I recently had a conversation with a chiropractor and she said that out of all the dogs she adjusts regularly, the fast purely NADAC dogs seem to be more out of whack that other multi-venue dogs and she believes it is because of tunnels / tunnelers!
lisa
I can't imagine a professional chiropractor making venue specific claims, and I would wonder about them if they do talk about others in such a way. The professionals I have met wouldn't say "this venue causes this" or "this venue causes that".... it isn't a venue that causes it, it is training that predisposes dogs to injury. If a dog is reckless in tunnel performance then yes, NADAC will be more instances of injury because they have a "tunneling" class and people want to win.
If a dog jump in a reckless manner, then Jumpers will cause that dog to have the greatest risk when they run in a Jumpers class, although any class with a jump has potential for injury. If a dog runs into hoops, then Hoopers will cause the greatest injuries, although any class with a single hoop would come with a risk for that dog. If a dog performs tunnels in an unsafe manner, then Tunnelers is the class with the greatest risk, although any class with a tunnel on the course has an element of risk within the run.
As a "NADAC" only person, I might believe the above statement just because of so many training methods that push dogs to run as fast as possible through tunnels with total disregard to what they are physically doing to the dog's body as they push the dogs to bank the sides of tunnels. Dogs that bank tunnels are going to fall occasionally, that is basic math. They can't always be in the perfect stride to make the curves correctly or exit perfectly when they are banking. They are going to fall when that stride isn't perfect when they hit the turns or hit an exit. Other times they are going to be in the correct part of a stride and they will make the turns and exit just fine. And on those runs they will post the fastest times and win that day. When it doesn't work out so well, they might fall and they might be out of whack due to the torqueing...... but those are handlers choices by whatever training methods they use and what the goals are for the team.
So many handlers push so hard for speed in tunnels and don't realize the risk that they are putting on their dogs. Others don't even push at all, but the dogs are of the type that they will push themselves for maximum speed.
If a dog jumps recklessly, handlers train to improve that performance. If a dog runs across a dog walk recklessly, a handler will work to improve that performance. If a dog performs tunnels recklessly, handlers smile about how fast their dogs are!
We have several in our area and they are FAST!!! They are pushed and the handlers are so excited about how fast they are. And then they are laid up while they recover from soft tissue injuries and when they return they are pushed again and then they go off to heal again for awhile. Sometimes it is sad to hear all of the people that are so excited about a dog that runs through tunnels and then the entire course needs to be rebuilt due to the destruction caused by their tunnel performance.... I find it sad to see the dogs punish their bodies in such a manner. But I am in the minority.
I find it encouraging to see a trainer wanting input on how to perform tunnels in a safe manner.
I do feel that the non-skid tunnels will cause more injuries than ever before. They will allow the dogs to be even more reckless.
Sharon
