So this is my space and I can do what I like. Tonight I want to vent about CPE or Canine Performance Events.
CPE is a very forgiving venue. The hardest part is the sheer number of Qs you need to get a CATCH. If you start in Level 1 you need 8 Qs to move up. Level 2 needs 16, Level 3 needs 24, Level 4 needs 32 and Level 5 needs 40. So a total of 120 Qs. That is $12 a run so $1440 bucks! Not to mention hotels, camping, gas, training classes and camps.
And for that the number of people that do it is large, specifically because it is very forgiving. Even in Level 5 you don’t have to have clean runs in order to Q. In USDAA you only Q if it is a clean run.
So the folks that attend these trials are folks, IMO, that would have a very difficult time getting Qs in other venues. And because of that you see dogs that are over weight. Dogs that are shut down and they wouldn’t make course time because they are too slow. And dogs that probably shouldn’t be trialing. Yet the handlers continue to compete with them. Some even when they have other dogs to play with and compete with that are more enthusiastic!
I was really tired of watching people trying to coax a dog to go up a dog walk or over the teeter. Or even a jump! There were a few this past weekend that looked like the height was too much for them. I’m sure there is more to the story than what I see at a brief point in time but I see some of the same people and dogs with these issues. Perhaps their dog is having an off day. But dogs that don’t look like they are having fun, should maybe be allowed to be pets and not competitors.
I think it’s great that CPE exists and it’s a great venue to start in but I think I may be outgrowing it. There are folks that have CATCH 3 and above! I will finish out our CATCh and then maybe move on for a while and try something new.
We only have 50 some odd Qs to go. :-/