Dog Agility

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

Lol, "reservation about neutering" is a bit mild, round here nothing is pedigree and people think it's plain cruel... however as far as the dog club goes you may have a point, it definitely rings a bell, but I think it doesn't stop them from competing altogether... though I suppose the main point of competitions is to identify good dogs and hence increase the value of their offspring... so that more better dogs will populate the future... I'm intrigued and I'll try and find out more when I have a quiet moment.

What do you do with your dog when she's not doing Agility? They are generally obsessive by nature, mine is obsessed with rakes... hoes and garden forks are very popular... brooms and long-handled dusters next down the line... then come scrubbing brushes... not to mention poultry and cats... and I'm pretty sure he could be obsessed by anything I chose...

[I1]

They both love running. I actually have to be quite careful, even in this weather as they totally over-do it. They basically race around the field each trying to beat the other, then one loops back. They get completely out-of-breath, then happily start again, until I have to take them back indoors.

Whilst I don’t have animals, and thus they are not learning to “work animals”, I do teach them a few whistles (two to stop, up/down/up whistle to turn and change direction. Problem is that they cannot work out when a command (or verbal reprimand) is directed at only one of them. Even if its prefixed with the dogs name. I’ve thus started teaching the French dog French commands (privately) and leaving the English dog speaking English. I don’t know how long it will be until the English dog becomes bi-lingual !

Older male can be a real nuisance with long handled brooms, mops, etc. He’s a real nuisance with the Hoover. When a tractor drives past the house the older dog makes sure he has seen it off properly (fortunately he only does this when he is indoors so its safe) and he absolutely loves going out in the car (which I can’t do in summer due to the heat).

The pup is pretty obsessed with the older dog. I was warned about this before I got her, but due to initial difficulties gave them getting on a higher priority to her being more focused on me. When they are in the fields, younger pup is totally focused on older male and it can be quite a struggle to switch her attention to me.

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

My dog is happier overall if he is a delight and not a nuisance. If he's drifting towards the latter I tell him to down and stay; if he won't lie down quietly I send him to his basket.So, for example, he watches me rake a bed with eager anticipation then I let him play with the rake elsewhere.I don't let him play with the broom, duster etc. but as I hate housework I like to have his enthusiastic encouragement, as long as he doesn't nip the broom. He soon learns what's allowed and what's not.

He is much calmer if I've found something to occupy his mind on a regularly basis, preferably something new to teach him; the tracking is a godsend. I suppose it's because they didn't just herd sheep, they had to find the dispersed flock on the mountainside first.

Using French with one dog and English with another is a popular French solution... I think that in the uk it is more usual to train the dogs separately insisting on their names, but I haven't seen much about it. Traditionally it was one man and one dog.

 

[Maddie]

Great to read posts about dogs (I am mad on them myself, any breed - not fussy!)  Lovely photos too!

Interesting about the neutering thing.  Most dogs in my class are that - dogs - and NONE castrated!  In my UK club virtually all the dogs whether male of female were neutered (with the exception of a couple one who did agility owned by a Goldie breeder).  I find it very strange myself but I've head the French can be a bit macho and prefer the bitches to be spayed rather than the dogs castrated.  Typical!   No offence intended!! 

I am now a bit concerned about this licence thing.  I was asked a couple of weeks ago whether I had a licence by the instructor at my French club and I said I would get one at some point when ready to compete.  I had no idea there was a deadline.  Is this true?  There is a cut off date each year?  If so I am too late! 

As for this registering microchips, when I asked my French vet he was a bit vague about it so I decided to go ahead, as a precaution, and get both dogs tattooed.  Then I could be sure they were registered with the apprioprate authorities.  I have read a number of scary tales about the ability of unscrupulous types to damage microchips (something to do with magnets but I have no idea what).  Its far easier to steal and pass on a dog with a microchip than one with no ears!!! Also I was told the French put their chips in a different place so there was no guarantee if my dogs were lost and found that their chips would be read.  And lastly, all French are aware of the tattoo thing and if a dog if found with one they know what to do (or so I have been lead to believe).  Anyway, my dogs have chips, collars with identity discs and tattooes - just call me paranoid (I used to live in West Kent, the dog stealing capital of the UK, where gun dogs and terriers were regularly stolen for the rewards)!!!  By the way, it was 55 euros per dog including all paperwork.

Interesting to hear what peoples dogs do and don't like doing.  Mine run like mad (even over agility obstacles of their own free will sometimes - out for a pee - over the A frame on the way!!), sniff, dig, bark at passing pedestrians and mopeds, roll in fox pooh, sleep a lot and play fight a lot. 

It's a dogs life.  Wake up, pee, run around a bit, get fed, sleep, playfight, run around, dig a hole, roll in something unspeakable, get groomed and stroked by "Mum", sleep, wake up, get stroked, go for walk, play, run around, get groomed (well ,there are a lot of ticks about), have a treat, sleep, wake up, dinner, pee/pooh, sleep!  Mmmmm!

 

[I1]

My French language is limited and thus my understanding is prone to inaccuracies. Thus, if others contradict what I say please take what they say rather than what I say. Also, for the same reason, please feel free to contradict me.

My club said the deadline is 15/Nov (and as I wont be getting them copies of my paperwork until the club meeting on the 14th, I have probably missed this). However, they had actually filled in loads of forms for people, some of whom did not attend that day so I don’t know how “hard set” a deadline. Also I cannot believe that miss a date and you are out for a year !!! I will try and telephone the person who runs my club this evening and check (but with limited French ?).

As I understand the registration laws, you can actually have your dog either tatoo’d or micro-chipped (or both). The French no longer require a tattoo and accept a micro-chip. A UK dog may reside in France for 3 months before being registered with the SCC. The actual registration process takes over 7 months to get the paperwork back from the SCC but I guess you get some sort of receipt. Vets in France do not regard themselves as “policing” the system and thus when I asked I was told to do nothing. When I got my French pup, I asked she be micro-chipped rather than tatoo’d – which was not a problem for the breeder. (Without and input from me) her chip was put on her left shoulder. My UK dog’s chip was put fairly centrally on his shoulder but it has migrated a bit to his left (so they are moderately the same on both dogs). I actually always point out where the chip is when they are being scanned. Should they be lost, I’m sure (given where they are fitted), they would be found OK.

I have very limited experience (1 UK dog and 1 French dog) so we are talking about a sample size of one for each case – not much of an indication of common practice.

I’m sure most people know about above, but I write it out as it is through shared (limited) experiences that we can establish how common something is or how much variability there is in practices in France. I do not mean to try to teach people who know more than me how to do things.

[Maddie]

[quote]My French language is limited and thus my understanding is prone to inaccuracies. Thus, if others contradict what I say please take what they say rather than what I say. Also, for the same reason, p...[/quote]

Lordy Lordy!  Who said it takes 7 months to get the paperwork? 

 In that case I am quite glad I opted for the tattoo thing as I left the vets with a document (like a registration card) from the SCC for each dog immediately.

Nicola

 

[I1]

I’ve had a chat with the president of the club I do agility at and I believe I understood that:

My dog is only 9 months old and cannot compete until 18 months old – which means she can start competing 1/Aug/2005.

The President said that there is no need for me to get a license at the moment and I can get one nearer the time. By implication this means that the license renewal is not an annual thing with a strict deadline. At least not for the 1st license though I guess it is possible that subsequent renewals could be at set dates but when I started asking about this I got totally lost on language.

Again, do double check as my language skills make “getting the wrong end of the stick” a high risk.

[I1]

Found out some more about the agility license and its renewal. The license runs for a calendar year. Getting the paperwork through (i.e. so you have the license in your hand and can compete) takes a couple of months. Certainly for your 1st license you can apply at any time. I’m less sure about renewal, but recon you can apply at any time. The “deadline” I was being told about is when the club sends in its renewal applications so that everybody has their licenses ready for the start of the 2005 year.

[I1]

If people are starting agility in France and need to know the rules (i.e. one of my problems is that my local club explains the rules to me but I understand only a portion of what I'm told as my French language skills are limited), then the rules may be found at www.dogsport.ru/index.php3?l=1 (International Federation of Cynological Sports (IFCS)) in English. I know it helps me understand what is going on if I appreciate what might be being said (by knowing some of the rules in advance)