Quote:
Originally Posted by lengel  Am I overreacting? |
Absolutely not! Whoever was running the seminar should have restricted that dog after the first incident, in the interest of all. Now you know what question to ask prior to attending another seminar: "How will unruly, out of control dogs be handled at this seminar?" If the answer isn't "They will not be permitted to continue participating", then you know not to go.
I waited until Chili was two to start agility for precisely this reason. Crazy, hyper dogs (and their crazy, hyper owners) cause me a lot of concern because my dog would love to join in on the chaos and I wanted to make sure she had enough obedience under her belt to be able to let a lot of stuff go without frustration. As it turns out, we have a great instructor who spends an enormous amount of time laying a solid foundation so stuff like what happened at your seminar doesn't occur. I also take great care that my dog does not think because she gets to run around and have fun (and boy does she
) that obedience doesn't matter. It matters even more.
Ideally, agility *should* be an exercise in controlled and directed speed in a steady dog, not a crazed free for all. A dog's freedom should be directly proportional to his level of obedience.