I was reading recently about The British Carriage Dog Society in relation to the trials that it holds in the UK and Ireland

The purpose of the trials is to provide a modern competition through which to demonstrate the Dalmatian dog’s traditional role as a companion to horses and carriages in past times. It is both an endurance and obedience event and all competitors must do a basic obedience test with their dog, from horse or carriage, as part of the Trial. The Bronze classes require a 10kms run, the Silver 20kms and the Gold a staggering 40kms.

The trials demand both control and fitness, as dogs are judged on their obedience and capacity for endurance

One of the winners at this years event was a 9.5 year old veteran and she qualified at the Gold level, after completing the highest level of trials obedience and completing a 40km vetted endurance run !!

There has been a lot of press in relation to Dalmatians not so long ago in relation to Fiona AKA Fiona Fiacre First and Foremost the Dalmatian competing at this years Crufts.

Dalmatians are prone to a build-up of sediment in the urinary system caused by high uric acid levels. Back in the 1970′s a Dalmatian was crossed with a single Pointer in order to introduce the low-uric acid gene into the breed, and fourteen generations later, thanks to careful selection, the descendants of this one-off outcross still carry the healthy gene.

Fiona being a descendant of this out cross caused a major divide amongst Dalmatian owners, and quotes that were maybe taken out of context called her a mongrel.

Reading the above, it proves to me again, there are good, and not so good people / breeders in all types of dog whether they be pedigree dogs or not, and it’s unfair to tar everybody with the same brush.

In my opinion I think it’s absolutely amazing that a 9.5 year old dog can still compete at the above level, especially when there is such a gruelling task to be performed, and in the right hands proves once again that Pedigree Dogs are in fact in great shape.

Do you think dogs in Ireland have an easier life now than they did 25 years ago ?

I often say that 25 years ago the majority of dogs in Ireland were kept outside the family home and if they were lucky they had a barrel of straw as a kennel. Most were chained up, from one day to the next, and fed whatever was left from the dinner table.

However, do dogs in modern day Ireland have it any better than the dogs we all knew when we were growing up ?

If we look at training methods etc, the majority of dog training facilities in Ireland use more positive based methods these days than the coercion training methods that were used in the past.

No matter what training problem you are facing there are dozens of training tools available for each and every problem. If it’s not available in your local pet store go online and your selection multiplies significantly where you can find numerous types of harnesses, haltis, and even such things as thunder shirts ! Back 25 years ago, all that was on offer was “The Chocker” and I am sure our dogs are happy that we have made the advancement away from this “training tool”

Even after trying all of the tools available, and you still haven’t cracked the problem on your own, don’t give up as there are also a lot more dog behaviourists available in Ireland that most people will turn to if their dog has say, dog to dog or dog to human aggression, or any other unwanted traits. Working with these behaviourists and by using some of the tools that you had previously tried or even some new ones will, I am sure, help you on your way to overcoming these once daunting problems.

Major advances in veterinary care have also made most dogs lives more comfortable, and alternative treatments like homeopathy and acupuncture are more widely available and can be a great help to dogs that suffer pain as a result of arthritis or injury.

Even though we live in an age where nobody has any spare time, most dog owners will always find time for some canine play which is critical for developing and maintaining good relationships between people and dogs. Again the choice of play toys available for dogs has grown significantly, and a lot of these toys like Kongs etc, double up as a training tool. Doggie Daycare facilities also seem to be springing up all around the country, and are great for people that work longer hours, or even just want their dogs to interact with different people and different dogs on a regular basis.

There are also a lot more dog clubs in Ireland than there were 25 years ago. Once your dog is socialised, and dog friendly, there is no end to the list of activities you both can get involved in. Anything from agility, obedience, tracking, flyball, canicross and dry land mushing, all of which are great for your dog, and for you.

On the down side I wish I could say that unlike the rest of Europe, dogs were more accepted in hotels, shops, public transport and businesses in Ireland, but we have a fair way to go before this happens.

When you read the above, you would think that dogs in Ireland have never had it as good, and we have come a long way in 25 years, but you only have to visit some of the rescues or dog pounds to realise that it is only a small percentage of dogs in Ireland that can say “it’s a dogs life” and they have never had it as good.

Maybe some of the dogs in the pound would rather be chained up all day, and have a barrel full of straw to bed down in, than face what the majority of them are facing !