Wondering if there were any hiccups with the entry/exit today with the Agility Show going through the same gates but with different paperwork?  Trying to work out time to leave tomorrow.

We didn't have any problems whatsoever. Did wonder why there seemed a few bc's and gsd's walking around though. Have sent you a pm on a different subject though. :)

Thanks.  Will look at PM.  We are actually going for the Agility, and there are a couple of veiled comments on the Agility FB page about problems so wondered how it would all work out.  Hope the BCs behaved themselves, the agility dogs are a lot more on their toes than our show bunch, and they don't seem to approve of pugs at all!

Well to start with at 7.30 am there was already a tidy line up of showing people with / without trolleys and dogs waiting for the gates to open.  The agility crowd started to turn up (all bc's) and instead of lining up with the rest just formed a big clump and as soon as the security opened the gates barged their way THROUGH everyone who had been lining up, it was like a rugby scrum.  I had to help an older lady with a trolley who they nearly shoved over.  It was also extremely noisy as they made no attempt at all to shut the bc's up who were barking and lunging at each other the whole time.  NOT IMPRESSED (and before anyone says anti-agility I do agility with 2 of my own dogs).

Oh dear, was this today or yesterday? Hope Gwen didn't get caught up in it.

> Oh dear, was this today or yesterday?

Saturday.  We were standing behind an elderly lady who pointed out to a couple that walked right up to the queue and shuffled into the line near the front where the back of the line actually was and that people had been waiting for a good 15 minutes already. They basically laughed and turned their backs on her and made a very loud and rude comment about " tough luck" ( or words to that effect but far less polite )!

Reading some of the comments on an agility page I did wonder if they actually understood the system.  Goldiemad, no we didn't get caught up in it, Niko's was last class of day so we didn't arrive till 11.30 - and he ended up not in the ring till 4.30!  No queues for us, and as BIS was in the ring as we left we stayed to watch, no one on gate at all going out, so the lack of a pass was not a problem!

As someone very, very new to the agility world it does seem to be a very much Us and Them world - BC owners consider them the "proper" agility dogs, and the rest are a bit of a nuisance.   There is never any attempt to control the BC's it seems, they lunge at each other and other dogs, they make a hell of a noise, all without check.  Must be hard to live with an agility BC at home.  With Niko, the dog we were with on Sunday, we have a bit of an extra issue because when he first started competing he was twice attacked by a BC (they don't seem to like pugs)  the second time it actaully bit  right through the roof of his mouth, so he now hates all BCs, and has decided to be the first to offer battle (not a good idea but understandable) we have to keep a very close eye on him and pick him up when around them.

> Reading some of the comments on an agility page I did wonder if they actually understood the system

How hard it is to understand a very obvious orderly queue???  As well as being told several times by folks in the queue where the back of the line was they made it VERY clear this would not apply to them and it was their right to push past / through / over everyone to get into the grounds ASAP.  Who was actually organising the agility side of things as myself and others want to write official complaints?  They had no respect for anyone, other dogs, people's property, and a I said before an elderly lady was literally shoved out of the way.

Sorry to hear of your experience but have to say it doesn't surprise me at all and I say that as a long standing agility competitor!

As Gwen has said a fair few agility people seem to think they are somehow entitled to allow their dogs to lunge etc and that they are more important than show dogs as they are working dogs! This is utter tosh as to me a working dog is one that works sheep on a farm or similar. Agility is a hobby!
Also believe me that if anyone tried to que jump at an agility show these same folk would almost lynch them.

My own agility dogs are toydogs and one has reached the highest grade at competition level but still collie folk think they have more right to be at a show and allow their dogs to lunge at mine or harrass them on the exercise area.

My youngster was grabbed around the neck at an agility show by a collie that was off lead whilst mine was on lead and minding his own buisness. He could have been killed but the owner couldn't have cared less.I lodged a complaint with the show sec when I was told that the dog in question is usually muzzled but the muzzle had been lost. My dog was a 6 month old chin and he sustained puncture wounds to his neck which needed treatment at the vets.He is stilled frightened by border collies but will happily stand next to a Great Dane or Husky in a stakes class.

I agree that  some agility collies must be a nightmare to live with as they are often whipped up into near hysteria in the belief this will make their performance better but in my opininion it just makes them neurotic.I can honestly say that I see more bad behaviour by dogs and owners at agility shows than at breed shows .

I was at a large kc agility show this weekend and had to pick my young chin up several times to protect him from groups of collies charging his way after thoughtless owners tossed toys,usually balls,right in our direction on the exercise field  and one of my cavs now runs away from collies due to several bad encounters .

Now the show collies I encounter are very biddable  but  my judgement of border collies has been clouded by my agility encounters.

I just wish folk,whatever their chosen hobby,could be more respectful towards others and as my mother always used to say,manners maketh a man and cost nothing!

I will pm you the contact details for the agility show manager and sec of the agility at scottish kc if you like .

From what you are saying it is not surprising that there are not more combined breed & agility shows.

Only experience I have had of the agility collies was a number of years ago when I had the misfortune to be benched opposite them at Crufts, they were not tethered on their bench and were wandering up and down threatening and lunging at the show dogs tethered on their benches opposite, I was far from happy and so were members of the public but any request to deal with the dogs was met by a uncouth mouthful.

> Who was actually organising the agility side of things as myself and others want to write official complaints? 

It was actually organised by SKC, the agility section of the club.