[yorkietalkjilly]

Yikes! A dog that tears a strip of skin off another animal is pretty darn aggressive in my book. Most dogs just growl and bluff and might nip but to go in there for that kind of an attack and sustain that bite until flesh is torn away - that is pretty vicious to me. But you have to expect that almost any dog around a lot of other dogs at times where there is a lot of high energy and dogs are all pushing each others buttons and the competition has them amped to the max. They don't really know better naturally than to fight a bit sometimes if they aren't given a lot of structure and leadership and have a handler who can do a darn fine job of stopping a loose, hyper dog in its tracks with the word "stop!". Most dogs are not trained to that level - especially obedience trained in an area of high excitement and activity and energy. But if sounds as if the attacking dog went beyond a little fighting and sustained a vicious attack.

It is therefore imperative not to present for agility competitions a dog who cannot handle that kind of excitement and energy. You have to have a high-energy athlete who isn't dog-aggressive.

But I don't blame the agility people or the mayor of her town for wanting to keep other dogs and children and all safe from loose dogs who are vicious or nipping or whatever. They should be kept on leads or on the owner's property or in their cages at events because out on the run or at competitions with lots of energy in the air, dogs get hyperexcited and all too often, out of control. I'm for everybody keeping to the rules. And that person who lives for agility competitions can get a dog who is more manageable and start over.