Miniature poodle’s hero routine wins AKC dog trick competition
With a bang, kapow and thwack – and a little bit of sit, stay and rollover – an Akron miniature poodle took home the grand prize in the 2021 national AKC Virtual Dog Trick competition.
“I was ready to cry when I found out we won,” said owner Leslie Gelesh, a 68-year-old living in Northwest Akron. “I thought I dreamt it.”
Gelesh spent four months prepping for the competition, devising a set of tricks, writing a script and constructing a set that would display 6-year-old Eli’s talents to judges.
With 31 tricks in six minutes, Eli weaves his way through a comic book scene on a quest to defeat The Riddler. He had previously mastered some tricks, but others, such as jumping over Gelesh’s back and pushing a plastic “Batmobile” with his front paws, were new skills she taught him specifically for the competition. Gelesh’s other miniature poodle, 3-year-old Chip, even makes a guest appearance as Robin, lifting a leg to extinguish a fire set by a villain.
“It was a lot of effort, but it was also a lot of fun,” Gelesh said.
She submitted the “Batman Furever” video to the virtual competition, which garnered more than 140 submissions, in October and learned the results in December. Gelesh won the $500 cash grand prize, and Eli received a trophy and a first-place ribbon – though he was only really interested in the celebratory ground steak dinner, Gelesh said.
This was their second year competing in the event. Last year, Gelesh learned late in the year that if Eli received an “elite” title by AKC trick dog standards, he would be eligible to compete. She rushed to qualify Eli and created a Pink Panther routine within two months. To her shock and delight, Eli scored in the top 20 overall and won No. 1 poodle.
“I just knew I wanted to come back and win it all,” she said.
Prior to competing, Eli had unofficially been on the trick circuit for years. When his previous owner had to surrender him at 11⁄2 years old, Gelesh took him in and noticed that he was very responsive to basic commands and loose leash walking.
She had never formally trained any of her previous dogs, but “realized it would be a shame to let what he already knew diminish,” and enrolled him in obedience classes.
“He made me look really good,” she said. “His ability made me feel successful.”
After several classes, she realized he not only learned quickly, but it was a good bonding experience. Eli passed an AKC test that certified him as a “Canine Good Citizen” in 2017, which requires a two-part course to display various behaviors. Then it was only a matter of continuing to ascend through the levels as an AKC trick dog.
“It became like a game between him and I,” she said. “It wasn’t something we set out to do, but I realized it was a lot of fun.”
Aside from competing, Eli is also a therapy dog. Gelesh frequents assisted living facilities and nursing homes to entertain residents with dog tricks.
“In all honesty, this is all him, not me,” Gelesh said. “The training has only enhanced his sweet personality. I’ve learned a lot and met a lot of people and friends, and he’s the conduit.”
Reporter Abbey Marshall is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at at amarshall1@gannett.com.