Poodles power up for agility trials

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The Daily Times

By Andriy Pazuniak


SALISBURY-- They jumped over bars, ran through chutes, and darted in and out of posts.

When they finished, the poodles skipped into the air and received a treat from their smiling owners, all while hundreds of people cheered.


And so went the first day of the Poodle Club of America's International Show going on this week at the Wicomico County Youth & Civic Center.

Approximately 600 spectators attended Monday's agility trials featuring 137 of the nation's top poodles, PCA Assistant National Show Chairman Richard Lehman said.

Though he said he was pleased with Monday's crowd, Lehman added he expects the numbers to rise to more than 2,000 by the end of the week.

Today, the show continues with the obedience and rally trials, which test the poodles' listening and behavioral skills, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

A relatively new competition -- first started in January 2005 -- many participants consider the rally trials as today's most exciting event.

"(The rally trial) is a little more free, and a lot more adrenaline charged," poodle show volunteer and participant Kristine Wyncott said.

In a regular obedience trial, poodles are required to complete a number of tasks -- such as heeling, sitting and retrieving specific objects -- on command and in increasingly difficult situations -- such as while seated next to other poodles or far away from their owner.

What makes the rally obedience trial more fun, Wyncott said, is that the owners are allowed more verbal communication with their poodles and the trial is timed, making it more like a race.

"The rally is what anybody can do with their dog," said Eva Marie Mitchell, another poodle show volunteer and participant. "It's something everybody can enjoy."

Salisbury resident Francine Adams and her granddaughter, Hannah Burke, were two of the more than 600 people who enjoyed Monday's show.

"We came to see the agility (trials) because I thought they'd be the most interesting," Adams said. "But she mostly just wants to go and pet the dogs."

The poodle show's "biggest days" begin Wednesday, Lehman said, with the start of the conformation trials, which judge a poodle's make and structure against the breed's written standards.

The show will continue through Friday, when the winners of the Best in Breed competition will be announced.


12 inch standard excellent B -- "Saki," handler Joann Neal.

16 inch standard excellent B -- "Jib," handler Suzi Cope.

24 inch standard excellent B -- "Keen," handler Dudley Fontaine.

24 inch standard novice B -- "Louise," handler Margaret Bryson.