Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Obedience seminar form?

I decided to sign up Roscoe for an obedience seminar with Tibby Chase, an AKC judge who has a great reputation. It is a one day event that works on getting "excellence" in your competition routine. I have both MinPins signed up for a Rally Obedience trial the end of February and this will be the weekend before, so it seemed like a good event for us. Well..............I get sent the registration forms and start filling them out. When I come to the questions about my dog it asks some things that my answers will make anyone raise their eyebrows! "Has your dog ever snapped at anyone?" "Has your dog ever grabbed anyone?" "How does your dog react to strangers?" and they go on and on like that. My honest answers would make Roscoe sound like a monster, so I write the person in charge and explain my situation. I explain that Roscoe is all of 9lbs and I manage his behavior so that at these events no one even knows he is aggressive unless they attempt to pat him and I am VERY quick to blurt out......."He is NOT friendly!!!". I never let anyone try to pat him. I also make sure he is not approached by other dogs, so that he never aggresses. I have been in classes with other students who years later heard someone talk about Roscoe's aggression and they comment that they never knew. That's how much I keep control of him and manage him at public events. I explain this to the person and ask if we will still be welcomed even though my answers on the registration will not be good ones! Luckily, she says YES and to put my explanation on my form. Phew! I have never had a seminar form ask such questions and I would hate my answers to cause him not to be welcome. The work is so good for him and he is such a good competition dog. I am very careful and manage him well at such events. I have to, if he were to aggress at a big dog his life could be in danger. I have also learned to have incredible peripheral vision to watch for strangers who might try to pat him. He is SO cute many people don't even think before reaching to pat him and I have to be very watchful for that.

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