15-year-old relies on bond with dog in fair shows

A dog show is more than a chance to show off the perfect purebred, says 15-year-old Ava Hess.

“When you understand a dog, you can predict their next action,” said Ava, a handler in the 4-H dog show at the Ohio State Fair. “Owning a dog is great, but this is the next step in increasing that bond.”

With her Icelandic Sheepdog Emmi, the Springfield teen competed at the state fair in agility, showmanship and conformation, which measures how closely a dog resembles their breed’s standards.

Each category offers a new challenge. Yet handlers face issues with training, like keeping a dog’s attention, which can only be solved by understanding their dog, Ava said.

Ava first entered a dog show at 8 years old, with her Ava Hess, 15, with her 1-yearold Icelandic Sheepdog, Emmi Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Avalanche, who she has stopped showing.

Avalanche has his quirks, and Ava said she had to learn to accommodate his needs and accept what he could — and couldn’t do — on the show floor.

“Avalanche hates clapping. If people clap, he freaks,” Ava said. “We were doing super well in showmanship, but then someone clapped, and he just barked like a crazy person.”

The corgi has a bit of a shy side. When the judges inspected the more intimate parts of his undercarriage, he’d always look shocked, she said, mimicking Avalanche’s gasping mouth and wide eyes.

Ava is a good handler because of her attentiveness to her dog’s needs and her adviser’s advice, said Lori Zakel, an announcer at the state fair’s junior dog show.

“She treats her dog with respect and love,” added Zakel, who’s been Ava’s 4-H adviser for six years.

Ava speaks to Emmi like she’s a friend, using a soft voice to ask Emmi if she’s OK and never reprimanding the dog’s high-energy nature.

Zakel advises Ava and other young handlers at Canine Chaos 4-H, a Clark County 4-H group that holds junior dog shows they call “Dog Fun” matches.

Ava has a “great temperament” as a handler, Zakel said. “It’s easy to get frustrated when a dog doesn’t perform well, but she never loses empathy and compassion. I’ve never seen Ava take out frustration at her dog.”

Zakel said junior dog shows teach kids poise and confidence. Her own children were involved in 4-H dog shows, and what they learned was “invaluable,” helping them become better public speakers and nicer to people and canines.

Ava said her current show dog, Emmi, is just over a year old and still has “a bit of a puppy brain,” which she showed off as she ran up and down a set of stairs, excitedly looking between Ava and her mother, Monna.

Emmi didn’t have her best day at an obedience show at the state fair on Wednesday. She was distracted and didn’t return to Ava when called.

But Ava doesn’t expect perfection from her dog. Emmi is still a puppy, after all.

“It was kind of funny,” Ava said laughing. “She was definitely not there.”

However, Ava is still proud of Emmi. She obtained the title of “trick dog,” for completing up to 10 tricks multiple times without error during the obedience competition.

“It’s a lot of fun, you meet tons of new people and make new friends,” she said. “And at the end of the day, it’s about having fun with your dog.”

spoulin@dispatch.com @stephaterese