I spent a lovely weekend at Newbury Showground at the Wallingford Dog Training Club agility meet. The whole weekend was like a breath of fresh air for me. As a behaviourist I spend most of my time dealing with, reading about, or studying dogs with behavioural problems which are usually brought about in some way by humans!
But here were hundreds and hundreds of happy, happy dogs. Owners who want to give their dog a good and meaningful life. People having fun outdoors, running alongside their dogs who were having an amazing time. Lots and lots of Border Collies were having the time of their lives. This type of herding dog very often experiences behavioural problems when owners do not take account of their strong, working drives. The outlet of being able to run around an agility course allows them to stop, start, watch their owner, jump, change direction, run and satisfy many of their innate needs.
In fact Border Collies are SO good at agility that another class of agility has been formed to allow other breeds a look in! If you have a Weimaraner, Great Dane, Dachshund, or mutt you can enter them in the 'ABC' class -- Anything But a Collie!!! Any collies, or collie cross-breeds are not allowed to enter. So how can you tell whether they are a collie cross-breed or not?
Blackdog DNA will tell you what the genetic heritage of your dog really is! Simples!
