-
23Jan
Tags: simply funny
-
22Jan
As you know, body language is important in dog agility. Have you thought about “finger language”? No, not THAT finger. I mean the pointer or index finger. Time Magazine online featured an interesting article about an assistant anthropology professor who is opening a special Canine Cognition research lab to test dogs on their unique abilities, such as following fingers and more. He believes his dogs DO understand how to follow pointing fingers, and while you might not think this very unusual, no other animal seems to be able to do this. For the full story, click here.Tags: dog fame, Events & News
-
21Jan
If you troll the internet on agility blogs and websites (I do, I admit it) you see there’s some scuttlebutt of wanting an ‘ABBC’ class- that is, Anything But Border Collies (in the UK, this is the ABC or Anything But Collies) class. Some people think the Borders are just too good at what they do (they ARE wonderful dogs!) and others believe that if they win, well, they deserved to. They must have been better trained, or just faster dogs in general! What’s your opinion on an ABBC class? Would you compete in it? We seem to have a richly diverse membership here- I know of at least two Springers, a Cane Corso, a lab, a Dane Mix, several corgis… But what do you think? If it was offered, would you want it?
-
20Jan
Back in May we discussed the AKC allowing mixed breeds to compete with the purebreds. There was a lot of great feedback here at AgilityFusion, and elsewhere on the internet as well, apparently! AKC has changed their stance on the Mixed Breed titling system and competing due to ‘compelling feedback’ from the community.AKC decided to allow mixed breeds to compete in any agility trial WITHIN the same classes. This is different than their previous ‘separate class’ distinction that was obviously not accepted as well and clubs thought too confusing. This means the AKC can now really compete with USDAA and CPE in their agility offerings (and rally and obedience as well!). This’ll begin April 1st (I know, really?) So your mixed breed dog can now compete head to head with the purebreds, and may the best dog win!
Clubs have the choice not to enroll in the Mixed Breed program (called the AKC Canine Partners Program), but it is anticipated that all will. Why limit your clubs’ venue by not allowing registered mix breeds? there’s money to be made in it, after all!
You can register your Mix here:http://www.akc.org/mixedbreeds/listing_benefits.cfm and you can find trials that allow mixes at http://www.akc.org/events/search/index.cfm?action=refresh_index&active_tab_row=2&active_tab_col=3&fixed_tab=8&mxb_flag=Y I think this will definitely make it easier to get competitions in areas that don’t have a lot of venue options.
Tags: agility changes, agility competing, agility organizations, dog breeds, Events & News
-
19Jan
Surprisingly, the Dogwalk and the A-frame aren’t the most hazardous obstacles on the course. The innocuous looking tire jump is! Dogs can be injured in countless ways on them. Your dog can be flung back, slide between the frame and the tire on either side, ‘clothesline’ themselves on the tire or the bungees, knock the entire frame over, become ‘caught’ in the tire (in one awful instance I recall seeing, a dog was caught and completely flipped onto their back), go under the tire, or get caught on a side support. What can you do to avoid this? How can you make agility safe for your dog? Watch the video below: NOTE. The dog in the video, by all reports, was not permanently injured. The movie is disturbing, however.
What can you do to avoid accidents like this? We have some very helpful tips to give you…. (click below to keep reading)
Tags: agility competing, agility safety, dog safety & health
Recent Comments