Missouri Earth Dog Trials

Paul had a great outing during the Mo Earth Day trials. He finished with 2 1st place for flat racing. He has 2 1st place for hurdle racing. He earned 3rd place for Go to the Ground. He has 2nd Place for Conformation going against older dogs since they did have a class for him. They could have placed him in the 4-6 months Jack Russell and Parson Russell class since they didn't have a 4-6 month colored Terrier class. They briefly told me to enter him with the white Russel, but contacted me and said put him with the 12 month colored terrier class. He was beaten by a dog that came from the same kennel. We had the only dogs from that kennel. They have a nice dog.

There were other events I wanted to put him in, but they didn't have a class for his age group. This includes white terriers too. I don't know why they separate the white terriers from other terriers. I heard that some of the white terrier owners complain that their dogs get distracted running against terriers that are not white. The dogs don't care about the color of the dogs next to them in a race. They want the lure. They either run well or not. People make excuses for their dogs not doing well. Sure some dogs get disqualified for starting or attempting to start a fight. They are muzzled and can't harm each other. That is the nature of a game dog. But most are more focused on the chase. They want it more than anything else. That is the nature of dogs that hunt. Next year Paul will be old enough to compete in everything. He'll face more and greater competition then. With this experience under his belt he'll be better prepared than he was this year.

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I agree this of similar nature happens with all breed. I'd even go as far as saying not just dogs. It can happen with horses, cows, etc. It doesn't bother me that they make those types of excuses. The dog doesn't care. The dog will either be focused or not. I won't even say they feared running against my dog. It just give them an excuse for their dog not to do well.

There was one race where a Patterdale that came from the same kennel as mines was leading the entire race. One dog from behind began to bump it. Eventually the Patterdale looked back after the dog tried to bite it. Then they went at it. Another dog passed up the Patterdale and got first. The dog that started the trouble was disqualified by the judge and they were going to rerun the race. The owner of the disqualified dog complained and said the Patterdale was riding her dog all the way. It was the Patterdale fault. I was in the box volunteering to help catch dogs as they go through the hole. We saw the entire thing. The judge and other all said no, the Patterdale was leading the entire race. It was your dog and it's disqualified. She said from where she was the other dog was riding her dog and began the fight....lol People will say and do anything in order to win. It's a ribbon. It is going to fade and get dusty. It has no real value.

For me it give my dog an outlet. They got to exercise and stimulate their minds and bodies. In my mind the dogs enjoyed themselves. it was fun for them and for me. It give them some training for a real hunt even if I never get to hunt them. I hope to hunt the Patterdale later. It shows that it can do what it was bred to do. I got a chance to meet some people that actually hunt their dogs. They had videos of the hunt and were proud of their dog successes. I enjoyed seeing them. I enjoyed cheering for every dog.

We looked at Jack Russels before choosing a Patterdale. I'm glad we got what we have. Just like they're glad they have what they have. it a matter of personal preference. Both breeds are game. The Jacks typically begin to show their hunting instincts sooner than Patterdales. Apparently, you can be more harsh on a Jack when they are pups. The Patterdale will not respond well to strong or harsh training as pup and will shut down. But once they come of age they are much harder on the quarry than a Jack and wont back to any quarry. They can be bitten by a raccoon but will stay engaged until the raccoon is dead and the hunter gets the dog off of the quarry.  The Patterdale are normally calmer in the home but busy outdoors. They make for better house dogs and all around pets as well as awesome hunters. Jacks are not well suited for house dogs(pets). These are things I learned in my research. Most of the people that have a lot more experience than I conformed this during the trials. Even the ones that own both the Jacks and the Patterdales. They use the Patterdales and harder game than they will the Jacks. I can attest to mines being manageable in the home. But once outside he is all over often with his nose to the ground like he's hunting. He has found the hole in the fence where the rabbits come it. He might not know it's a rabbit yet. But he can follow his nose to find it's trail.

If I had a little more land and some younger Presas I would take them to learn to hunt wild pigs. This past weekend I was talking to a guy that hunt pigs with his Dogo Argentino. He sent me number of pictures of what they caught. My older dogs will not do so well on this today since they have never done it. But if I were to start a young dog off doing this it would excel. He was about 30 minutes away from the dog trials. he wants a presa and contacted me. I wasn't aware there were opportunities like this near me. It's not that close but close enough. Years ago I was invited to come to Texas to hunt some wold boars. I declined the offer. Not only was that too far. But I was young and not game enough to try. My dog came from a long line of dogs that hunted wild boars. I've seen videos of several generations of dogs in the pedigree hunting boars.