# Running someone else's dog?



## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

How possible is it for us "average joes (or janes)" to run someone else's dog? I found this youtube video which made me wonder:





...If you didn't have a world-class dog (Encore) and a world class handler (Greg Derrett), could you just up and run someone else's dog successfully? How specific do you think a dog/handler team gets? Very interesting topic, I think. Thoughts? 

[EDIT]- I suppose it would be important to define success! I would define that as running the dog with *nearly *as good of times, and with *nearly *as few faults as the owner/handler would have.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Yup, done it. And had a friend, who had never done agility, run one of my dog's too. I ran Jason's dog, Dottie, with more success than he had at the last trial. I use NONE of the same commands so I just hoped she followed my body language. My agility instructor runs other dogs allllllll the time. Every trial you see her running numerous dogs not her own.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Crazy! That's awesome! I never considered that one could do that... I wonder if my instructor would let me run her BC...


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

at one point, I ran a students JRT, she just wasn't clicking with him at all, he did GOOD for me, I was rather surprised, because NONE of my dogs will run with anyone else..

I also ran a friends BC one time,,oh my, to hectic for me))


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I just loved watching that video  Love how the top handlers with the really fast dogs STILL manage to be ahead to 'show' the line to the dog most of the time...

It's a great thing to do, run someone else's dog. Mostly I've done it in class. Needs to be some type of relationship with the dog, but if they are food/toy driven usually that can develop VERY fast


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

I have. I ran my friend's Sheltie for her after she had a heart attack....I put her MXJ title on her.

Had to yell at myself to stand up though (wanted to hunch because she was so little). I got her to bark on the course even, LOL (Kensi is a very quiet Sheltie....her owner couldn't believe it).


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I'm only on lesson 4 in agility, but I've worked one of my herding trainer's border collies with the sheep. It was extremely valuable because I didn't understand what the sheep were supposed to be doing so how could I get Stosh to do it? Working her dog, who obviously knows what to do, taught me a lot and it was a heck of a lot of fun.


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