What Tickles your Fancy? - Page 1

Now that I got EVERYONE'S attention...  I wanted to know what grabs your attention when you're at a trial and you see new dogs coming out?  There is usually a "favorite" of mine at a club that I tend to want to watch.  Just curious what everyone likes to see that makes them go "wow".  I tend to like a dog with flashy obedience, one that is as fast as lightening to go get his bite, then takes it with the most seriousness effort giving all he/she's got.

I like a dog that actually holds correct heel position while being attentive to the handler. I just can't understand this diagonal heeling junk, yes, the dog is happy, but it can be happy and focused with you tripping on it! When I see that its usually a sign to me that someone has taken care to balance that dogs training, drivey without being a nut.

I like a serious, confident dog as much as the next gal, but I find good dogs greatly outnumber good trainers, its quality training that gets my attention.

A good looking male (unmarried) at the other end of the leash!!!

Total focus and control.  Not slinking waiting to be in trouble but bouncy and ready to take on all comers.

I like to see both dogs and handlers who are really enthusiastic and enjoying what they are doing.  If the team has that going on everything else will eventually fall into place.

KCaja---I'm glad you brought that up, i've wondered about this heel position. Is this something new? I may just be learning about the GSD breed,  what they do, but i have always be intrested in dogs in general. during the age of  6 till about 15, when i checked a book out of the library, it was usually about dogs/ training dogs. of course i've forgotten most of what ive read/learned since then but i do remember that a correct heeling was a dog walking right beside you, not against you are twisted in front of you, i would think that this would cause accidents by tripping over the dog- i know it does for me...my dog will sometimes do this on his own, like when im carring something, and it gets on my nerves cause i feel like he's in my way-crowding me....so...out of curiousity--why are people training them to heel this way?

~JULIE~

A team.  The handler and the dog working in sync with each other.

I just love seeing a handler get their dog out and you can see the excitement all over the dog that they are going to do something with the person they love. It doesn't matter to me which phase the dog is coming out for. If the dog shows excitement, and willingness, then that is the dog I want to watch. I know that when the handler can praise the dog, the handler will, and the dog will suck it right up. The dog looks lovingly up to the handler with a goofy grin that asks, " I did what you wanted right? I'm a good dog!"

I prefer to watch the bond the handler and dog have. All the rest is just icing on the cake.

flyin' dogs!  i love those dogs that launch themselves like a rocket on the long bite.  yeah, i like to see a focused track and quick, flashy obedience, but what really makes my heart and breathing stop for a few seconds  is those dogs who rip  down the field fully intending on taking that helper down or stealing the sleeve.  i love that kind of commitment and confidence.

pjp

I haven't been to many trials, but the dogs that have impressed me the most were the ones that outed at the first command, didn't constantly look back and forth to the handler for approval and did not do back for second bites or nibbles on the sleeve.  Not sure how important those things really are since the dogs who didn't do it got the same "pronouced" as the ones that did.  It just looked to me like those dogs had more confidence than the ones that didn't perform that way. I think for the most part they were the same dogs that hit the sleeve like a freight train and did well in all other exercises .  

I've wondered too about the diagonal heeling. In the AKC OB ring that is considered "crowding" and a dog heeling that way will lose a substantial number of points.