If you want to compete at advanced levels and place in your class, you HAVE to have a dog with drive or you will not make time which means a disqualification in Excellent B - maybe even A too. I think Cavaliers have the ability to enjoy Agility but not too many of them have the ability to be the very top competitor. The good thing about Agility is that everyone can run and have fun, whether you and your Cavalier are spectacular and gain a MACH like Josie or if you are old and decrepit like me who trundles around the Agility ring, hoping to be in the right place at the right time for my dog!!
Unless you actually compete in Agility and manage to get as far as Excellent, you will not understand why many of the couch potato Cavaliers with perfectly fine temperaments are not good contenders for the sport. Interestingly, I have seen many lousy temperamented (shy) dogs do spectacularly in Agility. I often wonder what issues these dogs had during training. All I can say is that they run like hell and one wonders if part of their running is not partially fear -- they know that when they get to the end they go back to where they are most comfortable, i.e. in a crate or tent or the car. Mine run for food. I also do not think that the dog has to have much intelligence to run Agility. It helps somewhat but it can also be a hindrence when they devise all sorts of new weave pole methods!! What I DO think they need more than anything is good structure, especially front and shoulder lay back. Coming down a 6' A-Frame is a killer on the fronts plus the constant pounding as the dog lands over some 15 or so jumps. Anne Laura Trunk wrote: > I do see and understand the differences between a Cavalier and a BC, > Sheltie, but I'm not sure I would classify that unbelievable *drive* as > being a part of *natural ability* towards performing in agility or > obedience. I think that *drive* borders more on an extreme personality > trait. Natural ability to me means fearlessness to approach and take the > obstacles, to have the structure to easily run the course, the intelligence > to learn what to do and when to do it, the ability to focus on the handler > for direction and showing pure joy throughout the whole thing. According to > their standard Cavaliers should have natural ability and I find that those > with the proper Cavalier temperament do. We should be thankful they don't > have that *drive*--IF that is what one wants to call it! However, if one > wanted to breed Cavaliers for the personality trait that produces that > drive--I'm certain they could be quite successful. > > Laura Lang > > ========================================================= > "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.
