the use of the word beauty -- it's in the eye of the beholder.
Traditionally, in AKC dog sports, obedience has implied a strong commitment to training the dog. That's absolutely not true of rally. Give me a dog that -- with sufficient coaxing, cajoling, begging, pleading, and above all arm-waving -- will sit, down and take a low jump, and I can qualify that dog in rally. I see it umpteen times at every rally trial. Blood, sweat and tears not required.
That's not to say that rally is easy. What's hard -- what trips up so many of us (Yes, us; I lose far more points than my dog does.) -- is keeping our heads together so as not to make silly handler errors. But training the dog, naw!
I was at a rally trial last weekend here in the Phoenix area. There were 39 entries, which meant there were quite a few less people than dogs. I counted 14 people that I knew and was personally aware of that had either started out in dog sports with the intention of doing competition obedience or had been in competition obedience -- some for many years -- but had dropped out and had gone into rally.
Those who had started out to do traditional obedience had discovered that training a dog to be competitive in the obedience ring is hard. It requires dedication and commitment. And it takes a long time, at least two years. They had said, "Oh my God, this is is hard!" And had fled to rally. A lick and a promoise and they were in the ring, patting thighs, flailing arms.
Those who had been in competition obedience for a long time -- struggling along with poorly trained dogs -- discovered rally, cried, "Hosanna!" and they were outa there.
Sociologists would tell you that this migration is simply a reflection of a decades-long tred in our society -- instant gratification. And given a choice, many take the low road, the less-effort road.
What I've just said is in no way a suggestion that obedience should be dumbed down. It's merely an observation of one of the factors that clearly is siphoning off competition obedience entries.
* * *
A Personal Note Many who have been reading this blog for the past 10 months have also read my first two books: Remembering to Breathe and OTCH Dreams. A third book is on the way. I've just finished the first draft. Right now I have 518 pages of an intended 300-page book. At this point I always do a complete rewrite -- and cut. That exercise and training a yet-to-be-born puppy will consume the lion's share of the rest of 2012.
The point is that postings to this blog will be fewer and farther between. The blog isn't dying, it's just slowing down to accommodate the priorities mentioned above.
Willard
1. There's a bright, active lady in Pullman, Washington who comments on these posts from time to time. I think she's retired, but I'm not sure. She was or is a vertebrate museum curator. Anyhow, she has interesting things to say, and I wish she lived in our neck of the woods. She blogs under the "handle" Palouse Dogs."
Recently she posted this comment:
. . . I disagree that obedience only needs more recruits. Just look at agility. I don't see anymore effort to get youngsters involved in agility than in obedience, yet agility is thriving.
Agility requires far more space and equipment (or access to such) than obedience. You hardly need any equipment for obedience and you can find a way to train in a house, on the sidewalk, in a park, etc. And yet, agility, not obedience, is thriving. Obedience never has been as popular as agility, even when obedience was practically the only dog game around.
Just about everyone in obedience has an opinion on how this or that change could improve obedience. I have a million ideas. Only thing is, it doesn't MATTER what anyone's ideas are. Obedience is etched in stone. And that, I think, is the real problem. Regular obedience doesn't seem to be able to try anything new.
Agility and rally can make dramatic changes practically overnight. Changing anything about obedience requires decades of pushing, and then the changes are little more than chips around the edges of the stone into which the rules have been carved.
I'm not talking about making obedience "easier." I'm thinking of things like more variety in the routines, maybe a "Preferred" option with lower jumps, higher and harder levels of obedience to move teams beyond the endless perfection of the same old, a reassessment of the value of exercises that people have complained about for decades (like the Open groups), etc. But mostly, I think obedience just needs to TRY some new ideas. Maybe they won't work and maybe they will.
Evolution: It's not just for antibiotic-resistant bacteria anymore.
Well, AMEN! Helen Phillips, one of the great thinkers in our sport, has been saying the same thing for decades. Is anyone out there listening?
2. There is a person here in our local environment who has participated in conformation and agility but has only watched competition obedience from ringside for more than two decades. What she brings to the table in this discussion is 40 years of national award-winning experience as a marketing excecutive. For at least a decade she's been saying:
Over the years I've heard a lot of people lamenting the dwindling number of young people in obedience. One thing that might help would be to award the winners in Novice an entry into their next trial, rather than giving them a tchotchke. Young people don't have a lot of money and it's expensive to show a dog in obedience. An award of their next show entry is more likely to bring them back than is a fuzzy duck.
3. Finally, an observation of my own. I'll make the comments that follow, then show up for the rally trials at the Fiesta Cluster in Scottsdale this weekend with a paper bag over my head.
One need look no farther than rally to identify a major contributor to the decline in competition obedience entries.
Firstof all, rally obedience is a misnomer. Better the sport should be called rally coaxing or rally luring or rally arm waving. To use the word obedience to identify the sport of rally and then turn around and apply it to the venerable sport of competition obedience is, I submit, a lot like the use of the word beauty -- it's in the eye of the beholder.
Traditionally, in AKC dog sports, obedience has implied a strong commitment to training the dog. That's absolutely not true of rally. Give me a dog that -- with sufficient coaxing, cajoling, begging, pleading, and above all arm-waving -- will sit, down and take a low jump, and I can qualify that dog in rally. I see it umpteen times at every rally trial. Blood, sweat and tears not required.
That's not to say that rally is easy. What's hard -- what trips up so many of us (Yes, us; I lose far more points than my dog does.) -- is keeping our heads together so as not to make silly handler errors. But training the dog, naw!
I was at a rally trial last weekend here in the Phoenix area. There were 39 entries, which meant there were quite a few less people than dogs. I counted 14 people that I knew and was personally aware of that had either started out in dog sports with the intention of doing competition obedience or had been in competition obedience -- some for many years -- but had dropped out and had gone into rally.
Those who had started out to do traditional obedience had discovered that training a dog to be competitive in the obedience ring is hard. It requires dedication and commitment. And it takes a long time, at least two years. They had said, "Oh my God, this is is hard!" And had fled to rally. A lick and a promoise and they were in the ring, patting thighs, flailing arms.
Those who had been in competition obedience for a long time -- struggling along with poorly trained dogs -- discovered rally, cried, "Hosanna!" and they were outa there.
Sociologists would tell you that this migration is simply a reflection of a decades-long tred in our society -- instant gratification. And given a choice, many take the low road, the less-effort road.
What I've just said is in no way a suggestion that obedience should be dumbed down. It's merely an observation of one of the factors that clearly is siphoning off competition obedience entries.
* * *
A Personal Note Many who have been reading this blog for the past 10 months have also read my first two books: Remembering to Breathe and OTCH Dreams. A third book is on the way. I've just finished the first draft. Right now I have 518 pages of an intended 300-page book. At this point I always do a complete rewrite -- and cut. That exercise and training a yet-to-be-born puppy will consume the lion's share of the rest of 2012.
The point is that postings to this blog will be fewer and farther between. The blog isn't dying, it's just slowing down to accommodate the priorities mentioned above.
Willard
Friday, February 17, 2012
THE WISDOM OF JUDIE NIECE
Apparently the majority of those who read this blog have no idea how to navigate the steps necessary to leave a message in the comments area. I understand; the process confounds me, too. The responses I get directly to my email outnumber by at least 10 to 1 the comments left on the blog. From time to time one of those emailed comments strikes me as must-read for all those who are tuned in to this blog.
Such was the case when I heard from Judie Niece on February 15. Judie was responding to the well-documented case Andrea in Las Vegas had made about the cost of competition obedience participation. Judie started out to explain how the benefits of having your kids participate in AKC dog sports events can far outweigh the onerous costs of that participation. But before she was finished she also delivered a little piece of wisdom that way, way transcended dollars and cents. Here's Judie's message in its entirety.
There is an incentive to have your children participate in AKC events, and it far outweighs the cost of shows. My daughter Holly participated in AKC Junior Showmanship and conformation. She started at age 11 -- no classes. She observed professional handlers and put into practice what she saw in the ring. She placed several conformation titles on dogs that she handled for others. She also trained her Lab in obedience, earning a CD title, participated in hunt tests, had a registered therapy dog, and qualified for Westminster 2 times as a Junior Handler.
Her first introduction to a dog show was watching "mom" participate in one of her first obedience shows -- she was hooked! Not only do these juniors mature quickly, having to participate with adults, but those who participate in AKC events are also eligible to apply for AKC scholarships. Between her undergrad studies at(Arizona State University) and then her transfer to (Colorado State University) for vet school, she was awarded about $30,000 in scholarships. And your choice of majors has nothing to do with the award. Many recipients choose majors not having anything to do with the "dog world." Not too many weekend soccer warriors can say the same. And did I mention she was SO BUSY with the "dog world" that she never had time to get into any trouble. . . . just sayin' . . .
It happens that I was priviledged to have, literally, a ringside seat for the interaction Judie describes. Many were the times Judie and I competed in the obedience ring with our goldens -- Judie with Sandy, I with Honeybear. And we watched together as Holly heeled her Lab in the Novice ring.
A few weeks ago, at an obedience trial, I looked to my left and saw a young couple changing a diaper atop a crate. They were Holly (Niece) Tuttle DVM, her husband Bill and tiny daughter Brooke.
Another dog sports newbie on the way?
Willard
Such was the case when I heard from Judie Niece on February 15. Judie was responding to the well-documented case Andrea in Las Vegas had made about the cost of competition obedience participation. Judie started out to explain how the benefits of having your kids participate in AKC dog sports events can far outweigh the onerous costs of that participation. But before she was finished she also delivered a little piece of wisdom that way, way transcended dollars and cents. Here's Judie's message in its entirety.
There is an incentive to have your children participate in AKC events, and it far outweighs the cost of shows. My daughter Holly participated in AKC Junior Showmanship and conformation. She started at age 11 -- no classes. She observed professional handlers and put into practice what she saw in the ring. She placed several conformation titles on dogs that she handled for others. She also trained her Lab in obedience, earning a CD title, participated in hunt tests, had a registered therapy dog, and qualified for Westminster 2 times as a Junior Handler.
Her first introduction to a dog show was watching "mom" participate in one of her first obedience shows -- she was hooked! Not only do these juniors mature quickly, having to participate with adults, but those who participate in AKC events are also eligible to apply for AKC scholarships. Between her undergrad studies at(Arizona State University) and then her transfer to (Colorado State University) for vet school, she was awarded about $30,000 in scholarships. And your choice of majors has nothing to do with the award. Many recipients choose majors not having anything to do with the "dog world." Not too many weekend soccer warriors can say the same. And did I mention she was SO BUSY with the "dog world" that she never had time to get into any trouble. . . . just sayin' . . .
It happens that I was priviledged to have, literally, a ringside seat for the interaction Judie describes. Many were the times Judie and I competed in the obedience ring with our goldens -- Judie with Sandy, I with Honeybear. And we watched together as Holly heeled her Lab in the Novice ring.
A few weeks ago, at an obedience trial, I looked to my left and saw a young couple changing a diaper atop a crate. They were Holly (Niece) Tuttle DVM, her husband Bill and tiny daughter Brooke.
Another dog sports newbie on the way?
Willard
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