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#1
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
I'm so hooked after two days of being at this trial and talking to all these
people and watching all the fun and meeting all these dogs and seeing Amie's excitement mirror my own that I'm speaking in runon sentences! I've been interested for a few years but this trial, spending two days mingling, really cemented my interest. Amie is really eager to start taking classes and she spent alot of time asking very mature questions today. She was back to dogwalking a young BC and played with many other dogs as a way of meeting the dogs as well as getting to talk to their owners. Seeing her take such an active interest and carry herself so well with all these adults was an eye opener as well. The adults also seemed impressed with her and very willing to talk to her rather than just humor her. One incident with a BC pecking her in the face today scared her. Evidently the dog has space issues with its head, has had a rough past with rehoming, but after 10 minutes and feeding the dog many tidbits Amie didn't think about leaning towards the dog as she was talking to him. That was all it took as he reared up and pecked her on the temple. She was a bit unsure of herself with the dogs afterwards but we overcame it quickly as most dogs are suckers for kids with food. Scared me a bit as the dog was lunging at her face before I had time to react. All ended well though and the owner was apologetic. I had my earlobes nibbled by a male FCR named Trouble. He stood to give me a full body hug while maniacally licking my face, neck and ears until he managed to give me a good nip on both. We met more Shelties today (there were something like 16 of them) and here again people were really pushing the breed until I found the one bad thing I couldn't deal with and that's their great penchant for alert barking, except that they alert on just about everything & everyone. There were more Cockers today and I believe we're 95% settled on the breed for our next dog and agility partner. They seem to have all the traits we want in a family dog as well as the trainability and kid-compatibility we would like for agility with Amie doing most of the handling. Of course well-bred with correct temperament and as few health issues possible will be the requirement as I hear of too many (and see on Petfinder) whose temperaments aren't suited to being with children. Amie had several dogs she "bonded" with and cheered on. A woman from Florida runs a beautiful b&w BC named Potion and a very sweet GSP named Ellie who Amie loved. Amie kept up with when "her dogs" were up for events and always made sure we were at the right ring at the right time to cheer & congratulate. I feel like I should be concerned and fight this known addiction but when I ask myself why I come up emptyhanded. -- Tara |
#2
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.breeds: I feel like I should be concerned and fight this known addiction but when I ask myself why I come up emptyhanded. You AND Amie have been assimilated. Resistance is futile. Compliance means a new vehicle. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#3
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Rocky" wrote in message
... "Tee" said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds: I feel like I should be concerned and fight this known addiction but when I ask myself why I come up emptyhanded. You AND Amie have been assimilated. Resistance is futile. That's what I thought. Compliance means a new vehicle. Ha! I have a new vehicle (a year old Explorer) and it'll have to do because I still have 4 years worth of payments left on it. Also, I vow not to become one of those people who car shop to support their dog acquisition addiction. -- Tara |
#4
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.breeds: Compliance means a new vehicle. Ha! I have a new vehicle (a year old Explorer) and it'll have to do because I still have 4 years worth of payments left on it. Also, I vow not to become one of those people who car shop to support their dog acquisition addiction. One *never* buys a new vehicle to support their dog addiction. One buys a new vehicle because "We need that extra space anyway", "I'm sure the kids would like AC in the back", "All those doors provide a lot of adaptability", and "Look! The rear seats fold into the floor!" -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#5
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
Tee wrote:
"Rocky" wrote in message Ha! I have a new vehicle (a year old Explorer) and it'll have to do because I still have 4 years worth of payments left on it. Also, I vow not to become one of those people who car shop to support their dog acquisition addiction. Hah. My prediction is that five years from now you'll be hauling your crates to the car dealership and shoving them in the backs of everything you look at before you even drive it. "Nope, too narrow." "I can't stack." "Okay, I can fit 2, but I can't fit 3." "Floor slopes." "Too high off the ground!" |
#6
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Rocky" wrote in message
... One *never* buys a new vehicle to support their dog addiction. One buys a new vehicle because "We need that extra space anyway", "I'm sure the kids would like AC in the back", "All those doors provide a lot of adaptability", and "Look! The rear seats fold into the floor!" You've been minivan scoping haven't you? I found myself peering too curiously into some of the vehicles I saw at the trial. There were work special white vans that were rigged inside to include toilets. They were obviously homemade customizations. There were volvo wagons with creatively positioned crates inside and rooftop carriers strapped to the roof. I'm really amazed that people remember to bring clothes and a chair for themselves when you look at the tents, crates, toys, leashes, crate covers and other miscellaneous dog gear they bring along and many of them are doing so in compact cars! -- Tara |
#7
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.breeds: You've been minivan scoping haven't you? I'm happy with my minivan - we all fit in it, plus all the big stuff can be removed quickly so that we can sleep in it. http://www.rocky-dog.com/Misc/DogVan.jpg Me and mine have slept in there too many times to count. I found myself peering too curiously into some of the vehicles I saw at the trial. Yup. One of these days. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#8
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Rocky" wrote in message
... Compliance means a new vehicle. First - a sun shelter. I think we actually have three. Still haven't found the perfect one. We even have one of those little pop-up ones that you just toss in the air and it sets itself up. It also holds two chairs and a dog crate on those days we need a stopping off point nearer the ring. Of course, in our case, the new vehicle is 21 feet long and comes with a shower, microwave, refrigerator and TV (I'm told it's for watching those taped runs but we haven't put a VCR in there yet). It's actually mostly used for the heat and central AC. And the beds.. No need to measure for crate space. The entire thing is one giant dog crate. ~~Judy |
#9
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Agility Day 2, Even Better!
"Tee" wrote in message
... Seeing her take such an active interest and carry herself so well with all these adults was an eye opener as well. The adults also seemed impressed with her and very willing to talk to her rather than just humor her. Told ya. The kids I see at trials are really great kids. And most of the people there are parents themselves - a lot of them with grown kids. Add a shared interest in the dogs and it's just a great situation. I so much wish it had been around when my daughter was 13. There were more Cockers today and I believe we're 95% settled on the breed for our next dog and agility partner. They seem to have all the traits we want in a family dog as well as the trainability and kid-compatibility we would like for agility with Amie doing most of the handling. Of course well-bred with correct temperament and as few health issues possible will be the requirement as I hear of too many (and see on Petfinder) whose temperaments aren't suited to being with children. An excellent choice. And you know the drill to increase your chances of getting a good one. I feel like I should be concerned and fight this known addiction but when I ask myself why I come up emptyhanded. Well, there IS the cost. (Who was it who said "I know there's a lot of money in agility because I put it there myself?") And the time involved. Classes and trials. Rain gear. Turf shoes. Sun shelter. Travel. The offset is that you have something that is really, really fun to do with both your daughter and your dog. That time with your daughter IMO offsets a whole lotta expense. And you meet a whole bunch of really nice people. When DH first started to go to agility with me, he did it just to be with me. The first thing he discovered was that when you take a group of people who not only love their dogs but are spending time and money to go and play with their dogs, that you had a pretty good sub-section of the population to make new friends. And then he got hooked on the fun. And then he got hooked on the challenge. Honestly - and even though none of you know him, I think you can still perhaps appreciate this statement - he's seriously considering selling his fishing boat because he's just too busy with agility during fishing season. The boat never gets used. ~~Judy |
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