Anyone compete with their dogs? (or are involved in any dog activities)?

[Calift]

With my the recent loss of two very special pets (due to health problems associated with old age), I've been thinking in the future of getting a dog. My family has a senior Chow right now, who I don't live with at the moment but is a great dog, though I was never able to compete in any sport with her (tried junior-level stuff but she just doesn't have the right personality).

For my next dog, I'd like a breed that was very friendly and very versatile. I'd really like to get fully involved in some sort of canine sport- like confirmation, agility or obedience. Of course, I know this takes a lot of planning and training which is why I'm starting to think about it now.


So does anyone here compete and have advice to share? (or even breed recommendations)?

I'd love to hear all your stories!

[dsirkle]

I only compete with my dogs for space on the bed.

[SlitherinSisters]

I don't do any competitions yet as my pup is only 11 months old. I'm really excited to try some agility with her! She's a Doberman Pinscher. You can't do any agility training/competitions till a dog is two years old because it's really hard/dangerous for their joints. She's done some little obedience shows and I'm eventually going to do some small local AKC conformation shows.

Don't expect to do well in conformation shows unless you spend a lot of money on the dog and buy it from a breeder who shows. I don't expect Athena to go on to the Westminster dog show, but it would be a lot of fun to show her off in small shows.

There are quite a few people who show dogs on this website. You'll just have to wait till they chime in.

As for what breed, it depends on what kind of competitions you want to get involved with. Herding, agility, tracking, etc all have specialized breeds.

Also if you want to do any AKC conformation showing you can't spay/neuter your dog because it's a competition for breeding stock. If you're dog can't breed then it's disqualified. The breeder also has to put a code on your dogs registration to allow it to breed and therefor compete in conformation. I had to almost beg the breeder to code Athena's papers so I could show her. A lot of breeders (decent breeders) will refuse to code the papers. Without the code you can breed your dog, but the puppies cannot be registered with AKC. Just something to think about.

[wuffielover]

As far as picking a dog to compete with, I would probably go one of two ways; decide what sport(s) you like and pick a dog that will enjoy it, or pick a dog you like and then go with the sport(s) that they are most suited to. As far as versatile breeds, there are dogs that can do a lot of things fairly well, and there are dogs that do one or two things *very* well. If you know you want to focus in one area and/or are pretty competitive, pick a dog that will do well and enjoy it- Border Collies are great at agility, hounds love to track. Dogs that were bred to be general working dogs tend to do well in several things, but sometimes simply can't compete with more 'specialized' dogs in their specific areas, although you can still have a lot of fun with them.

I do agility with my Lab mix, she really enjoys it and so do I! Speaking as someone who, admittedly, has never competed in obedience or conformation, I like agility because it seems to be a less rigid sport, where both the handler and the dog have a lot of freedom and initiative.There aren't as many or as strict rules, either, pretty much 'go through the obstacles in the right order, don't knock the jump bars down, hit the yellow on the contacts'. Other than that, you're free to develop your own strategy. One of the other things I like about agility is that there are organizations like USDAA and NADAC that allow mixed breed dogs to compete, which is great for me since Jess would never pass for a full blood Lab. Another great thing about the sport is the great variety of dogs that can, and do, compete- in my weekly class our instructor runs pit bulls, there are two ladies who run dachshunds, another with a sheltie, one with a labradoodle, and another with a beagle/terrier mix. That said, there are a few breeds that really 'excel' at agility, border collies being the most well known- if you watch the big, international agility competitions it's pretty much split between border collies at the taller jump heights and shelties in the shorter ones, with a golden retriever or a corgi here and there.

Like Isis said above, there are some parts of agility training (jumps, weave poles) that shouldn't start until the dog's growth plates have closed- usually around two years old, depending on the breed- because they put a fair amount of stress on a dog's body. People who are really serious, however, train their dogs from puppyhood to follow handling cues and run agility courses, they just remove the bars from the jumps and exclude other risky obstacles until the dogs are older. I started Jess in a group class when she was a little over 2 years old, and didn't start competing until more than a year later with her, but people who train their dogs more intensely than I did (pretty much just in class, I confess, although we've worked on a few problem areas here and there by ourselves) could shorten that time by quite a bit.

Anyway, hope this was some help

[kazboots]

I have a Sheltie and a Swedish Elkhound that do agility and competitition obedience. The sheltie started agility at 6 months but we skipped every other weave so it was easier and did really low jumps. The Elkhound was 2years old because she was a rescue and that's when I got her.

As for breed that depends more on you, any breed can do agility and obedience some breeds are better at it and will be easier to title but every breed can do it.There is a Shih Zhu,a German Sheperd, Aussies,a Fox Terrier,a Poodle, a Basset Hound, Shelties, Border Collies, Labs,a Husky mix, a Dutch Shepherd, a Shiba Inu and my Elkhound in the agility class I go to. I have even seen a Great Dane and a Papillon run Agility. Not every owner can handle every breed though, Border Collies and and Aussies are common in agility but they are very energetic and can be too much for some people. Read about the pros and cons of different breeds and think about how they fit into your life. I personally like my Shelties but they are not the dog for everyone. Do you have any ideas as to what breeds you are interested in? Do you want a small dog or a larger dog?

[Calift]

Thanks for the responses....I love hearing about what people do with their dogs, and you guys have lots of wonderful advice!

I'm not really new to dog breeds or anything, but my two current ones (Chow are Greyhounds), aren't that trainable. I literally melt if I see a chow puppy or someone walking a grey, but neither breed is good off leash or known for great obedience.

Another choice I'm torn between is adopt or purchase from a reputable (& recommended & researched) breeder. I've been involved in animal adoption for many years now, so I know how many great dogs are for adoption....and I've never purchased from a breeder before, but I'd like to raise a purebred from the start.

I've heard conformation can be really tough. Very stressful and competitive....still hasn't fully deterred me yet, but it would require a lot more time, money, & involved with a specific breed...Agility seems like a good alternative, and there are a couple clubs in town that I might try and sit-in with.

I think my major problem with dog breed is that I know too many!! For instance, I'd love to own a Schipperke someday or another nordic breed. I've been leaning towards Australian shepherd though (they seem less neurotic than some borders), but I can't say find them all that attractive (of course I also think Salukis are perfectly, stunning)...decisions, decisions, (and no whim purchases allowed like with the snakes)

[SlitherinSisters]

An Irish Setter might fit into your style preference. They are very pretty dogs and very easy to train. Also if you want a smaller one Corgie's are pretty darn cute and very trainable. Those are the two breeds that came to mind after reading your last post.

A funny story about an Irish Setter! My aunt had one and we were house sitting for her, which included taking care of Samson. I was yelling at my little sister to get me the remote because she was being a brat. I started to ignore her and look at my book. Next thing I knew someone set the remote on my lap, it was Samson!!! He did the same thing later that day when the phone rang! He was so awesome! We had no idea he even knew those tricks. He was a real treat to babysit!

[Dalishar]

I used to show my mom's australian shepherds for her, and can't recommend that breed enough if you want an easily trained, eager to please dog. My "partner" Flint was an absolute dream in the show ring. As you said, that's not for everyone though! We had to retire him early after making the mistake of letting a "friend" of mine take him to a show for us. After that, my perfectly mannered dog inexplicably started snapping at judges and was absolutely terrified of getting his head touched. (Can you say instant disqualifications? Sigh.) I'm sure that kind of... sabotage? isn't really the norm though, and up until then conformation was really fun. The competitive air is mostly friendly, and a lot of the people are truly passionate about the breeds they're working with.

Physical appeal however, I can somewhat agree. They are stocky little things, and as someone who loves long-legged, lanky breeds it's just not very attractive. Some of the blue merles make up for it - we had one in the kennel that was just gorgeous. Her grays were like a wispy, light color and she had the most amazing blue eyes. I hated letting that dog go.

Have you considered german or shiloh shepherds? I've finally gotten my hands on one and will probably never have another breed. I was hoping to do schutzhund with Aubrey, but unfortunately she doesn't have the right temperament for it. If I were to get a dog specifically for that (I'm not sure if you're interested in schutzhund at all?) it'd be a real german-line german shepherd, which comes with a hefty pricetag. Bleh!

[sekaiNdobes]

I show in conformation and obedience. I'm actually at my breed's National Specialty right now, taking a break and surfing the 'net in my hotel room.

Showing in any venue, may it be conformation, obedience or agility requires an immense amount of time, money and dedication. Each of these activities is stressful and competitive. Training-wise, conformation is by far the easiest. Agility and obedience are far more difficult to train for, and contrary to popular belief are very competitve and take much more time than conformation. Money is also a factor - a friend of mine here is spending $1000/month on training classes for her current obedience dog - expect to pay this much, if not more if you want a truly competitive agility dog.

The breed you get really depends on what you want to do with your dog. If you are a novice in conformation, I don't recommend getting a dog with a lot of hair, nor a dog in a competitive breed such as Dobermans or many of the terrier breeds.

If you primarily want an obedience dog, as a novice in the sport you'd be best to avoid breeds with very independent temperaments. Salukis are wonderful dogs, but it takes a VERY talented trainer to work them in obedience.

If your interest is in Agility, look for an athletic and biddable dog - nontraditional breeds are fun, but if you want a dog that is a serious competitor it might be best to look at breeds that excel in the sport. However, as a novice it may be hard to get a really good agility prospect, as it is a very serious sport and the really good dogs go to people who have proven to be serious about it, and have the funds to pay for the training and trialing.

Competing with dogs is a very demanding hobby. It's not passive, it's active - it's best if you have a passion for dogs, and are prepared to live the life of someone who is "into" dogs. I can't begin to tell you how much time and money it takes. It's very hard to have other hobbies when you compete in the dog world.

If you do decide to get into dogs and buy a dog from a breeder, contact the breed's parent club to find a good breeder. There are many BYBs out there that say they're selling show quality puppies, but the reality is that if you want a show dog, you need to buy from a proven show breeder. Show breeders also produce pet quality dogs, but pet breeders almost never - and usually never - produce anything that would win in the ring. Even "small shows" are comprised of dogs from show breeders. Small shows do not mean the quality is less than the larger shows. It just means there are fewer dogs being shown.

[sekaiNdobes]

An Irish Setter might fit into your style preference. They are very pretty dogs and very easy to train. Also if you want a smaller one Corgie's are pretty darn cute and very trainable. Those are the two breeds that came to mind after reading your last post.

In my experience, the grooming needed for an Irish is pretty time consuming. I've shown a few, they can be real airheads sometimes! Out of the setters, I prefer the English, but none of the setters are well endowed in the brains department. Sweeter than anything though. I would not choose any of the setter breeds for competitive obedience.

Corgis are great dogs, but they need fair and consistent handling to be good obedience dogs. They are wonderful show dogs, talented obedience dogs and hilarious little agility dogs. But there are more bad breeders than good ones in the corgi breed, and care must be taken to get a good one. My corgi is not a show dog by far, but the corgi coming home in 2010 is from a very strong show and performance pedigree. I'm so excited!