# Agility training class incident



## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Last night we had an unpleasant incident at the end of agility class. Zoe was completing a run when two large dogs left their owners and started chasing her. At first Zoe thought it was a game like the one she plays with our Lab, but then she realized that the husky mix dog actually wanted to grab her (the other big dog was a golden retriever). She was terrified. Our head trainer also has a miniature poodle. She managed to grab Zoe as Zoe ran close to her - Zoe let out a terrified scream because she thought one of the big dogs had grabbed her. It took about 10 minutes of soothing to get her calmed down. Next week we will work with the golden and her owner to help get Zoe's confidence back - the husky is not well controlled by his owner, so there will be steps taken to ensure that he cannot repeat his behavior.


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## MerrysSarah (Dec 9, 2018)

That's terrifying! So glad she's ok. The only really negative experiences we've had with other dogs so far have all been with huskys and husky mixes. They can be so intense and focused with a high prey drive, it can really be scary!

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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

That is awful. I hope she Zoe gets back to having fun the next time you are there. It sounds as though the husky may not really belong at this class since it sounds like the handler is lacking skills to keep other dogs safe.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

What a scary thing for poor Zoe! My mini mix AND spoo have both been chased by huskies, and unfortunately the mini was caught and picked clean up off the ground before I could intervene. I'll never forget those terrified yelps. Really very much like screams. And they seem to intensify the husky prey drive.

Hope lots of future positive experiences wipe out this memory for her.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Poor Zoe. It must have been very scary for you also. I am glad she was kept safe. I am also glad your head trainer was present and that she will work with Zoe to help ensure they will be no lasting affect.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Blessedly, the head trainer also has a mini poo. We let those two little girls walk around together after class. What is it about huskies? I agree that they seem to have a really strong prey drive.


I plan to go to class early and play with Zoe before class starts (we are the first class of the evening, I think). I'll take one of her tennis balls - that's her very, very favorite game.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Johanna said:


> Blessedly, the head trainer also has a mini poo. We let those two little girls walk around together after class. What is it about huskies? I agree that they seem to have a really strong prey drive.


I've had a couple of Huskie mixes. 

My theory is that, as a breed, they're a little closer to the wild. Higher prey drive, more independent, harder to train. 

Not quite as domesticated as our Poodles.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

My impressions of Huskies is that it would be a miracle if they go onto obedience greatness or get any awards for congenitally. Bless their handlers/breeders if they do I spent a long day with a concession in Wyoming, holding puppies, watching a team being wrangled together for my trip through a National Forest. I was scared of them, when we paused on the trail and I’m not a wimp.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Oh no, poor Zoe. It does sound like you have a good plan. Is there anyway to have the husky move to another class so Zoe doesn’t have to see this dog?

Babykins was attacked this week in her class by a cairn terrier. The cairn is owned by a woman who has been teaching dogs for 50 years and she still teaches basic obedience/CGC classes in many locations. Her dog was supposed to be in the ring running the course and the gates were supposed to be closed. Babykins runs after her dog so I had her out between my legs as I was feeding her treats and playing games. Someone had opened the gate and the terrier ran out and pushed Babykins off my legs to get at her treat. She growled back and this dog lit into her. OMG my friend threw a chair at them to break up the fight. No bites but it clearly affected her so I immediately took her over to my friends dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog who she sees regularly and it helped settle her down. The cairn went back in the ring and emptied his bladder on the weave poles. This wasn’t a pee mark, dog had a very full bladder. It was raining heavy and the dog didn’t pee that morning. So they left midway through class. We ran the course and I could see Babykins was affected but she’s been to other classes after this and was back to acting normal. I don’t know how it’s going to be next week in class. I may switch to another class to avoid that dog. I do crate her in agility to walk the course or to watch someone but I don’t want to crate her the whole time just to keep her safe. So we’re dealing with something similar to Zoe. This is the first time this happened and I wish I knew what to do to avoid it.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Geez, Skylar, how strange that our two related dogs had similar incidents this week! I'm glad to hear that Babykins is doing OK.

Zoe plays all day with our Lab, so she is basically not afraid of big dogs, but this is the second husky that has had plans to eat her. I do feel sure that Linda, the class instructor will lay down some strict rules for the owner of the husky. That woman needs to realize that huskies are commonly very prey-driven and that she needs to hang on to her dog's leash when small dogs are near.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Babykins seems over it, we’re at a Rally trial and she was happy to see both her little and big doggie friends. She would love to have Zoe and your lab to play with. 

I keep thinking over and over again what I could have done differently to avoid this problem. I will keep Babykins away from this dog, will sit far away and crate her when this dog is not crated. And will consider switching to another time. But I would love to know how to avoid this in the future. 

You’re lucky your trainer will lay down some rules to limit this husky causing harm. We’ve had huskies in obedience and both dogs were so dog reactive they had to work behind the gating. The owner does conformation and titles her dogs but they are so poorly socialized. 

Are you in a class in agility with several dogs working on apparatuses? If you are I hope they can figure out how to keep those dogs on a leash while working. We’re in the competition class with only the dog running the course. If the gate remained properly closed this terrier shouldn’t have been able to get out.


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

I’m glad Babykins is ok without any long lasting effects from the trauma. That must have been terrible.

Huskies have very specific needs and tendencies, They’re not my cup of tea. A while ago when I was volunteering in rescue, there was a seizure of a husky breeder and we wound up with some of the puppies and dogs. I learned a lot about the breed - it was important they went to homes who were willing to manage the breed traits. Turned away a lot of people, hopefully the screening ensured good placements.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Johanna, I spoke to one of our trainers who has been our mentor giving us private lessons for the teeter and encouraging us, he’s also the one in charge of running the agility program at our club. He said I did nothing wrong. It’s all on the other woman who owns the cairn terrier. She had no control over her dog and should have called her dog back, she could have warned me ahead of time etc. I was thinking should I sit far away from the group during class or switch classes to get away from the dog and he said no, just the opposite this woman should be doing this. 

Anyhow I’ve decided to tell the club president and make it known what happened. I realized not officially telling the club means that another dog could be at risk of being attacked. The owner never apologized, she’s just one of those people who doesn’t care yet she a very experienced dog trainer who has been training dogs for decades all over this city. She just shrugged her shoulders. For some dogs maybe this isn’t a problem. I want my dog to feel safe where we go to play dog sports.


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, i hope these incidents won't carry over long term. I guess our area is lucky; we have several Sibs and even Malamutes who train and compete ,and are fine.Great owners,i suppose-one was even at the last rally nat'ls with Frostyn, his white husky. I has a golden x husky who was quite calm around other dogs,so not a breed with which I was ever concerned.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Zoe is certainly resilient. She worked in our training class as if nothing had ever happened to her. I did have to remind the owner of the husky to be sure it was either in its crate or on leash. It has improved some - only runs around wildly for a couple of minutes now :dong:


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Skylar said:


> Johanna, I spoke to one of our trainers who has been our mentor giving us private lessons for the teeter and encouraging us, he’s also the one in charge of running the agility program at our club. He said I did nothing wrong. It’s all on the other woman who owns the cairn terrier. She had no control over her dog and should have called her dog back, she could have warned me ahead of time etc. I was thinking should I sit far away from the group during class or switch classes to get away from the dog and he said no, just the opposite this woman should be doing this.
> 
> Anyhow I’ve decided to tell the club president and make it known what happened. I realized not officially telling the club means that another dog could be at risk of being attacked. The owner never apologized, she’s just one of those people who doesn’t care yet she a very experienced dog trainer who has been training dogs for decades all over this city. She just shrugged her shoulders. For some dogs maybe this isn’t a problem. I want my dog to feel safe where we go to play dog sports.



I think you are right to let the club know about that owner - before another dog is attacked. I agree that it's critically important for dogs to feel secure at the training site and on show sites.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Johanna said:


> I think you are right to let the club know about that owner - before another dog is attacked. I agree that it's critically important for dogs to feel secure at the training site and on show sites.


I realized I did the right thing as I was asking other people about this and it turns out this dog has attacked other dogs. By filling out an incident report I made it an official piece of business for top management to discuss and rule on.

Even more unethical, this woman is teaching an "obedience for all" class and she takes this dog with her to the class and has it out in the ring with other dogs. In the ring next door is "obedience level 1" class which is the class after puppy - and this dog is also going after dogs in both classes. Plus it attacked two dogs in the parking lot. Babykins is not the first dog - but I hope she will be the last. They are meeting today to discuss the problem. 

In the meantime I have a friend with a very nice cairn terrier so we sat next to each other and both dogs sat and I fed them treats - Babykins is not afraid of other terriers - just this one particular nasty one.

I'm glad Zoe isn't afraid of this dog - and I hope that the woman is able to control her dog.


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## cate&clair (Aug 7, 2017)

My toy, Clair, is also working in Agility. What concerns me about your post is that there is no indication that the trainer you work with has rules that require other dogs to be crated or on leash while dogs are on the course. 

Agility is a moving sport. The stimulation of a running dog can trigger the prey drive of any other dog. I've seen dogs of many breeds try to chase other dogs who are running during agility class. It's a dog thing to chase a moving animal, and not necessarily breed specific. Of course, a small dog is in great danger if caught by another, larger dog. But dog conflicts are not uncommon when two dogs are loose at the same time during agility activities. 

So, there should be specific rules about which dogs are working on the course, and that all others must be safely contained during all agility exercises. If you work with a trainer who allows several unleashed dogs on the floor at once, there should be gates separating exercise areas. At the very least, large and small dogs should be on the course at different times. 

A dog that shows aggression toward people or other dogs is not a good candidate for group agility classes.


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