Clean Run Magazine - May 2007 - 5

Editorializing… Is “Dabble” a Dirty Word? By Sheila Foran When I obtained my first Norfolk Terrier, almost 36 years ago, there were exactly four AKC titles I could hope to earn with him: Ch., CD, CDX, and UD. This was before the days of OTCH and UDX, before AKC Earthdog, and long before AKC agility (not to mention USDAA, NADAC, CPE, Teacup, and so on) trials filled the calendar. My current top dog is Arlo and he “only” has a breed championship, his CD, OA, and OAJ. I’m thrilled with his potential and am looking forward to continuing at the Excellent level in agility and in Open obedience. I’m also eager to start his daughter, Catcher, on her agility and obedience adventures. But first—there’s a book I’ve been meaning to read, I’m contemplating planting still more hostas, and Mandy (my oldest Norfolk) has let me know in her own inimitable fashion that she simply must go swimming one more time before the water gets too chilly for her aging bones. Is there something wrong with me? Is it silly to just dabble in a variety of dog sports or am I simply not taking this business of titles seriously enough? Is it okay not to do something competitive every weekend, even if it means it will take longer to get that next title? Or if maybe the next title will be in some other arena entirely? At many of the agility events I attend I see handlers who trial nearly every weekend of the year and whose dogs have so many letters after their names that they appear to be trailing some sort of obscure secret code. Most of these handlers seem happy and relaxed, and their dogs are in great shape with bright eyes and wagging tails. These teams are to be emulated. But I also see people with clenched jaws making “excuses” for their dogs before they’ve even run the course. Some folks dash from one ring to another at a pace that must surely be exhausting. And I wonder. I wonder if these latter competitors have gotten so caught up in the chase that they’ve forgotten that participating in dog-related sports is supposed to be fun—for them and their dogs. I’d be interested in knowing if the race to title is off-putting to beginners, people with a nice pup and who think agility looks like fun but who fear they won’t be able to compete unless they devote every waking moment to classes, seminars, and trials. Are we scaring them away with our intensity and focus on more and more titles earned over harder courses with faster times? I’m not suggesting for a moment that we “dumb down” our sport. There are enough sponsoring organizations with classes for all levels so that nearly every skill level can be accommodated. But maybe we should place less emphasis on the title and more on the experience. It’s just a thought. Maybe this intensity is just a sign of the times. My friend’s son was about 12 years old when he had to declare his allegiance to a sport (soccer) and a position (goalie). He’s 15 now and when he isn’t in practice with his high school team, he’s away with his travel team, or else he’s in camp (soccer, of course) getting drilled in the nuances of his “skill” position. His club team (under 16 division, I think it was) played as late as 10:00 at night on weekends this past school year, and this was only because the parents refused to bring their kids to games originally scheduled for midnight. My friend said her son would be fine playing at midnight, but that it was way past her bedtime! It may take me longer to put a title on my dog than it would take someone with more focus. I might even stop midstream and go do something else with another dog. Or maybe I’ll do something with all my dogs at once. That’s always fun, if a bit chaotic. There’s nothing quite like the noise five screaming terriers can make in pursuit of—something! I’d be less than honest if I said I wouldn’t love to get a MACH on a dog, but the truth is, I probably don’t have the drive or the dedication to do so. And I can’t believe I’m the only one who thinks it’s just plain fun to dabble. Hats off to the great competitors who continue to enjoy their dogs while doing the sport that they love, all the while adding on those titles. But remember, your dogs will never ask you how many letters you have before or after your name. They just want to be part of your life. Don’t forget to take time for the ones you’ve left at home all those weekends you’ve been off trialing your star. This is particularly important if you have an old dog that would love to be taken swimming one more time—or a youngster with two left paws that may never manage to negotiate a serpentine but that would love you a lot if you took him for a ride and bought him an ice cream cone. Sheila lives in Connecticut with an enthusiastic collection of Norfolk Terriers, a breed she has shared her life with for nearly four decades. She is most active in agility and obedience, but occasionally participates in conformation events and earthdog trials. Although she has a Ph.D. in Canine Behavior Genetics from the University of Connecticut, she claims to have learned the most about dogs simply by living with them. Contact her at sforan2@cox.net. May 07 | Clean Run 5

Clean Run Magazine - May 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - May 2007