Which do you love more, the sport, or the dog?
When choosing to get your dog involved in a bitesport, what criteria do you use to decide what sport to get into?
For some people, they choose the sport, and will make every effort to pigeonhole their dog into it, whether the dog is a good match or not. If the dog doesn’t turn out to be the right animal for the sport, they’ll wash the dog- this can mean getting rid of it, or keeping as a pet or performance dog. And often they’ll blame the dog for not having what it takes to succeed at the sport the OWNER wanted to do. Sometimes they’ll keep hammering away at training the dog for the sport they chose, ignoring their dogs signals that it’s not a good fit.
But why did the owner choose that sport? Are they an experienced competitor who chose that dog or puppy specifically to do well in their sport of choice?
Or did they see the sport and think “that looks cool!” and decide that’s what they’re going to do with their dog, wether the dog is a good fit for it or not.
In my opinion, that’s exceedingly unfair for the dog.
Every bitesport is challenging in its own way. Some involve a lot of environmental pressure.
Some involve a lot of decoy pressure.
Some involve scent work/tracking/detection.
Some involve a high level of precision.
Dogs (and handlers!) have their own strengths and weaknesses- just because a dog isn’t a great fit for one sport, doesn’t mean it can’t be a great prospect for another! Some dogs aren’t naturals at using their nose, so maybe a sport involving tracking or detection isn’t that dogs forte. Some dogs don’t have the best environmental confidence, so maybe a more sterile sport like IGP or American Schutzhund would be a better fit! Some don’t handle high levels of decoy pressure well, so maybe PSA isn’t the right sport for that dog. Some are uncomfortable biting a man up close on a suit, so maybe a sleeve sport would be a better fit!
There are a lot of options in bitesports, and just because a dog isn’t the right fit for one sport doesn’t mean they can’t absolutely ROCK another one! But first you have to be willing to listen to your dog. If you find yourself struggling with tracking to the point it isn’t even fun anymore… maybe IGP isn’t the sport for you. If your dog is giving you every sign that they’re stressed on the grip when on a suit, or a bicep or leg sleeve, if your dog is consistently uncomfortable biting the man under the equipment, consider that it may be in the dogs best interest to pursue a sleeve sport like IGP or American Schutzhund. If your dog doesn’t handle aggressive decoy pressure well but really loves the bitesport game, perhaps Mondio or French Ring may be a good option.
I know it’s easy for someone, especially someone new to the world of bitesports, to get excited about a particular sport and want to dive in feet first. Some sports may appear less thrilling, less precise, less stimulating from the outside. But I promise they ALL are fun, exciting, engaging and challenging once you’re involved. Listen to your dog, let them show you their strengths and weaknesses, and find the sport that fits them best. You’ll both be happier for it!
For some people, they choose the sport, and will make every effort to pigeonhole their dog into it, whether the dog is a good match or not. If the dog doesn’t turn out to be the right animal for the sport, they’ll wash the dog- this can mean getting rid of it, or keeping as a pet or performance dog. And often they’ll blame the dog for not having what it takes to succeed at the sport the OWNER wanted to do. Sometimes they’ll keep hammering away at training the dog for the sport they chose, ignoring their dogs signals that it’s not a good fit.
But why did the owner choose that sport? Are they an experienced competitor who chose that dog or puppy specifically to do well in their sport of choice?
Or did they see the sport and think “that looks cool!” and decide that’s what they’re going to do with their dog, wether the dog is a good fit for it or not.
In my opinion, that’s exceedingly unfair for the dog.
Every bitesport is challenging in its own way. Some involve a lot of environmental pressure.
Some involve a lot of decoy pressure.
Some involve scent work/tracking/detection.
Some involve a high level of precision.
Dogs (and handlers!) have their own strengths and weaknesses- just because a dog isn’t a great fit for one sport, doesn’t mean it can’t be a great prospect for another! Some dogs aren’t naturals at using their nose, so maybe a sport involving tracking or detection isn’t that dogs forte. Some dogs don’t have the best environmental confidence, so maybe a more sterile sport like IGP or American Schutzhund would be a better fit! Some don’t handle high levels of decoy pressure well, so maybe PSA isn’t the right sport for that dog. Some are uncomfortable biting a man up close on a suit, so maybe a sleeve sport would be a better fit!
There are a lot of options in bitesports, and just because a dog isn’t the right fit for one sport doesn’t mean they can’t absolutely ROCK another one! But first you have to be willing to listen to your dog. If you find yourself struggling with tracking to the point it isn’t even fun anymore… maybe IGP isn’t the sport for you. If your dog is giving you every sign that they’re stressed on the grip when on a suit, or a bicep or leg sleeve, if your dog is consistently uncomfortable biting the man under the equipment, consider that it may be in the dogs best interest to pursue a sleeve sport like IGP or American Schutzhund. If your dog doesn’t handle aggressive decoy pressure well but really loves the bitesport game, perhaps Mondio or French Ring may be a good option.
I know it’s easy for someone, especially someone new to the world of bitesports, to get excited about a particular sport and want to dive in feet first. Some sports may appear less thrilling, less precise, less stimulating from the outside. But I promise they ALL are fun, exciting, engaging and challenging once you’re involved. Listen to your dog, let them show you their strengths and weaknesses, and find the sport that fits them best. You’ll both be happier for it!
