4-H kids enjoy their dogs and the show

By SCOTT NILES Courier staff writer

July 19, 2008 12:27 am

— OTTUMWA — Playful pets showed their obedience and agility at Friday’s annual Wapello County 4-H Expo Dog Show.
Some participants were new to the event while others were veterans.
Taylor Holman, 12, was showing her Shih Tzu, Bichon Frise, Poodle mix, Tico. She has been in 4-H for three years, and this was the first time she was showing.
She spends roughly 30 minutes a day training. Holman works with her dog on commands such as sit, stay, heel and agility.
Holman completed her obedience testing Friday and will go do the agility portion of her showing today.
“I like this event,” she said. “Dogs are fun animals.”
Holman said “Tico” listens to her very well and is pretty well trained. Though he is only 1 year old, he seemed to listen to her every command when he was in the ring.
“We’ve worked hard for this,” Holman said.
She said the hardest thing is training them when they are young.
“When they are little, they don’t always want to listen to you,” she said.
Ashley Pilcher, 11, had a big challenge with her small Papillion, Clover, — three pounds — which was in the same ring as the full-grown dogs. She said that is quite a challenge in itself.
“When you want her stay and there are other bigger dogs in there, it can be hard. I try not to look at her,” Pilcher said.
She got Clover in December after the dog was given to her by K-Lane Kennels, which donated her for the 4-H Expo. Any kid who wanted to try to get her had to write an essay on why they wanted the dog. Pilcher won and has been training her since.
She said it take a lot of patience to train a dog.
“They don’t always want to do what you say,” she said.
Lynn Layton is no stranger to the show ring. This is the fourth year — not consecutively — the 18-year-old has participated in the event. She still remembers what to do to impress the judges.
“The judges like to knock off points if they don’t listen to you on your first command,” she said.
She was working with her Toy Fox Terrier Lucy, who is 2-years-old.
Layton also shows horses and won awards for that earlier in the week. She said that showing dogs is a lot different.
“You have to let them know who is in charge,” she said. “Typically you would use a choke collar and give it just a little tug to let them know what you want them to do.”
Layton works with Lucy about five minutes each day teaching her the basic commands.
She had completed the obedience portion of the show Friday morning and was waiting around the arena for the showmanship portion later in the day.
“That is where they look at confirmation, how well you can handle the dog and how healthy it is,” she said. “I think Lucy is ready.”
Brenda Hinebaugh has been attending the dog show for about 20 years to see her kids show. Her oldest son, Jake Hinebaugh, showed dogs from age 8 until he was 18. The same goes for her second-oldest son, Joel. The tradition continues with her other two children, Jesse and Rachel Hinebaugh.
“I have seen so many dog shows,” Brenda Hinebaugh said. “But it’s a wonderful event and it teaches the kids a lot.”
She said that unlike the craft projects that kids are able to make and then just turn in, these are projects that the kids have to spend time with every day and work with throughout the year.
“These are living, breathing projects,” she said.
Rachel Hinebaugh actually got her award-winning dog by accident.
“Someone was going to dump her on the side of the road and when Jesse was driving by, he saw them and took the dog,” her mother said. “That is how we got Holli (Rachel’s Australian Shepherd).”
Brenda Hinebaugh said they have a lot of trophies on display, adding that the older boys have helped the younger ones teach their dogs what to do.
“We used to take the two younger kids to all the shows and they would watch their older brothers showing,” Brenda Hinebaugh said. “That is how they learned.”
Her children have been taking their dogs to obedience class for a one-hour lesson once a week since in April.
She said each year they get to move up a level in their class and have to work on more challenging techniques.
“Each year it gets a little more advanced and they add more,” Brenda said.
Scott Niles can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or via e-mail at sjniles@mchsi.com.