Articles published in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Committee or the Editor. Nothing may be copied unless permission is granted by the WTA.

Dates to remember: Our last Dog Jumping show will be on3 November and we will run a double IPO weekend, in Bulawayo on 23 & 24 November. Note these days in your diary. There will be an Xmas dinner at KCH on 1 December. They also will organise an Xmas party for the dogs combined with a Treasure hunt etc. This will be on 15 December.

Shows. Two Obedience shows were held. ZKC had one at the GSD Club on 14 September and results: Beginners: Heather with Eli came 2nd. Novice first Sonya O’Donnell with Tonto and qualified with 97%, Geraldine with Eisen came 2nd qualifying with 96%. Class A was won with Sonja and Aron, Class C had Ursula getting 2nd & 3rd places with Tansy & Kelly. Well done, as this was a venue our dogs are not used to. KCH Obedience was held at KCH Grounds on 15 September: Beginners: Heather got a third with Eli In Novice Geraldine got a first with Eisen and qualified, Cherry with Bruno came second and qualified and Ted with Odette came third. Class A Sonya with Aron second. Class B saw Gladys with Pippa in second and Charlie in third place. Class C Helen with Tam in first place and Ursula with Tansy in 3rd place. Dog Jumping which was done after the obedience: DJ 2 1st Kama with Clive and they qualified with a clear round [well done], second Pippa with a clear round [also well done] and third Eisen DJ 1 Kelly 1st and Dawn second place. Agility 1st Tansy, second Eisen and third Wirka. Picture: Chantelle in a former show with her dog.

Man bites police dog: [From the Dutch News]

A man from Tilburg has bitten a police dog to escape detention. The man had an argument with his ex-wife and beat up her new boy friend. He ran away when the police wanted to arrest him. During the escape, the police dog bit him in the arm, after which he fell. On the ground the man bit the dog, the policemen had to rescue the dog with force. The arrested man became unconscious, probably because of loss of blood. The dog is OK.

The following ad appeared in a daily SA paper:

"SINGLE BLACK FEMALE... Seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good-looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your 4x4, hunting, camping, fishing trips, braais, and cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. Rub me the right way and watch me respond. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Kiss me and I'm yours.

Call xxx-xxxx and ask for Lady Jane.

Over 250 men found themselves talking to the SPCA about an eight-week-old black LABRADOR retriever......

The Effects of Stress on the Performance Dog

Why doesn't your dog act like it does at home? In the world of performance dogs, stress and its effects on learning and behaviour are key issues, which cannot be ignored. Because of this we, as keepers of dogs, are concerned with their well-being, which is defined as the absence of stress. Since we assume our dogs are fine if they are not in pain, signs of stress and discomfort can be difficult to recognize. Audrey Ferrel shares a paper she did for school with us.

According to veterinary behaviourist Karen Overall, anxiety-related disorders are probably the most common class of disorders in dogs. Furthermore, it is my view that we as simple dog owners are not properly educated in this matter of stress and, therefore, are not helping our canine companions reach their full potential.

The intent here is not to attribute human characteristics to our dogs. Skinner said simply, 'It is impossible to know what an animal or another person is thinking. All we have to go on are the visible physical signs of what we call 'stress' and how the dog performs with these symptoms present.

At this point in science, we cannot say what the animal is 'thinking.' Rather it is my objective to come up with a comprehensive list of signs and causes of stress in the dog. I will discuss the effects stress has on behaviour and explore a variety of methods to treat and prevent the stress response, thus improving performance in our canine athletes and companions.

Signs of stress:

Based upon past observation of dogs at agility competitions, I venture to say well over half exhibited various signs of stress. The severe cases involved dogs leaving the ring without their handlers. Many of these handlers thought their dog was 'just being bad,' but in fact, the dog was reacting as he would to any negative re-enforcer. Escape the pressure and find something else more positively reinforcing to do.

Recognizing the signs of stress is the first step in understanding a dog's behaviour. All too often, dogs can be found in a class or a dog park who are, unbeknownst to their owners, totally stressed out. While it is impossible to measure actual canine thoughts, it is possible to measure visible external stressors such as a change in environment. This, in turn, makes it possible to measure the effects of these external stressors by noting the dog's response to them. In a laboratory environment, we could go much further and record heart rate, blood pressure, hormone levels, brain waves etc., but that is beyond the scope of this essay. 

To be continued.