Titling city dogs

Here's something I overheard in Fort Greene Park last night: "New York City dogs are really well-behaved BECAUSE most of us don't have backyards. So our dogs really learn how to adapt and interact well since they're out amongst other dogs the whole time they are out in the park."

Isn't that interesting? It's true, we're forced by circumstance to have our dogs and ourselves confront some really stressful situations, and with any luck, all of us have the emotional elasticity to deal with the stress and learn how to relieve our internal tension.

But here's a conundrum: despite all the opportunities for socialization here, there are pitifully few opportunities for us NYC dwellers to enroll our dogs in classes at levels beyond the Canine Good Citizen. Why can't I find accessible agility classes that are (a) in my borough; and (b) don't cost an arm and a leg; and (c) don't frown at you when you show up sans clicker? Or rally O for that matter? Or flyball? Or dock diving? (OK maybe not dock diving...)

It makes me very sad, because I think that Summer would make a kick ass agility dog. Even Rally O.

That being the case, we are relegated to entering the scary frightening uber-cut throat world of AKC Competition Obedience. We're currently hoping to get her a CD Novice title this fall. With any luck, I might even try her for the CDX title next year. I have sent in my application to get her her ILP registration with the AKC as a Belgian Malinois (even though she's only a mix... I've heard that money talks.) And we're currently working our hinies off to be ready by fall.

She's actually doing better than I thought she would. Fie on me for underestimating my dog!!

Here are some videos of her working the CD Novice exercises. Bear in mind, we haven't really worked that much in the offleash formal heel. She goes offleash everyday, twice a day, but as you all know, formal heeling can be particularly stressful for the dog, so I don't enforce it all that much in our informal park jaunts, apart from the occasional ad hoc 5 min training sessions I pepper our walks with.

Working a Heel On Lead (please pardon my trainer Tyril's, uh, French):



Working a Heel Off Lead (she fudged the Right Turn because I fudged the Left Turn prior to that. I inadvertently dropped her drive by cutting into her too abruptly during the Left Turn...)


Working the Stand For Examination:


Working the Recall (she sometimes gets distracted during the Jump Finish... I need to be a better trainer.):



Working the first half of the Figure 8 exercise. We didn't have extra bodies, so we used garbage cans instead...



Let me know what you think!