Tanka
WHO SAYS NORTHERN DOGS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAIN?
Hard, yes. Impossible, no. Tanka is a
registered AKC Alaskan Malamute, who earned her AKC CD (Companion Dog)
title. It did take her seven attempts to qualify the necessary three
times, but each judge -- including the one in the picture with Tanka
and her handler that day, Julie -- said, "You know, that's a
hard dog to qualify." Tanka tends to see the world her own way,
but when she feels like it, she'll turn somersaults for you. She
earned her CD by following a bunch of on and off leash commands,
which I'm sure she thought were pretty dumb, as there was always
a moment's hesitation while she decided if she was going to follow
directions or her nose. She much preferred agility classes, and the
higher the obstacle and the faster the course, the more she liked it.
You don't often see mals in agility. Give the right mal something
fast, furious, and fun, and you've got yourself an agility dog.
Putting these northern dogs through
intensive training takes time and energy -- your energy, as they have
more than enough. They don't do as well as the border collies who win
all the agility matches, it seems, but there's a lot of satisfaction
in proving that northern dogs can jump through hoops with the best of
them.
