[PyrNet-L] EVENTS: Suggested obedience regulations changes

[Jane Gill <janegill@fast.net>]

This will be of interest to those of you out there (Holly?  Peggy?
David? Catherine?) who show in obedience.

A meeting of the Obedience Advisory Committee was held in Raleigh, North
Carolina on August 21
and 22, 1999.   This committee's task was to make suggestions for
changes to the obedience regulations.  While we are still waiting for
their findings to be posted to the official AKC web page, a transcript
has been posted at

http://badger.adp.wisc.edu/obedchanges.html

Comments are being solicited, and I am very very eager to hear what the
Pyr Obedience people think about these proposed changes.  I suspect a
few of them we would be able to have a pretty strong consensus on as a
breed.

Some of the provisions that were of particular interest to me:

(Just my opinion, folks!)

1.  The elimination of High in Trial as an award.  I think a HIT is a
very special memory, especially for those who have taken a HIT at our
breed specialty.  I don't understand what the thinking was on
elimination of this very special honor.

2.  A change in the broad jump exercise in Open:  as described, it does
eliminate the turn back to the handler on the jump, which is something
that many people have suggested as problematical as far as being wearing
on the dog's right shoulder.  A concern that I have, and am eager for
your opinion:  I am worried that as this exercise is described, it may
be quite difficult for a large dog to be set up properly with enough
approach distance for the jump.  (Good old ring lengths again!)  As near
as I can understand it, you heel along one side of the ring, do a right
or left turn and proceed forward, then do a moving stand or moving sit,
continue along to the broad jump, call your dog over it while you
continue to move past it and then the dog falls into heel position with
you.

3.  Minor to substantial deductions will be taken for lack of the utmost
in willingness, enjoyment and precision on the part of the dog, and
naturalness and smoothness in handling.  I am a little worried without a
little more definition that "the utmost in willingness and enjoyment"
will be translated into the utmost in rapid movement.  Which might not
necessarily bode well for those handling a Pyrenees.  Not to say that
our dogs all necessarily work slow or unhappily, but OTOH the best and
fastest of the Pyr world don't have the fast twitch muscles that a
Border Collie is carting around as standard issue(g).  Are the judges to
be expected to accurately interpret our dog's facial expressions to
guage if they're willing and happy?  Naturalness and smoothness in
handling also scares me, given the fact that I have read opinions in
Front and Finish and seen judges score on the basis that the following
are unnnatural:  having your dog look at you all the time; you looking
at your dog all the time; smiling at your dog; frowning at your dog;
walking an even number of steps around a figure 8 post; big steps;
little steps.  Again, naturalness and smoothness can very much be in the
eye of the beholder, and this is a very stylized sport to begin with:
after all, who in their right mind walks around with her left hand lying
flat against her stomach while keeping her elbow clenched unmoving to
her side? While judges have always been able to deduct small amounts for
lack of willingness and lack of naturalness, now we've got that "utmost"
word in there, plus it could now be a substantial. Particular judges can
have particular bugaboos in handling styles and without a little more
definition of what constitutes "natural", I fear this could become a big
stick to beat us randomly with.

4.  Allowing Novice dogs to show in Novice B for a full year or until
they get their first Open leg - seems OK to me?  What do you think?  I
have heard some obedience folk afraid that a really hot, competitive
Novice B dog would whip up all the first places for a year.  OTOH I know
that often people will hold their Novice dogs back from competing so
that they will be sure to be eligible to show in a regular class at
their National.  (I just look on that full year as an opportunity for
the novice A competitor to get more real live AKC ring experience under
their belt as they prepare for Open.)

Either post to the list or e-mail me privately, but I really really
would appreciate your comments.  We are all free to comment to the AKC
as individuals, but IF there are issues that we have a strong consensus
on as a group, then we can make that voice heard as well!

We all love our dogs.  We all love our sport.  This is a chance for us
to be a positive force on behalf of both!

Best wishes,

Jane Gill
Obedience Chairperson, GPCA