# Obedience Trial - Dog in next ring jumped the fence!



## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Last weekend we competed in an obedience trial. Here's my note to my dog's breeder after the trial. 



Lynn, last weekend at an obedience trial. I had a Boxer jump from the Rally Advanced ring into my Obedience Open ring. I had thrown the dumbbell for the retrieve on the flat. The Boxer happened to just be turning as I threw. It caught his attention and he flew after it. I think it was completely prey drive instinct on his part. My golden is a solid guy, so when I saw the Boxer jump over, I just said sit very quietly and reached down and slid my hand through his collar. My guy didn't flinch. The Boxer was not interested in retrieving the dumbbell, only in running after it. The Boxer owner jumped the ring gate and grabbed his dog. They both jumped back over the ring gate. The Open judge picked up the dumbbell and walked back to me with it. She asked how we were. I said just fine. I threw the dumbbell, and we returned to finished our Open run. We didn't qualify, but it had nothing to do with the Boxer, it was my dog going around the high jump on the retrieve. Here's why I think my dog went through this with no problem. We practice extensively in the field with "honoring". My dogs often watch other dogs work without being on leash or being spoken to. Often I take my dogs out, sit them in the field, throw bumpers, and call different dogs to retrieve. Their fluffy butts stay on the ground until they are sent. With competitive dogs, we work on this a lot, so that they don't break. All in all, I had a good laugh about the situation with the Boxer owner later that day. I am fortunate though, that I had not already sent my dog for the retrieve, or we could have had a dog fight. I think I got really lucky. Hope everyone had a great weekend! My guy is Riot: Rebel X Gabby 10/15/15. A very very solid dog. Thanks Lynn for all you do!


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

Good boy! Great training! Solid dogs sure help us!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

So, since you wanted me to read and remark on this thread... 

I was sitting back and thinking about what my dogs would have done in the same situation...  

Bertie - the situation has occurred in group classes, so I know what would have happened. In case of a thrown dumbbell and other dog running in to grab it. Bertie has immediately come to a stop and returned back to my side. This is because he has been trained not to interact with other dogs when working. 

Jovi - LOLOLOL. He's been the boxer. This includes him jumping a ring gate at a fun match to steal a dumbbell away. He gets transfixed when he see dumbbells flyng. Because they are HIS.  When this happened in a match, I spoke with my trainer and we began working on flying dumbbells as a distraction in classes - all leading up to the trials he was entered in. Fortunately, the trials he's been in, his classes followed open. So he has not been tested with that situation. I don't think he's quite ready for that distraction yet! 

If a dog jumped the ring gate and tried interacting with him, I think 50/50 chance, he'd just try playing with the dog. Or he'd come back to my side when called. <= At the novice level, which he's at, the dogs are not expected to be too far from the owner's side except for recalls. So there's less chance of an interaction happening at a distance too far away for me to protect my dog. 

And I'm saying this as somebody who is actually afraid of some breeds - simply based on what I've seen from these dogs or based on the size/power of these dogs. I'm truly very glad the stays have been dumbed down for that reason. 

Glee? Well, he's a baby. If a large unknown dog went flying in to grab his dumbbell... odds are likely that Glee would simultaneously puddle and flip on his back to submit. 

Anyway, kudos on training your dog. And as I said elsewhere - some of the dogs going into rally advanced are not mature or trained enough to be off leash. I think this is a big problem - especially if the breeds themselves are known for dog aggression. 

Boxers - could be either way. Most of the boxers (not many) I've met tend to be very hyper and silly and just want to play. But their smushed up faces make other dogs more wary or worried about them because they look threatening. I think if a boxer doesn't start something, the other dog might think they are just because of their faces... <= Either way, that's an alarming situation any time it happens and I get how helpless you'd feel in the obedience ring!


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I already know what Winx would have done. She would have stayed and waited without me saying a word. She's a rock. Steady drills for field made a huge difference in her stays. Last year, I was showing her in UKC Open. For UKC, there's an honor dog left in a down stay while the working dog heels. For Open, it's out of sight. Her working dog bolted from its handler and made a beeline for her. She NEVER moved. They called me back immediately and then she honored for another dog without a problem. Although, I think she should have passed that exercise without the redo. She doesn't do obedience anymore. Agility is her game now.

Pilot probably would have stayed. He just wants to do what I tell him to do. He is totally into his dumbbell but he's not into confrontation at all. He probably would have looked up at me to fix it. Hoping to get some steady drills done with him this winter.


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