In having conversations with other folks the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the dogs we choose to share our lives with. The dogs I have now are considerably different than the dogs I had 20 years ago, before I got hooked on dog sports. The dogs I had back then were "just pets" and I started dabbling in different things with them, to keep them happy and enriched. Over time, I got more into the dog sports and the desire to have a dog that was easier to motivate and had more energy kicked in.
But now that we are in a state of social distancing, and dog sports are not an option at the moment, how does that affect the dogs we choose to live with? Honestly, I doubt they really care as long as their needs are being met. Sure, I have dogs that love going to agility trials and other events, but I truly think they are equally as happy going for a long hike, swimming in the pond or playing agility in the front yard. Dogs don't need to compete at trials, heck for some dogs out there, they would probably prefer not to as their handler turns into a freak who they don't recognize sometimes at trials!!
Since I've had some things going on personally, I haven't even trained my dogs with any regularity since mid December. I have not had the motivation, time or energy to do so. Do they miss the training? Yes, I surely think so. Are they okay without it? You bet they are. They are still getting their daily walks and runs, they get enrichment in the form of frozen kongs, bones and food toys and they get daily play time with special toy-toys and sometimes a fun game of frisbee. Even though they haven't been doing much training, they are still super happy and content just being companions!
One of the homes of a puppy from my last litter was concerned for a while that her puppy wasn't "keeping up with the littermates" and out there competing in dog sports. When she got the puppy, she fully anticipated doing agility, dock diving and anything else her pup loved. But her life changed unexpectedly, leaving not much room for any of that. Because she was feeling like she wasn't meeting the needs of her dog, and perhaps disappointing me as the breeder, she considered returning him to me. We had a very emotional conversation, and in the end, as long as any puppy I produce is LOVED, stimulated, exercised and enriched, how could I ever be disappointed? Dog sports are not the be all end all. When you have a dog who calms your anxiety, makes you smile when you are sad and is an integral part of the family, that's way more important.
As a breeder, I am producing pups that need a "job"---they are highly intelligent, energetic and have brains that need to work. But that doesn't have to be a dog sport---they can be hiking/riding companions, service dogs, best friends to kids and backyard frisbee champions. They aren't couch potatoes, that's for sure! Yet, I also want them to be able to succeed in competitions, in whatever sport folks choose to do. Because yes, I do like to be competitive---I don't see the point in training a dog in agility if you aren't going to compete. I'd rather just train tricks or go hiking. But I also like knowing that the dogs I produce can go out and compete happily, and have the mental resilience to handle the pressures of competing. And I am always proud when they do well! But I am equally proud of the dog that can run around in a pack of eight children and handle it like a champ!
It will be interesting to see how things play out over the next few months, without any dog events to attend. But I can bet that it will be the people going crazy, not the dogs! Since I decided to breed Surf, I had already pretty much accepted that I'd be home for a few months, aside from a couple of trials to finish Gypsy's ADCH (which I have to sit patiently on now!). I try to limit exposure to pathogens for my girls when they are pregnant, and even more so after the pups are born. So mentally I was fully prepared for some social distancing, while most other people had a full calendar to look forward to.
I am going to use this time to finally train Mako's contacts, revisit the many online classes I have in my library to train some new things and keep spending tons of time outside with my dogs!
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