Valerie Melton
news@joplinglobe.com
Dr. Linda Scorse, DVM, has an eye for talent.
A local veterinarian, Scorse is also a dedicated and decorated trainer. Her pupil is a smooth coat border collie with the registered name of “Tailor made to fly,”
In 2009, Tri-State Kennel Club in Carthage awarded Tailor and Scorse “Dog of the Year” and “Agility Handler of the Year,” respectively. Together, they are gearing up for the American Kennel Club Agility Championships from March 26 to 28 in Tulsa.
Scorse, who began competing in AKC agility events in 2004, received a call one afternoon from a friend working at the Carthage Humane Society about a certain ten-month-old collie.
“She told me that a dog had been brought in that really needed a home — a real jumper,” Scorse said.
It was during their first meeting that Scorse saw the potential Tailor possessed. “Tailor was just so athletic,” Scorse said.
Recognizing that Tailor’s speed and prey-drive would translate well into running agilities, Scorse agreed to adopt Tailor and began introducing her to the sport, as well as her new family.
“Collies are just so intelligent,” said Scorse, “Tailor in particular.”
While Tailor’s intelligence proved to be an advantage in regards to training, Scorse found that it also enabled Tailor to hold on to the past even longer. Tailor had some of what Scorse refers to as “hurting dog instinct,” an emotion Scorse worked on funneling into aggression and passion on the agility course.
Agility competition
The AKC Agility competition is a unique blend of handling, communications and trust between a dog and its owner. According to the United States Dog Agility Association, dog agility is a competitive sport that tests a person’s skills in training and handling of dogs over a timed obstacle course.
The competitors race against the clock through an obstacle course of hurdles, scale ramps, tunnels, a see-saw and a line of poles.
Competitions take place across the nation and operate on a point system based on technique and speed. Over the course of a season, handlers and their dogs accrue points and qualifying scores in hopes of attaining various ranks.
One of those is the Master of Agility Championship (MACH). Requiring a total of 750 points and 20 double qualifying scores achieving the rank is a challenging feat. Tailor and Scorse successfully reached the rank January 2010.
As in any relationship, Scorse said communication and trust are key. Competing in agilities requires consistency and repetition — each team has their own unique combination of verbal and nonverbal components.
Body language and position convey different commands, while hand signals and spoken cues provide direction through each course.
“Each course is assigned a standard time and level of difficulty by the creator,” Scorse said. “Handlers are allotted eight minutes to walk through the course and memorize the obstacles and jumps before they compete.”
Lessons of love
Despite the fact that Scorse is the trainer, she’ll attest to that fact that she’s learned some valuable lessons of trust, teamwork and patience from Tailor.
“Bringing a pet into your family is a lifelong commitment,” Scorse said. “It’s more than just animal, it requires an emotional and financial commitment.”
Scorse encourages individuals considering purchasing or adopting a pet contact local shelters and agencies.
“We’re facing a situation of overpopulation here in this part of the state,” she said. “While people tend to gravitate towards puppies, older dogs make great additions.”
Some shelters are heavily considering the addition of pre-ownership classes that will help educate prospective adopters about the commitment they are about to make, Scorse said — as well as things they can do to make the transition successful.
An advocate of requirements such as those, Scorse also stresses the need for every canine to be introduced to some level of manners and obedience courses. She believes things like crate training and basic commands are essential.
“Dogs need to be integrated into the family with guidance and training,” she said. “Manners are more important than tricks.”
