A trip to Crufts

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17
Mar
2010

Goldie won her first scurry

Howard Kirby is the proprietor of Lains Shooting School and Mullenscote Gundogs, where he specialises in training a variety of dogs (and handlers!) from companions to specialist gundogs. In his weekly blog, Howard shares his experience of the dogs and people that pass through his school and his top tips to train your dog.

“This week saw Henry, one our Battersea dogs, and I at Crufts. We were invited by Battersea Dogs Home to be part of their 150th Year Great Achievers demonstration. This was performed in the main arena and was really great fun to do. The idea behind the demo was to show various ex-Battersea dogs that have gone on to become successful in a variety of fields. Drugs and explosives search dogs, hearing and assistance, championship winning agility dogs, TV actors, PAT dogs and Henry made for a variety of achievers.

The whole Crufts experience is just fantastic. This is just the perfect place to see everything that is great about the interaction between humans and canines. Apparently it’s been around for a few years but I got to watch a demonstration of the sport of CaniX; this seemed to involve harnessing one or two dogs to your waist and then going for a cross country run. The dogs loved it, they exited the arena at full gallop and the runners attached to them were travelling at speeds mere mortals could only aspire to! These runners varied in age from young children to one lady in her eighties. It looked like a sport that is brilliant fun and both the dogs and handlers looked incredibly fit. If you get a chance have a look, fantastic high energy fun.

Agility continues to draw a huge following and it is just the most brilliant sport to watch - everyone seems to be having such a brilliant time. It also taps into the high energy of our dogs and in the process helps to keep the handlers fit. Dogs and handlers go crazy - barking, shrieking and it demonstrates amazing dog and handler interaction that tests obedience and co-operation. Listen, if I were not so hooked on everything that is the gundog world, it wouldn’t take much to persuade me to throw on my shell suit and trainers and get down to my local agility club.

Just about everyone involved with dogs will be aware of the breeding fiasco that now overshadows Crufts and much of the dog breeding world. Without doubt, things needed to change and change fast. The great news is that the Kennel Club are working hard to address the problems that we currently have with many of our pedigree breeds. It would be really great if the whole dog world could really get together now, push aside all of the divides and pointing fingers and really concentrate on getting everything on the straight and narrow as soon as possible. It is going to require a lot of people to be very grown up about what has happened and what has to be done.

I know that this is probably a bit of an idealistic view, but dogs and humans have cohabited for thousands of years. Dogs play a huge part in so many of our day to day lives, it’s easy to forget and take for granted all of the amazing human to canine relationships that take place. Crufts will hopefully soon once again become a flagship for excellence in breeding and along with the Kennel Club’s new campaign, Fit For Function Fit For Life, all of the canine world will once again be able to hold it’s head high and proud!

Last year we met and started to work with Ian and his fantastic Golden Retriever, Ollie. Ian and Ollie tried their hand at scurrying last weekend at the West Country Game Fair. Result: three first places including the Fastest Dog in the West. Understandably, he is delighted; hard work and real determination has seen Ian learn how to handle his wonderful, powerful, stylish Scurry-winning Goldie. Fantastic!”