Clean Run - November 2017 - 56

Many people who have had a dog with
ETOs recall feeling relieved when they
learned that their dog was simply not
able to successfully complete the jumping task and that it was not their fault.
Few, however, express that the relief
was immediate. Handlers are reasonably upset to learn that the career they
had envisioned with their dog may not
be possible.

Breeders

this is ten, Nancy's dog that is prone to etos. she's
putting in extra eﬀort here to make up for her early
takeoﬀ point and went on to win this usDaa regional
performance Grand prix ﬁnals run. ten has had a full,
fun, and successful agility career.

There is a third dynamic that should be
addressed-talking about ETOs with
your dog's breeder. You should feel
comfortable asking your breeder about
ETOs in their lines. However, don't be
surprised if they haven't even heard of
ETOs. Many agility handlers and instructors haven't heard of ETOs or they
have heard the term but don't know

These comments were shared by owners of dogs with ETOs.
"I wish people would not say that my dog has ETS (Early Takeoff Syndrome), like ETS itself is a disease. He has a vision
problem that causes him to misjudge his takeoff distances. He does have ETOs (early takeoffs) as a result, but they are a
symptom, not the underlying problem."
"I wish we could get rid of the stigma that goes along with ETOs and the resulting denial of any problems, even when the ETOs
are obvious. Do we shun and whisper about every human who wears glasses or contacts? No, because that would be silly. I do not
understand why people have this weird idea that all dogs see perfectly and do not have vision deficits. That is all we are talking
about, a vision deficit that varies from dog to dog, just like it does in humans-not a training or confidence or poor jumping style
problem. ETOs are just the symptom in agility."
"It can be pretty devastating to learn that your dog has ETOs and he won't get "better." Be kind and try not to judge people too
harshly."
"I have heard so many awful stories from handlers about having random people approach them about their dog's jumping. Think
if it was t-ball. I'm not sure it would okay to just walk up to another parent and tell them their kid has no future in sports, no
matter how obvious it might be."
"People should be understanding that this can be a difficult journey and judgments don't need to be so harsh."
"I went back to basics, tried several different jumping techniques, and worked hard, but nothing really solved the ETOs. So I had
to come to terms with it and accept it. My dog does not care about his jump height or whether we are competing at Nationals or
a local trial. He is happy training in the backyard. What I found very hard was dealing with people. At every local trial, people
would come up to me after a run to tell me how early my dog was taking off or that he had crashed on some jumps. Over and
over. It became an aggravation, and at one point I told them to stop and that I knew exactly what was going on."
"I have tried to move away from the negative inﬂuences and look on the bright side: my dog is an amazing and courageous athlete
who despite his difficulties in perceiving the jumps in front of him, does not give up, and keeps trying and loving it."
"Breeders of performance dogs need to be paying more attention to eye abnormalities other than those checked for by normal eye
exams for breeding dogs."
"Dogs with ETOs still like to play. If they can do so safely they do not need to quit playing. I have corrected more than one knowit-all who decided my dog should not play anymore because she stutter steps."

Clean Run | November 17

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