I'm another who wants to have fun with her dogs, but also when I really think about it, I want to deepen the bond between us and to meet challenges. I have had and loved some great dogs in my life, but when I first trained a dog for competition I realized the bond was deeper than I achieved with any previous dog.
When I did Bernese Mountain Dog drafting (the Berner people allow other breeds to compete), my beloved Rottie girl Schara and I went all the way to the Master Draft Dog title, which means passing the Novice (on leash) test once, going on to Open (off leash), and passing the Open test 5 times. Both levels require a short obedience routine without cart to prove handler has control, a maneuvering course with cart in an open area, and a cross-country half-mile draft course with weight (25 pounds in Novice, the dog's own weight rounded back to the nearest 10 pounds in Open). During one of our tests, I watched Novice dogs quit on a particular hill on the draft course, either unable or unwilling to pull up a long slope. As Schara and I approached that hill, I told her, "Let's Go," and she dug in and never hesitated in pulling her 30-pound cart with 80 pounds of "freight" up that hill.
Those are the kind of experiences that bring a lump to your throat, or at least to mine - the fact my dog would do such a thing because I asked.
I want to have a good time in the company of like-minded people. I want to do well and earn the ribbons. I want the titles. Most of all I want those lump-in-the-throat moments.
