Clean Run - July 2010 - 5

Editorializing…
I Have Fun with My Dog... Really
By Kristine Gunter

A few years ago I was actively trialing my Cardigan Welsh Corgi Riley in agility. Riley wasn’t exactly a speed demon and I rarely had to break out of a jog to keep up with him as we made our way around a course. I never put a MACH, or even an Excellent-level title on him. People who watched us run would often ask me when I would be getting a new puppy to train; they’d ask when I was going to give up on Riley. The implication was if I had a faster dog, a more driven dog, that somehow I would get more enjoyment out of the sport than Riley could provide. Riley was my second dog and I didn’t actually pick him out with a performance career in mind. His breeder described him as “the sweetest puppy in the litter, the puppy who wants to cuddle with you instead of eating his dinner.” I adored Riley and his cuddly, low-drive personality and only decided to train him in agility after I was already trialing my older dog. I realized as long as Riley was going to be tagging along at trials he might enjoy competing as well. I trained Riley completely on my own. He easily earned his Novice titles but when we moved on to the Open level he occasionally struggled with making course times. One day, on a whim, I decided to splurge on a private lesson with a trainer known for coming up with innovative ways to motivate agility dogs. After watching Riley lope around her training arena at his usual pace, she issued her opinion of my dog: “You obviously cannot be having any fun with a dog that runs like that.” I didn’t hear much of what she had to say after that; I was hurt by her comments. Even though I assumed people had been thinking that same thought for years, nobody had ever actually verbalized it to me in such a direct fashion.

While I suppose everyone’s idea of fun varies, I can assure you I did have fun competing with Riley in agility. In 2004, my friend Shannon and I drove over 4,000 miles with our four Cardigan Corgis so we could attend our national specialty, held in St. Louis, Missouri, that year. I had no reason to expect Riley would do well in agility since he would be competing against some of the best and fastest Cardigans in the country. But just like the fable about the tortoise and the hare, sometimes the competitor who is slow and steady really does win the race. Riley ended up winning his Jumpers class on the first day of the specialty, beating six other dogs. He certainly wasn’t the fastest dog in the class, finishing just 2 seconds under course time, but he was the only dog to finish with a perfect score. When the results of the class were posted and I discovered my Riley-bug had just won 1st place at our national specialty, I can assure you I was as happy and proud as anyone who has earned a championship title. And I was certainly having fun. Riley has been retired from competition for a couple of years now. Since then, I’ve added a third Corgi to my clan. She’s very driven and intense. She runs a lot faster than Riley ever did; I have to sprint, not jog, when I run her in a trial. She’s fun to run. But so was Riley. Really.

Kristine Gunter
5

Kristine Gunter lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband Eric and three Cardigan Welsh Corgis. She has put almost 50 performance titles on her dogs in agility, obedience, rally, freestyle, and herding. Her website is www.cardigan-corgis.com July 10 | Clean Run

http://www.cardigan-corgis.com

Clean Run - July 2010

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