Clean Run - April 2017 - 5

Cherry Picking
Dog Behaviors
By Sarah Stremming

A friend recently posed this question to the social media masses: "Do you think dogs that cannot be off leash with another
dog in the ring waiting its turn on leash should be allowed to
compete in agility?"
Clearly, she doesn't mind stirring the pot. Unsurprisingly, 141
comments later, no conclusion was reached. So what's the deal?
Why can't we agree on this, and why do we have to talk about it
in the first place? I'll start with a story.
When I was first starting out in agility I had my dog Kelso in
an agility class. He was sitting next to me on the benches next
to the ring, quietly waiting his turn. One of the other dogs in
the class ran away from her handler, left the ring, and ran up to
Kelso. That's when my dog took a bite out of his classmate. The
dog walked away with a puncture wound in her side which was
treated by a veterinarian that night. I walked away with the vet
bill and revocation of my invitation to the class.
My dog was leashed, under control, and where he was supposed
to be. Her dog was newly adopted, fairly untrained, and could
not be recalled. And yet, I was in trouble. That was fifteen years
ago, but I haven't forgotten the lesson: in the sport of dog agility the expectations surrounding dog behavior are seriously
screwed up.
Expectations
At agility trials we expect our dogs to tolerate all kinds of unnatural things. A bunch of dogs crammed into a barn, spun up
on adrenaline, attached to handlers who are pretty preoccupied
is a recipe for such disaster that frankly it's surprising to me how
few altercations occur on any given weekend. The expectation
of my dog in the situation described above is that he would tolerate this other dog running up to him in a very cramped space.
That's a tall order, and not a fair one. Yet, were the same scenario
to play out at a trial, similar disciplinary action would have taken place. Had we been in a ring, she running and I waiting my
turn, my dog would have been barred from future trials, not just
one agility class. Yikes.
For some reason a wide variety of dog behavior is considered
acceptable in the agility world (barking, jumping on people,
pulling on leash, shaking and slapping a toy, I could go on), just
not anything that remotely looks like aggression. Unfortunately
we don't get to cherry pick behavior; not for our dogs, our children, our partners, our coworkers, or anyone else. We either say
we need our dogs to be robots (not happening!), or we accept
the wide variety of behaviors that dogs bring to the table. End
of story.
April 17 | Clean Run

Responsibility
So, if we are going to admit and accept that dogs will be dogs-
and that includes a lot of behaviors that may not be compatible
with our sport environment-we now must take on a greater
level of responsibility. If I recognize and embrace that the dog
next to me is capable of: running off, getting into a dog fight,
stealing food off the table outside the ring, ducking under the
ring fencing and chasing down a rabbit, jumping on people,
and the rest of the gamut of dog behaviors ranging from highly
probable to highly unlikely, that means it is now my responsibility to properly prepare my dog for the environment and
utilize reinforcement to influence his behavior as best as I can.
It is not up to our dogs to be robots (and expecting them to
tolerate a strange dog in their face IS expecting them to be a
robot). It is up to us to teach them what is expected of them,
and to prioritize teaching them how to be safe in the environment we choose for them; i.e., how to mind their own business. Dogs that leave other dogs alone and leave people alone
are the safest dogs at agility trials. If every single person competing in agility took it upon themselves to teach their dog to
keep to himself (which, by the way is possible and does not
require robotics) we would all be much, much safer (and happier!) at trials.
The Role of Instructors
Agility in the United States is for all people and their dogs. Most
people who get into the sport do so with their pet. The vast majority of agility enthusiasts are not dog trainers or dog behavior
specialists. They look to the people teaching this sport to know
what skills their dogs need; and leaving out skills regarding the
tough social environment that is trials is a disservice that is
done too often. Ring entrances and exits, handler-focus in the
face of social enticement, strategies for avoiding dog-dog altercations, and the importance of remaining attentive to our dogs
should be as hardwired into agility curricula as front crosses,
contact behaviors, and weave poles. Until this changes, we will
continue to see tighter attempts at management (Fort Knox
style ring gates, anyone?) and more dog-dog altercations. Our
sport is only getting more crowded while our dogs are only getting more intense. Our training must step up to the plate, and it
won't if the instruction does not improve.
Fifteen years ago I made the error of having my dog ringside in
class, and another person made the error of unclipping the leash
on a dog who would not stay focused on her or the game. An
[continued on page 6]
5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - April 2017