My daughter works our Ceili in obedience and some agility things, and she's 9 and 1/2. I'm always there to lend a hand if needed, but she's doing a darn good job. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Will,

You say that ASR will be coming out west. Do you know if ASR will be coming out as far as California?

In our club we have a 14 year old girl who just put the BH on her dog, and is planning to do the SchH1 with him next trial season. Also one of our club helpers is 16...he started learning helper work 4 years ago. Of course he spent several years learning the mechanics on safe olders dogs. He's now starting to work some of the younger dogs. My son also started helper work at 16. A young person that is there because he/she wants to be can absorb so much information, has alot of enthusiasm and athleticism, and is willing to do the repetition it takes to become skilled. It's also a much better place to be than hanging out on the streets!

Sue

Yes, young people have a lot going for them - however, they tend to lack one important trait for a helper or handler in regards to working with dogs in a biting situation - and that trait is judgment. Teenager's, no matter how mature they are for their age, usually lack the judgment of an adult. That's just the way it is.
I know that in Germany they have a fair amount of teenager's involved in SchH - but they actually have good training programs that they've developed for those kids to follow a step-by-step method. Does every German club follow those guidelines? Of course not. But we're a lot looser here in the U.S. and teenagers only get the training that their parents or club decides on - which can range from great to crappy, I'm sure.

I have no problem with a teenager doing a BH ( actually, I think it's great ). But would the same teenager be able to pull their dog off a person in bite work if things really went bad? That'd be a big "maybe" - and coupling that fact with a teenager's lack of judgment ( when I'm saying "lack of judgment", it isn't meant in an insulting way. Teenager's brains are still immature from a growth standpoint, they process information differently than an adult. That's why teenager's are held less culpable in a court of law )

I would suspect that a club's insurance would be a lot higher if the insurance company knows that teenager's are on the field being involved with bite work as either a handler or a helper. Give your insurance agent a call and see what I mean.

I've just seen too many accidents and injuries in my years of SchH to feel comfortable with young people working in bitework. All the pride that a parent has for their child teenager doing SchH is going to disappear when an accidental facial bite happens. As an adult, we understand and accept those risks. Children and teenager's can't.

The real issue is nobody that has spent a lifetime in the sport wants to get their butt kicked by an 8 year old. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

John, You're totally missing the point. This isn't about ego, it's about safety.

When you take an 8 year old to the shooting range, you're much more careful than when you're with an adult. But fortunately, you mainly have to worry mostly just about the 8 year old.
If a kid is doing bitework, you add several more unpredictable elements to the mix - no matter how well trained the dog is, it's still an animal and to a degree unpredictable. The helper and his actions may or may not be perfect, also adding additional levels of things that can go wrong.

A bite on most of us in training is an unpleasant incident - but I personally know adults that now suffer from PTSD from working dog bites. Now multiple the effect of that bite several times, because of the increased damage that happens with a smaller body, not to mention that a child is *much* more likely to take a facial bite due to their height.
Am I getting through to you?

SchH work, or any dog sport that involves biting, should be restricted to at least ages 16 and over.
The parents that have their child doing bite work at a very young age have not thought this out very carefully. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Easy Will, I was making a joke! Thus the reason I put smiley faces on my post! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

My grandfather used to have a bumper sticker on a BB over his desk in is office back when he had a convenience store...

something to the effect of "hire a teenager, while they still know everything" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Couldn't be more true...

ACK!!
Sorry, John! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />