two handlers possible?

[azratje]

Hey,

I have a sheltie who is a year and 4 months now. Just after we had him my mom did get very ill so i had to let him with my boyfriend while i was in another country to be on my moms deathbed. I was also pregnant at that time. Because of that i didn't had the time to train and bond with him properly.
It's only recently i really started to work a bit more with him and we finally seem to bond a bit better. He really loves agility and every week i see him becomming better and better and more focussed at me.
He's very fast and he is very enthousiastic. The only thing slowing him down is actually me since i'm completely out of shape (just had a baby, and a lot of overweight).
Now i did get the offer from my agilityinstructor that she would like to handle him aswell. She sais he's very fast and she would really love to work with him. (she and her husband have been selected a couple of times to participate at the world championship agility, they were in finland this year etc).
Last summer he staid with them (agilityinstructor)while we were on holiday, so he knows them really well and is crazy about them. I took me a while to teach him to work with me in agilityclass and to not run off to them.
I really like the idea that someone who knows what she's doing work with him and all but on the other hand i'm really afraid that all what i have accomplished the last weeks with him, the bonding etc will be lost and that he will no longer want to work with me if she also trains with him. Any opinions on this subject would be apreciated
I hope i make sense, english is not my motherlanguage.

 

[Sharon]

Two Handlers

There is nothing wrong with two people handling your dog for agility at all.My dog went to Germany this year to compete for the USA and he stayed with Erin my trainer most of the summer.Erin is a 5 time world team member and has qaulified my dog for the AKC Nationals next year as well as the USDAA Nationals this year.I work weekends alot so I may have cetain people run my dog if I cant be there and he is fine with it.Shadow bonded with Erin quite well but his love is for me. When we go to class once a week he goes to say hi to Erin but right back to me.Every dog is different but I say go for it.

 

[elaine2004]

Welcome Azratji !!

Glad to have you on our forums!! There are plenty of people who own dogs but have someone else handle them for showing, agility they all seem pretty well adjusted. And as you see Sharon has done exceptional with , Shadow being handled by someone other than herself. and if you want to see his reactions to her when he came back from Germany check out her site and the pictures Shadow is some awesome dog!! Check it out!

 

[TaraLynn]

Go for it!

I say just go for it! I mean, who knows, by the time you get around to doing it with him, he'll know what he has to do, and exactly how he's supposed to do it! It couldn't hurt! I think he'll be fine! Sheltie's are always eager to please their owners, so when you get around to doing it, he'll be so excited that you're able to share that with him! Good luck!