Yeah-- we've made the more physical activity not really negotiable with our DD, too-- so she runs every morning with the dog.
We don't do what Jon posits-- I only count active dog-time. But we aren't really into AKC conformation events, and only do AKC companion activities. All of this is local, and most of it is training time.
All the cool doggists championize their dogs.
Don't you want to be cool?
Oh, I think that ship sailed the minute I took up a band instrument, and DD was doomed right from the start. I tried to stop her from laughing at Far Side anthologies, but she wouldn't leave them alone....
Have I mentioned that our high school aged doggers are kids who also like playing Cards Against Humanity, do math for fun, and kick butt in robotics competitions? Have I? There are three early college entrants/accelerants among them, including my DD, too, so clearly the nerdy, smart kids all dog. But let's be perfectly honest about this-- "Cool" it isn't. If you haven't
seen Best in Show, I highly recommend this painfully true window into dogging.
@Val: some dogs share better than others when it comes to crate space. I have photos of our Sheltie happily curled up sleeping with DD at the end of a state fair day-- with DD fully inside the crate with her. This probably means I'm an awful parent, but I thought it was funny.
Sheltie considers herself
most Cool of all when Master deigns to give little Dobby
clothesssss.. (for Freestyle). We're the
other kind of dog activity people. It's a little like being Grateful Dead groupies.
