> 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.
Although I have yet to compete in Agility with a Cavalier, I have watched a lot. For one thing, a *correct* Cavalier is one who is an *active, graceful, well-balanced dog, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in character*. Couch potatoes do not seem to fit this description. I have 2 couch potatoes at home--I wouldn't consider taking them into the agility ring. The rest of my dogs have the correct temperament as described in our standard and would do just great in Agility. Some of them will hopefully get to do so, once my life gets settled! I breed for the correct temperament and I think the correctly temperamented Cavalier can do quite well in the agility ring--not just so-so. > 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 I've seen a few conformation Cavaliers who seem to have a wonderful *show* temperament, who fit this description too. Many dogs who appear to have very showy temperaments act much like they are a bundle of nerves. Sometimes I wonder if a truly confident dog who is not the slightest bit nervous in the ring could or would ever appear to have an extremely showy temperament. >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. Just to add to this, I think all dogs need good structure--not just agility competitors. I know if I were a dog, I would much prefer to live my life with very good structure too--regardless of what I choose to do with my life. No matter how simple a life one lives, poor structure will catch up with you as you age. I love to see my 13 and 14 year olds strutting around the yard just as smoothly and freely as my 2 and 3 year olds! Much of the way in which I breed is based on this thought process. I think *if I were a dog would I prefer to have good structure or a beautifully marked coat? or would I prefer to have a good rear structure without any signs of hip dysplasia or a great head?*. And then make my breeding decisions on what -I- would prefer to live with--which is also what I believe my dogs would choose if given a chance to do so. As for speed, I don't see that it has to be that extreme. A correctly temperamented Cavalier who is active, graceful, balanced, fearless and sporting in character should be plenty fast enough to compete at top level. Are there that many Cavaliers who are basically couch potatoes and if so, do they truly have the *correct* Cavalier temperament? 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.
