For all those who feel like my original post was too large please feel free to answer any one of the questions individually within.
SisMorphine I am breaking your post up to handle each point.
SisMorphine wrote:AmericanSuprDog wrote:Wow that really underscores this point in my original post:
“Is it the fault of local clubs who have failed to market themselves well enough to pull in more members? Who have failed to offer more opportunities of sporting events despite registries lack of sanctioning these? Who have failed to educate their members in the activities available? Who perpetuate a fear of failure by not embracing more participation through training?”
Well I feel that this has been answered by multiple people, and also by yourself. The local clubs you're talking about seem to be single breed and registry related. If you don't want to sit through conformation, and you want to see and encourage dogs to actually go out and do some sort of sport work, whether it be obedience, agility, etc etc etc . . . then look into sport clubs! The clubs I have been a member of have yes, been all breed (the idea of which you seem to be fighting against), and they've also been sport-centered. No, I don't have an APBT, but I do have a bully breed and my dogs prove their working ability, as do all of the rest of the dogs in the clubs I have been in. Though some people may choose to show in conformation, that's not what the group is about so our gatherings are focussed on the working aspect of a dog.
Really I am not looking for a specific answer I am looking for dialogue as I do not feel there is really any one specific answer.
I absolutely am not against multi-breed or non-registry affiliated clubs. In fact in my last post I suggested the IWPA a multi-breed non-registry affiliated club.
Our TV series however is focused on the Pit Bull and Am Staff, which is where my focus has come from.
Whether it be single or multi-breed clubs I think there is much to learn and having experience with both will help me understand the other better. I will be doing more research on multi-breed clubs and look forward to attending some events once the weather is a little warmer.
I would like to commend you for your work with your dog as her accomplishments not only shine well on her they shine well on you as an owner as well. I would personally like to see more Pit Bull/Am Staff owners take some of the same pride you do. I think getting them involved in doing activities with their dogs is a way to help generate pride in ownership.
SisMorphine wrote: But if you're going to keep sticking with the registry clubs you're going to be stuck in the conformation cycle that you are trying to get out of. Think outside the box. Well . . . outside of your box. I think for the rest of the people who are into the working aspect of a dog (of any breed) they realize that they need to focus on being a member of a working/sport group to accomplish this.
I definitely have not been sticking with registry-affiliated clubs as I have been to both those that are affiliated and those who are not. I have said that I think there are benefits and drawbacks to both types. To prove this point here is an quote from my original post.
“Is it the registries for failing to promote and sanction more events to highlight the skills of the breed? Sure people can argue the point that fighting is not legal and can fall on the tired argument that the only way to really game test is through the fighting pit. Is this not however just a copout or is this reflective of just how little imagination the world and registries have when it comes to testing the drive, determination and don’t give up attitude that are really at the heart of the term “game”.”
I would say that is pretty far out of the “box”.
SisMorphine wrote: With my breed I can't compete in AKC, UKC, etc. So none of the events that I attend have conformation shows SO they are only based on the working/sport aspect of the breed. There are plenty of groups out there offering this opportunity and I think that perhaps you need to open yourself to competing outside of the registry world to see more APBTs and other bully breeds doing sport work.
I do agree that I need to broaden my experience with other clubs and will be doing so. When you get a chance check out the post with dlynne1123 above and you will see that in some cases clubs are still not welcoming.
I do think there are many types of opportunity available but I do not think there are enough clubs and enough shows highlighting these irregardless if they are single or multi-breed or registry or non-registry affiliated.
mnp13, furever_pit and Leslie H I think your posts help show how diverse the management of individual clubs are. I lean more to an idea of more concurrent activity than less activity as boredom seems more prevalent when fewer activities are going on. Of course this could be effected by the types of activities and how there could be possible conflicts.
Leslie H wrote:I'm a weight pull judge w/UKC and APA (non-registry), the president of a UKC wp club, and my dogs compete in UKC, NKC and ADBA conformation (occasionally), UKC, ADBA and APA weight pull, and UKC, CPE, USDAA and NADAC agility. I've helped organize and run UKC, NKC and APA events, and have worked at all the events listed.
You could not fairly run a weight pull on a walk in basis, and they're not that mobile, either. Agility is amazingly labor intensive. I don't get the impression you've ever hosted an event, because I believe there's more involved than you realize. As a starting point, club event insurance us between $300-$500 a year (if you've got APBT in your club name, you'll be paying $500). Many clubs struggle just to break even, Weather can ruin an event, and sites that offer cover, such as horse farms or fairgrounds are costly.
I think you have much to offer to this conversation having the experience you do. I hope you will continue to add your educated input.
One of the questions I have in regards to your post is what are the hurdles to having a walk up weight pull. I do understand the mobility aspect. I have however seen a rail pull that was on part of a trailer that was hauled by a truck.
I have not hosted a show and am interested in those aspects from the development aspect of the tv series. Most of the shows I have went to range between 100 – 250 entries ant usually had around 5-10 volunteer workers. I think based on research that some of the biggest problem in developing and managing an event is getting people involved in more than a participant basis.
In regards to insurance that is a pretty large variation. Is that some kind of specialized insurance or is this just standard business insurance? dlynne1123 also has some similar experience and has said that the insurance does not vary simply because more events are offered at a show. It seems given that insurance is such a large cost that it would definitely be beneficial to have more shows to help spread the cost.