I have no problem with allowing bitches in heat to compete in pretty much any sport. Its largely a training issue. But part of the reason its such a big distraction, IMO, is there's never an opportunity to train through it. The majority of female dogs I know are spayed. If they're not, the owner pulls them from class when they're in heat. I've been in classes where bitches in heat were banned from class.
If you're never given a chance to train with that distraction, I think its overly flippant to say "its just a training issue" when that's a very specific, chemical and biological distraction that I don't think you can reasonably expect a dog to generalize about. I would be pretty pissed if my dogs first exposure to bitches in heat was at his first obedience trial.
If you're never given a chance to train with that distraction, I think its overly flippant to say "its just a training issue" when that's a very specific, chemical and biological distraction that I don't think you can reasonably expect a dog to generalize about. I would be pretty pissed if my dogs first exposure to bitches in heat was at his first obedience trial.
In short, they go out of their way to proof for it.
After all, obe trials are regularly on the same grounds as confo so intact girls may be around even if not in the ring. And if you're shooting for the national stage, that's where you're most likely to have an inheat dog snuck in.
To me, continuing to ban them from competing because they can't be trained with because they are banned from training is rather circular....