# Today's Agility Trial



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

So Masi and I went to 'vendor' my wares at my clubs CPE trial for the weekend.

Yesterday was monsoonal, glad I set up inside a warm dry building. Today, HOT HOT HOT, 

What I observed tho, and was rather disheartened , no german shepherds yesterday , notta one..Today there was ONE..and I met a couple of really really nice beaucerons..

We didnt trial, as I said, vendoring (made quite a bit of money which was a good thing 

Masi had a good time tho today she had a couple of melt downs A lady wallked by the back of my blazer (masi was in her crate with the back up), and the ladys pittie (who is VERY friendly), JUMPED in the back , well Masi did not appreciate that and went Cujo on him..no biggy, mistakes happen,,she apologized,,well not 10 minutes later the dumb woman walks BACK and her dog does the SAME THING! I'm like LADY, did you have to walk right by the back of my blazer? sheesh

But other than that, she had a good time hanging out chasing her frisbee, and checking out all the other dogs..It got so hot this afternoon I made my husband come get her and take her home..she was not happy with that 

BUT dang, where have all the gsd's gone


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

So many of them not only can't run but can't jump so agility isn't something they get into. It's very sad.

There's a beauc running in the trials around here now and he's doing pretty well. I kind of like them.


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## kleinenHain (Sep 20, 2007)

Diane glad you had such a great day at the trial. I would love to bring my guys up to a trial there sometime.

Elaine I dont agree with you. In my area there are a lot of GSD's running agility, all are working line GSD's and they are very fast. There are however a few that are very slow but because their out of shape and very fat.

Come watch Enzo run sometime if you doubt a GSD sucks at agility


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

JakodaCD OA said:


> So Masi and I went to 'vendor' my wares at my clubs CPE trial for the weekend.
> 
> What I observed tho, and was rather disheartened , no german shepherds yesterday , notta one..Today there was ONE..and I met a couple of really really nice beaucerons..
> 
> *BUT dang, where have all the gsd's gone*


That's what I'm always saying!!! 4th most registered breed in the USA and where the heck are they!????

One of the many reasons I love to hear about all the up and comers here cause thats going to be more in the mix! :wub:


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

kleinenHain said:


> Elaine I dont agree with you. In my area there are a lot of GSD's running agility, all are working line GSD's and they are very fast. There are however a few that are very slow but because their out of shape and very fat.


In this area there are only three workingline dogs running, including my dog, and one of the others has bad hips, so that leaves two that run well. The few other GSD running are either white or american dogs and they are a disaster.


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## kleinenHain (Sep 20, 2007)

I do agree with you there just didnt want to say anything bad about the american dogs. I was just at a big tiral that had a few showline dogs OMG poor dogs.

I would love to see more GSD's , theres maybe 6 or 8 at the trials I go to.

there was one white GSD that gave Max a run for his money, very fast dog but was retired due to bad hips, and the owners new up and coming white had bad hips too. I felt so bad for the owner


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

I would love to do agility -- I have in the past, with my poor American Line dogs. But their biggest handicap was me!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Andaka said:


> I would love to do agility -- I have in the past, with my poor American Line dogs. But their biggest handicap was me!


I'm sure somewhere there are american dogs that can run, jump, and have drive, but they are becoming fewer all the time. It would be great if there were and I would hope to see some running.

I keep saying my dog needs a better handler all the time. LOL!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

When I started agility back in the late nineties, there were a couple of us with gsd's, then as the years went on, there were ALOT of them. And actually most of them were AM lines. 

Now, unless I go to a big cluster, and even there, there are very few gsd's Actually there is a girl I know who has two am lines (dallas kids) doing agility around here, and doing pretty well

Another thing I noticed, in most venues, where when I started, I 'had' to go into 24", alot of people not just gsd's, have dropped down to that 20" class.. Heck when I ws doing 24", it was the BIGGEST class, now the 20" is..

I LOVED doing 24", and if I were now, and had the choice, I'd stay in 24. I certainly LIKE the idea that if anyone wants to do 20" they have that choice, but there's nothing like watching a long legged dog clear those 24" jumps and leave lots of 'air'..


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## kleinenHain (Sep 20, 2007)

Diane are the GSD's doing 20 in preferred? lots of people here are doing 20 but its preferred until their ready to move up to 24. I did that with Max when he first started out. Not with Enzo he went right in to 24. I plan to move him up to 26 once he is older.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Wanda, depending on the venue, AKC yeah alot of them are doing preferred, and I think it's great they have the choice.

In CPE, Nadac, the rules are changing all the time, even tho only 1 gsd yesterday, that dog, a terv and the beauceron were the only dogs doing 24"..

I know you can drop a height to go to "skilled" I think it is in cpe, and then drop another one if the dog is senior.


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## kleinenHain (Sep 20, 2007)

I know nothing about CPE 

it is nice they give you the choice

AKC has changed a lot too. it took me forever to get it all in when I was running Max, now with the two boys I feel like I have to learn it all over again.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

CPE is alot of fun, more laid back and some really cool games..but it can be really confusing with all the rules/different games..


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Andaka said:


> I would love to do agility -- I have in the past, with my poor American Line dogs.* But their biggest handicap was me*!


That's always most of the problem in agility! Heck, I'm still going to weekly classes after 12 years of agility (different dogs though  ). :wub:


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

JakodaCD OA said:


> I LOVED *doing 24",* and if I were now, and had the choice, I'd stay in 24. I certainly LIKE the idea that if anyone wants to do 20" they have that choice, but there's nothing like watching a long legged dog clear those 24" jumps and leave lots of 'air'..


It's great in 24" and now we get more course time than the 20" so that helps getting those MACH points!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I have no problem with getting points; it's getting those darn double Q's that is the hard part.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

What's the highest jump height in agility?


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

26"


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

i'm jealous! i hope i'll be able to go watch agility trials and such when we're in maryland. I'd LOVE to see some beaucerons in person. They're such beautiful dogs! i think i'd enjoy having one some day.


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

I don't see many GSDs in agility around here and even fewer GSDs who are really good at agility. Someone in my area runs an oversized GSD and he is the only regular I see at trials. He seems sweet but is pretty typical of what I see in agility - kinda slow and not terribly into it. GSDs can be awesome agility dogs but I'm afraid the majority I see are not. There are physical limitations with many of them - heavy bone, long bodies, excessive angulation, roach backs, east/west fronts and overall size. But to be honest, the biggest limitation with seems to be a lack of drive. I've been involved in agility since the mid90s and don't remember ever seeing a lot of GSDs competing or a lot of fast GSDs. A big reason I wanted a puppy from Jora's mother was because she was the best agility GSD that I had ever seen (even if she was "bad" LOL she was very fast and driven).


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