Westminster agility fun

[kimbersmom]

I thought Rudy the bull dog was my favorite: Rudy the bulldog steals hearts with blazing speed at Westminster Dog Show | Other Sports | Sporting News

But then I saw Winky: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/winky...5pK9_88ogcsy6M

[Labradorks]

The bulldog was amazing and surprising!

Runs like Winky's make me sad. He's pretty stressed. Not the worst I've seen, but he's not comfortable and still trying to be a good dog. We have a big show in Portland and they have a small agility area. It's mostly small dogs because the floor is too slippery for big/fast/powerful dogs. But, the bleachers are full of families and kids; they love it. The more the dogs stress, the more the crowd laughs. They really laugh when dogs slip and fall. I just can't watch it.

[Snowshoe]

Those were great to watch, thanks for posting them.

[smartrock]

So fun to watch. Rudy looked so darn happy! Labradorks, if you say Winky was stressed, I have no experience upon which to question your assessment and it makes me sad to think it might be so. He just reminds me of my one kid who ran track in high school, never won a heat, never appeared to be exactly pushing herself. Her take on it was that she was participating, having fun, and she didn't need to win a heat to feel good about what she did. Winky for the participation award!

[kimbersmom]

The bulldog was amazing and surprising!

Runs like Winky's make me sad. He's pretty stressed. Not the worst I've seen, but he's not comfortable and still trying to be a good dog. We have a big show in Portland and they have a small agility area. It's mostly small dogs because the floor is too slippery for big/fast/powerful dogs. But, the bleachers are full of families and kids; they love it. The more the dogs stress, the more the crowd laughs. They really laugh when dogs slip and fall. I just can't watch it.

Oh, that's a sad persepctive. Hate to think of the pups being stressed, but that makes sense. If Winky's usual runs were that laissez-faire, he wouldn't have made it to Westminster.

[Annette47]

Oh, that's a sad persepctive. Hate to think of the pups being stressed, but that makes sense. If Winky's usual runs were that laissez-faire, he wouldn't have made it to Westminster.

Yes, exactly. I love Rudy's run, but Winky made me sad. Having shown there in Obedience (and gone to watch a few times) Westminster is an environment completely unlike most other shows/trials ... bright lights, a huge crowd, lots of noise etc. A lot of dogs just can't handle it.

[3labmom]

The bulldog rocked it! I wouldn't have been able to keep up!

[Macy]

On a personal note, I can relate to Winky's effort. And the Rudy was awesome. Thanks for sharing.