leads to handlers routing for and helping each other . This , of course , has led to the formation a community with handlers often gathering too watch each other , share a cup of coffee and good company .
“ This is really not a competition in reality . This is a pass or fail , no different from what you and I did in school ,” said competitor Chris Akin . “ So , we ’ re not running against each other here . We ’ re running against a standard and we ’ ve got judges up here that are holding that letter of the law on the standard . We ’ re all rooting for each other and we ’ re all trying to get through this town together .”
Akin is from Jonesboro , a town in Northeast Arkansas , and
has been training and competing with dogs for 33 years . As with any sport , success takes a good student and a good coach . Finding that right combination can be difficult especially when dealing with animals .
“ Well , it takes a really good dog . These are athletes . So , it ’ s no different than what we did with our children playing little league baseball or flag football ,” Akin said . “ It takes the right students and it takes the right athletes and it ’ s very difficult to get that . It ’ s a one percentile deal , for sure . But , on top of that it takes the right trainer and the right amount of training . Most of these dogs right here have acquired 20 to 30 to 40 months of training during their life .”
While much of the process is no different than youth sports , as Akin eluded to , the actual training is . For these trainers and their dogs , they train “ on and off ” being careful not to overwork their dogs as opposed to most human sports , where you can find 13-year-olds training everyday for five to eight hours .
“ So , it starts at six months old and we continue their training on and off throughout their life and through out their career to get to this level right here .” Akin said . “ This is the PHD ’ s , if you will , of the dog world and it takes a dog that is very talented and very compliant and very well trained to do this right here .”
However , the trainers that showed up in Thomasville have
These are not your typical household pets . These retrievers are the pinnacle of athletic ability .
12 January 2024 | Thomasville Scene