DogBoston’s Dog Blog

Danvers - Birmingham, England, may not be the site of the Winter Olympics, but for top dogs and handlers like Linda McHugh of Danvers and her Border collie, Snap, it’s not much different. The two will be helping to represent the U.S.A. at the 104th Crufts Dog Show in England, the largest dog show in the world.

McHugh is the only local person on the AKC sponsored 2007 Crufts Obedience World Cup Team. The other two team members, both men and both showing golden retrievers, are from Chester, West Va., and Mineola, Texas.

“You have to be asked to go,” McHugh said. “They only send the top three dogs in the country each year.”

McHugh explained that dogs are chosen on the basis of points earned in competitions. Dogs go through levels, almost like earning a Black Belt in karate as they go up the obedience ladder.
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According to the American Kennel Club Web site, “each level of obedience competition — novice, open and utility — requires mastering a skill level which increases in difficulty before advancing to the next level.”

In the Novice Class, dogs earn their AKC Companion Dog title (CD), Open Class adds excellent, making it CDX, and Utility Class dogs earn the AKC Utility Dog (UD) title. Even more advanced, the dog earns a UDX for excellence. The top designation is the Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) title.

“That’s the icing on the cake,” McHugh said. “It’s like having your Ph.D.”

Two hundred is the maximum number of points earned in any single competition. So far, Snap has five perfect scores to her record and she consistently scores between 198 ½ and 199.

“It’s very rare that Snap doesn’t place,” said McHugh, as the dog, hearing her name, patiently waits for the next command. “She may have an off day, but when you’re competing 45 weekends a year, we both may mess up. Oh my God, Snap is crushed if she knows she’s done something wrong.”

Snap, who thrives on applause and approval, goes through some of her paces. As an obedience dog, she not only has to be trained to understand and react to her handler’s commands, she also has to be aware of nuances and body language not actually spelled out. It’s all part of working together as a well-oiled machine.

Growing up in Danvers — McHugh lives in the Elliott Street house in which she was raised — she had cats and dogs, all considered pets. The Danvers High School graduate, Class of 1977, was more interested in competitive figure skating.

After graduation, she attended Burdett and studied to become a paralegal. She works for Ropes and Gray in Boston. McHugh lived in Florida and worked as a paralegal for several years. When her ex-husband bought her a Dalmatian, McHugh took a pet class and then got involved with obedience training after attending a dog show. She was surprised at how much work it entailed, but with her competitive streak tweaked, she started taking private lessons and entering dog shows. And her Dalmatian became one of the top dogs.

“People think every time you come out with the dog a winner, it’s the dog,” McHugh said. “I think it’s got to be a team. You have to make it sound exciting. Practice sessions take everything out of me; I come out exhausted.

“I always play with Snap. She thinks I’m one of the most interesting people she knows.”

Chelsea, the Dalmatian, died at 8 of hepatitis and McHugh changed breeds. She wanted a champion Border collie and she traveled to Texas to a top breeder to get her second dog, named Holly. McHugh was looking for a dog to train for obedience and not agility.

“I’m a judge for obedience,” said McHugh, who judges for both the American Kennel Club and United Kennel Club. “I’m also a judge for the Australian Shepherd Club of America.”

Holly, now 15, is retired, but Snap, at 7, has a long way to go and McHugh has no intention of retiring her even after the World Cup.

“I got her in 1999,” said McHugh, who chose Snap for her obedience potential. “She got her obedience champion at 4, which is very young. After she finished that, I wanted her to be more competitive. She loves it. I think she thrives on showing off.
“Everything’s competitive with her. She’s a great competitor.”

Though Snap and McHugh have entered many shows, the last two years they were teaming up more and more frequently. For McHugh, who still works, it’s often difficult to travel a distance for shows, but they have competed in the Nationals in California and too part in other big competitions in Florida.

McHugh’s goal has been to make the World Cup team for quite some time. The invitation is based on points earned during competitions and are based on AKC or UKC rules. Competing in England will be somewhat different and it has meant additional training on the part of McHugh and Snap. Since New England weather doesn’t lend itself to training outdoors, McHugh has had to rent large training space wherever she could find it. She’s traveled to the western part of the state and even as far as Warwick, R.I.

And now, it’s almost show time. Snap has had her shots, she has her passport, which will be stamped by the FDA, and she’s about ready to go. Trainer and dog will be leaving March 7 for England and it will be the first time Snap will travel in cargo and for such a long distance. After recovering from jet lag and with some additional training, Snap will be performing in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,000 on March 11.

“My goal is for her to come out of the plane and perform well,” said McHugh, who doesn’t want to let the USA team down. “I know I’ve trained for it and I’ve trained her well. I’m happy with what she does. We’re very much a team. She’s my best buddy and I don’t want to disappoint her. I want everyone to wish her, me and the US team good luck.”