Whoop-Up Days go to the dogs

By Lethbridge Herald on August 23, 2024.

Reboot, a three-year-old border collie, prepares for a splash landing during a dock leaping demonstration as part of the Extreme Dogs show on Friday afternoon at Whoop-Up Days. Herald photo by Ian Martens

Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The Extreme Dogs stunt show at Whoop-Up Days is so popular it can be ruff getting a seat in the stands.

But those who do today as Whoop-Up Days winds down will definitely have a bark.

And they will learn that perhaps it’s possible to teach old dogs new tricks.

The show tours the U.S. and Canada with human and animal casts from both countries promoting pet adoption and animal rescue with teams based in both countries.

Usually shows have as many as seven trainers on hand with their animals. At Whoop-Up Days this year, there were two, both from Calgary, who own a range of dogs of various breeds and ages.

The show will be staged on the midway today at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.

The show is a choreographed stage production with aerial stunts, tricks and various antics.

Animal performers are a mix of rescue dogs and dogs sourced from ethical breeders.

Trainer Jen Schielke says many different breeds perform in the shows.

“All breeds, any breeds,” says Schielke.

“Some are more apt to do this kind of stuff right from the get go but they can all be trained to an extent,” says Schielke.

Schielke has an eight-week-old pup doing small vignettes at the show, going onto the turf, learning how to take a treat under pressure. The crowd, music, the sights and sounds of the midway are a good foundation building for the desensitizing that helps with events such as fairs, she says.

She also has a three-year-old dog that came to her last year and he’s done well, too, she said.

Fellow trainer Shonna Sale says training begins as soon as the dogs are brought home. How long training takes depends on the breed and personality of the dog as well as what is being taught.

“It’s essentially lifelong and a lifestyle. When you’re in as thick as we are, it’s a lifestyle. It’s not a hobby at this point.”

The dogs are well fed, getting proper nutrition and supplements.

“They’re athletes. They need to be kept in tip top shape so you have to keep that in mind with everything you do in your everyday life,” said Sale.

Schielke has fed her animals strictly raw food, specifically formulated for joint health and balanced nutrition, for the past 17-18 years supplied by a Calgary company and she wouldn’t feed them anything else.

Sale’s dogs get kibble but she also adds in supplements such as pro-biotics.

Hydration is key, especially in the heat during Whoop-Up Days, both trainers say and a product similar to electrolytes can be given to keep them in shape for shows.

The dogs are part of their families – “they’re our babies,” says Sale.

They can perform for years with Sale’s oldest still hitting the turf at the age of 12. Schielke has a 10-year-old still performing.

Trainers and their dogs not only perform in shows but in regional competitions as well.