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

There is really geat advice on this thread. Mine is: pick a breed that you enjoy and can live with. I started competing with an Australian shepherd and Whippet.

I currently have four dogs, 9yr Whippet, almost 6yr Swedish Vallhund, 4yr Siberian Husky and 10 month Swedish Vallhund.

We train and compete in Agility, Obedience, Rally and Conformation.
My older Vallhund needs one more major for his AKC Championship and is working on his AKC Master Agility Ch. title. He also has his AKC Rally Excellent title, UKC CH and agility titles in UKC, USDAA, and TDAA.
My Siberian had his AKC Rally Excellent and is working on his AKC CD and just starting in Agility.
My Whippet is retired and had earned AKC Agility titles and the Vallhund pup is just starting in Conformation showing and Agility training.

I am on my third weekend of Agility shows with one more and after that Conformation.
It is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle ;)

Chase, Whippet - over the Rainbow Bridge:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/917339dc.jpg
Tripp, Whippet:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/df3244b0.jpg
Scout, Swedish Vallhund:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/9c3123c7.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/IM001284.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/100_1622.jpg

I do Earthdog with my border terriers. Don't have any pictures of them going to ground, but here there are relaxing in the buttercups.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tercupBoys.jpg

Great, affectionate, game little dogs.

I love borders! One of the few terriers that's on my wish list... though I'll probably end up with a SFT as my first terrier. That's what I get for working for Smooth and Wire Quarterly, and having a boss whose main breed is SFTs.

But, for the record, borders are my very favorite terriers. :)

I won't tell. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Calift

Those corgis are beautiful....Is it strange to walk a corgi and a doberman at the same time:oops:? They have such different profiles...but each are attractive in their own way. :cool:

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My friend has an Corgi and a Husky/Great Dane mix. That will get a few looks if she has them both out together. The Dane/Husky towers over the Corgi but its the Corgi who is the boss.

Tervs are beautiful. We had an older Terv come into the shelter once as a stray and was mislabeled a Collie mix(we aren't allowed to change the intake forms even when it's clearly wrong). Even though it was older it was still beautiful. I called a rescue who called a Terv rescue, who pulled the dog, and were able to find it original owner who had lost it while travelling and finally it was reunited with its owner. I don't know all the details since I just made the first call but I was so happy when I got word the dog made it back where it belonged.
I don't think the hair would bother me on a Terv but I have several cats( # varies depending on how many fosters I have), and a Swedish Elkhound who sheds a ridiculous amount, and the pair of shelties that are okay till they blow coat, so hair is already everywhere, the only dog that doesn't cause too much trouble is the big white mix that's outside much of the time by her own choice.Those sticky hair rollers are a godsend, I have them everywhere. Someday I would like a place in the country cause living in town has limited space for kennels. I want another sable merle sheltie like my Mira and Hana,a Papillion, a Husky or a Malamute, a Pit Bull, one of longer coated Shepherd breeds, a Corgi,a Vallhund and a few others at some point in my life. The Vallhund's look like small versions of my Elkhound and seem so lively. I would also like another Swedish Elkhound from known origins to raise properly from a pup. I am sure several random mixes will fall somewhere in there too and most I would be fine with a mix as long as they look like what I want and have a descent temperment.I love Shelties in general but there are just so many wonderful breeds out there, each with their own pros and cons that I don't want to have just Shelties.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kazboots

The Vallhund's look like small versions of my Elkhound and seem so lively. I would also like another Swedish Elkhound from known origins to raise properly from a pup.

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Yes, I have seen pics of the Swedish Elkhounds on the net and they do look similar to the Vallhunds.
My Valls are very lively dogs, the breed was developed as a farm dog/herder so they are energetic and smart.
Here is a pic of my 11mo female, Rogue. Her tail normally curls over her back but she was not very happy.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/100_3913.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CritterVet

I do Earthdog with my border terriers. Don't have any pictures of them going to ground, but here there are relaxing in the buttercups.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tercupBoys.jpg

Great, affectionate, game little dogs.

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I love Border Terriers. There are a bunch that do agility in my area.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DragonBallz

Yes, I have seen pics of the Swedish Elkhounds on the net and they do look similar to the Vallhunds.
My Valls are very lively dogs, the breed was developed as a farm dog/herder so they are energetic and smart.
Here is a pic of my 11mo female, Rogue. Her tail normally curls over her back but she was not very happy.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/100_3913.jpg

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My Elkhound Lilith does the same thing with her tail, I can always tell when she is frustrated or upset because it is uncurled and hangs down. I love my friend's corgi but I like the Vallhunds color better.
Lilith's shelter paperwork says Norwegian Elkhound but comparing color and body structure to a Swedish Elkhound even if she is not pure I am sure she is at least a Swedish mix not a Norwegian mix. Her pics are posted here:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=94945
Her muzzle is thinner but then again I have seen purebred shelties that come nowhere near the standards but have "papers" so she may just not be a good one. I love her regardless of what she is but too many people have asked if she is a Hybrid or said she is a skinny Husky and needs to eat more so the fact that she resembles a Swedish Elkhound so much explains both her color and her body type. She is closer to the Swedish than anything else I have seen. She definitely has an Elkhound nose too, she is always sniffing everything and can even find plastic toys that are hidden.

yes i do, i show dobermans and Boston terriers in confirmation. through akc. i have a show this weekend in shakopee mn actually. they are not my dogs tho i show for others.

Go to your local shelter and start volunteering. Better yet, become a foster parent for your local shelter. This earns you hands on experience with a heap load of breeds and mixes.

I'm surprised no one else here has mentioned rescue????????? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE border terriers, your dobermans are beautiful, some of you have some really nice dogs...

But there are a lot of lives out there that need saving. Dogs who would be incredible companions, competitors, obedience masters, what have you...they die every day.

I have two incredible border collies. Both rescued as puppies, one from a shelter, the other pulled from a puppy mill along with a bunch of others. I compete in disc dog and agility with one of them, we've even dabbled in a little SAR...and it DOES NOT cost me $1000 a month to train my dog. I'd hate to meet the dog that costs $1000 a month to train, personally. Yeah, my agility girl could probably go far and do GREAT things, she's an amazing little dog...but we do it for what it was meant to be: FUN. The dog has a good time, I have fun seeing her learn and grow, and I get a good workout.


Irish setters are prone to cancer, and temperament issues. At least thats what I've gathered from the 10 or so I've met over the past 5 years. Just sayin'...It pays to meet the breed and get a good feel for what you want to work with.

Foster. You'll be doing a good thing, earning a dog breed education, and you may even fall in love...