Do you know sport people?

Within the PNW, dog sports seem pretty popular. I see sport mixes at the dog park frequently. Back home, there is a large population of dog-sporters, but I'm in the boonies so I need to drive a ways to go to shows and training places!

I could totally live under your bed or your couch. Under a cactus in the yard? Me and the four dogs. Yup.

At this point most of my friends are dog people I've met through dogs/dog sports. Other than them, my dog-owning friends don't even take their dogs to puppy class.

I work in a veterinary clinic. None of my dog-owning coworkers have ever done anything with their dogs. I can think of a couple clients who show (or who have their dogs shown for them) in conformation, and one who did Obedience, and we had a referral chemo dog for awhile who did agility, but they're few and far between.

Oh yeah, I actually have several "lists" on Facebook so that my friends from school/work/everywhere else don't get sick of my dog pictures, and my dog friends don't get sick of my random real life thoughts. It's really pretty handy!! I don't mind people thinking I'm weird (I'm sure many do!) but most of my friends are busy with college life and partying and probably don't want to hear about my dog and camera obsession.

This is why dog friends are more fun

LOL the hair, is it? I always figured it was on account of the Asian, but maybe it's the hair, too

For me, I joined the forums to ask for help finding breeders and on all things puppy/dog... but then I started joining more forums (including Chaz) because I got hooked and had to keep blabbing about my dog. And posting pictures. And oggling at other dog pictures. And talking to other dog geeks.

I guess I qualify as one of those? Whoops? I got a dog as a pet/companion but my definition of that really is just him hanging out with me throughout the day. We don't do classes or trials or any type of formal training. Just our regular walks/runs, playing ball once a day, maybe a beach trip or a hike a couple times a year, but really mostly we just hang out together doing nothing.

The only sport I'm really interested in is IPO or PSA training. PSA isn't possible because there are no clubs in my area, and IPO is a huge commitment that is even more difficult for me because I don't have a car. When I saw I don't have time, I kind of actually mean it! Agility would be fun for my dog, but to be frank I have no interest in playing and making that commitment.

Plus, there's the money thing. Classes and gas cost money. Poor college student here!

LOL, that definitely qualifies as trying harder! Our water comes from a well, which someone fenced in. Camp there.
LMAO! One of my friends who I'm lucky enough to have actually like dogs is Vietnamese. From now I'll seer clear of that closeted animal hater. :rofl1:
This. Well, I love hiking with my dogs (we do that all the time since we live in an ideal place), but dog sports are something I just can't manage. I would LOVE to do agility especially, but I think I prefer food.

Well, I'm pretty new still but from what I've seen your dog isn't exactly languishing in boredom every day. I literally mean I get people who don't get why their dog does X behaviour but they never take him out of the house. Literally. They don't walk the dog. They don't take it to the park. They don't train it themselves or formally. They don't take it to the pet store. They don't take it to the beach. The dog is literally in the house except to potty.

I don't train my dogs at a high level. Kili and I are just really getting into agility now that she's old enough. But I always try to take them everywhere with me. I work my errands around them to try to take them with me. When I go to my own sports in the summer I take them. Run them before and after the game/practice, tether them while I'm on the field and sit with them when I'm off. It's not like I interact that much with them when they go to frisbee with me but they get to see new places, new faces, stretch their legs, and it really isn't that much more effort on my part.

Dunno, maybe I'm odd. I don't think everyone needs to take their dogs everywhere and trial them... I just don't get dogs that NEVER see the world I guess.

I get where you're coming from now and I agree. I love doing stuff with my dogs, I love having them wherever I can take them. Millie used to go absolutely everywhere with me as my service dog, but she's retiring now, so she can't go all the places she used to, but I still do what I can manage.
My grandma has a very sweet little Bichon, and the dog is treated well, but she never gets to do anything. She maybe gets a short walk in a blue moon if my uncle feels like taking her. Otherwise, nothing. She's just. . .there. I know a lot of dogs like that. Some seem to do okay with it and some suffer for it.

Ah, I see. There's doing absolutely NOTHING with your dog, and then there's just... hanging out and not doing particularly anything with your dog. Seems like you were talking about the former and I qualify as the latter

No, he definitely isn't languishing in boredom. If he were understimulated, I'd be in big trouble!! I also take my dog with me everywhere, I just figured that compared to those who train their dogs in performance sports and real work, it was pretty much "nothing" (which I'd be okay with! I love doing nothing!).

Yeah, keep away from those Asians. Asians are bad news :rofl1:

Haha, to be fair, my priorities sometimes CAN be terrible. If I have to starve myself for a few days to get a pretty collar or a particularly cool dog toy, I might. Actually contemplating sacrificing a few meals for a dual leash that I've been eying. Hmm...

I don't get that either, I have dogs because I want something/someone to do those things with, otherwise I would be a total internet hermit. At least once or twice a week I throw a dog or two in the car to go run errands with, we go to the convenience store, or the bank, or wherever..stop off somewhere to walk or play ball, etc etc. Even if they don't get out of the car they enjoy going for the ride, and I enjoy the company.

Honestly I can't imagine why everyone I the world wouldn't want to do agility. It's just so darn fun!

Me neither, and I'm one of those people LOL I know Trent enjoys running through the course like a maniac because we did a little agility training within our obedience class... but for some reason, I just can't get into the idea of doing agility specifically. If it were a "hey, there's an agility course, let's play!" kind of thing, I'd definitely be all over it! But I'm just not up for legitimate agility, and not even I know why (although to be fair, I've never actually taken an agility class, so I may stand corrected if I ever do).

You know, I really don't know that many sport people outside of people I know/met on FB and dog forums, or through training classes. We have a handful of clients who do various sports with their dogs, and one of my coworkers has a retired racing greyhound that she's done a little coursing with, but beyond that, people I interact with in person on a daily basis? Not really. There's a local skijor club here but I am not really a club kind of person, and Maisy is leash/dog reactive so that kinda puts a damper on any skijor gatherings.

LMAO, thanks for the warning! *note to self*

Actually, me, too. I even found myself in a clear-cut choice at the grocery store once. Some food because I found my fridge empty. . .or the really awesome toy I stumbled upon and knew Fable would love. I chose the toy and bought a little bit of ramen with the change.
And of course, when I've been going through especially hard times, I will always choose dog food over food for myself if it comes down to it. But IMO that's what I'm supposed to do.

If I'm being completely honest I'm awfully obsessed with dog sports for someone who doesn't do them. When I'm in the right situation I just know I'll go nuts enrolling my dogs in a million classes that seem fun.

Oh yeah, the moment I have the time and means for IPO, I'm getting right on that! I already know which club and everything. The transportation and the club fees will probably be the biggest issue, to be honest, but I'd really, really like to get into the sport.

I live in a VERY dog friendly town where people are extremely active with their dogs. Quite a few do dogs sports of some kind out here

I'm awfully obsessed with the dogs and really don't know many people at all who are into their dogs or doing sports with their dogs. Pretty much the only people I know are through my breeder and her friends. None live here anymore.

I did have a customer that I'm now friends with outside of work who does sports with her Dutchie. However, Rhys is still really too young to compete so we haven't gotten full bore into sports yet.

I'm pretty sure I'd become a recluse in the woods if I didn't do dog sports.

Just people I've met through my breeder and a trainer at my work who competes in disk with her dogs. I know my aunt used to do conformation with her miniature schnauzer and I think he's a therapy dog, but I'm not entirely sure. She's the only sort of 'dog person' I know outside of the internet/work/my breeder.

I don't do sports either though (yet), so I guess I'm one of those people.

I am just getting into sports myself, but with the exception of one friend, my friends are all dog sport people. I met them because one of them was a customer at the pet food store I worked at and we got talking one day and she tried convincing me to join her Flyball team for like three months haha. I finally did when I got Journey and through Flyball I got to know other dog/dog sport people. They all do other sports with their dogs as well and are very active dog owners in general regardless of the sports they do.

Prior to getting involved with Flyball though I didn't know any actual dog people. Just pet people whose dogs were basically treated like human babies that never left the house or did anything fun. Those people thought I was strange (and probably still do) because of all the things I like to do with my dogs. Not that I do much in the way of sports yet, but I like to take them many places, go walking, hiking, teach tricks to, etc. and most pet people just don't seem to get that. If I hadn't worked in that store I don't know when I finally would have met actual dog people. It was kind of a fluke thing I even met my (now) friend as I don't think most of my customers did any sports or anything.