Have not been on the list for a while but Betsey's answer is a perfect answer to Rod's post. I agree that Cavalier do like to run but it is also true that they are not "naturals" when it comes to the higher classes, tougher courses and shorter times like the BC and some Shelties who are motivated at birth and are on constant automatic drive! Cavaliers have to be encouraged to have drive, especially as they get to the Excellent classes. I think that each breed has its own set of issues as the dogs progress -- BC's tend to knock bars and miss contacts whereas Cavaliers tend to de-motivate if they think they are wrong or take the wrong course. I think the difference can be seen mainly in the Excellent rings and Rod, Betsey and myself have all been there!! As Betsey said, Cavaliers do have potential for Agility and are more than willing to attempt the equipment but are they good enough for MACH status? That remains to be seen!!
I recently entered and ran my Cavalier at the World Show Agility trials in Amsterdam, Holland which was so much fun. I enjoyed exhibiting in Agility at the World Show far more than in conformation. I learned so much from watching the Europeans compete -- they had dynamo little Shelties there that won the Small Dog class each day. I wrote an article about my experience running Agility -- it will be published in Clean Run (I think anyway!) if anyone is interested. I can also e-mail it to you privately if anyone would like it. Good luck to all of you who consider starting Agility with your Cavalier. It is a wonderful sport that is so enjoyable. Anne Eckersley-Robins Betsey Lynch wrote: > > We have trained three of our Cavaliers in agility. In general, I have > > found that they are not naturals to the sport, as are Border Collies, > > but some have potential -- others would be hopeless, destined to be > > couch potatoes. Of our three agility dogs, each has called for a > > different training approach. I have found them to be much more of a > > training and handling challenge than are the more popular agility > > breeds. > > > Cavaliers may not be the "naturals" that Border Collies or some Shelties > are, but most Cavaliers are born wanting to please their owner which makes > them very biddable partners in agility. I agree with Rod that the average > Cavalier is not as likely to be a good agility dog as the average BC or > Sheltie. However I do think that the average Cavalier can do agility, get > Novice and Open titles, and provide their owners with lots of fun and an > incredible bond that is hard to feel with other breeds (I may be biased :)). > I have trained and handled four Cavaliers to agility titles. I've also > trained and handled a Sheltie. And this year I've been running a BC > belonging to my trainer, in addition to my two Cavaliers. But my really > thrilling runs are with my older Cavalier. Josie is close to a "natural", > but I didn't discover this talent until she was 8 years old. She was the > quintessential Cavalier couch potato. It was only by accident that I > decided to attempt to get a novice AKC title with her. She earned that and > has never looked back. No dogs are born looking for an agility course to > run, but certainly there are those with the conformation, attitude, and > drive to become great agility dogs. This is true in any breed. Where Rod > lives there are a couple of the best agility Cavaliers in the country, > including the only MACH2 Cavalier. So I know that Rod has seen very good > Cavaliers running agility. I also know that he has seen the work and > dedication that went into making them good and capable of competing near the > top of the sport. Rod has seen others that don't have the drive or attitude > to even stay in the ring. But you can see Shelties like that too, and even > the odd BC. > > There are five MACH Cavaliers and one with a MACH2 (something only about 70 > dogs in history have accomplished). Given the relatively low numbers of > Cavaliers competing, I think this shows that Cavaliers can be extremely > talented agility dogs. There are more entering the sport every day and some > of them are quite good! If I was buying a Cavalier with the intention of > doing agility, I would certainly want to stack the deck in my favor by > searching for one with a great attitude, excellent conformation, and parents > that have had the proper health testing. Then it's all up to you to make it > a great agility partner. > > Betsey Lynch & > CH MACH Josie (11 years old next week) > CH Jamie, MX, MXJ, AAD, 6th place AKC Nationals-1998, Grand Prix > Semifinalist-1999; (7 years old and retired) > Trouble, AX, AXJ (16 months old) > Tess, NA, OAJ (5 years old) > > ========================================================= > "Magic Commands": > to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL > to start it up gain click here: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. > Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > > All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
