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CAROLINE COILE SALUKIS OBEDIENCE AND LURE COURSING
A longtime fan of sighthounds , Caroline Coile got a Borzoi as a teen and tried conformation . When that didn ’ t work , she moved to obedience . Her next dog , a Saluki , went on to rank in the top 10 in conformation , obedience and lure-coursing . She has since bred Best in Show and Best in Field winners .
Her motivation to compete in multiple events has evolved . “ At first [ field work ] was because I read and believe [ d ] the part about how your dog should be multi-faceted . Then I did it because I had only one dog and there weren ’ t that many shows , or because I had a dog not ready to special . Now it ’ s because I think it ’ s not mentally healthy for the extent of a dog ’ s scholarship to be how to run in a circle and pose . It ’ s fun . Also , my breed has had such a bad rep as far as being untrainable that I like to show they are very trainable and very fun to compete with and very personable … With a Saluki , no matter how awful your obedience or agility run is , everyone marvels [ that ] you did it all ! Plus , they always look the prettiest !” Dennis Broderick is of a like mind : “ Those who sniff at terriers doing obedience [ are ] poorly informed . I am a terrier person and that is all I really know and care about , but these dogs will do almost anything you ask of them , if you ask properly .”
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BETH WALKER BELGIAN TERVURENS TRACKING
Beth Walker , owner of BISS and Champion Tracker Belgian Tervurens , was interested in tracking because her breed excels at it and “ it was just something you did if you owned a Tervuren back then .” When her conformation puppy ’ s bite went off , she used that opportunity to learn tracking during the hiatus . He went on to become the first Champion Tracker in the breed .
Beth likes “ being a part of something greater than yourself , seeing the miracle and mystery of the canine olfactory system at work , harnessing that scenting power to teach your companion something as useful as finding a lost human , even in the artificial world of AKC tracking — nope , nothing better , at least not in my book .”
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