Dog Eat Dog: 4-H Competitions Hit Their Peak At Wyoming State Fair

DOUGLAS — It’s showtime for scores of Wyoming kids this week at the Wyoming State Fair.

The 120^th state fair kicked off Tuesday with a full slate of 4-H Club shows in every ring from beef to swine at the Douglas fairgrounds. 

Ranging in age from 8-18, the 4-H’ers had to earn their way to the state competitions at their county fairs, and those competitions are fierce and furious.

In the middle of the typical livestock shows expected at the Wyoming State Fair, dogs of all sizes and breeds competed Tuesday for titles in 4-H Dog Show and Showmanship.  

Just across the fence from the dog rings, young contestants ran their horses through barrel racing, poles and goat tying competitions, but the dogs have been trained to ignore these distractions as they were put through their paces. 

“These kids are learning lifelong skills that they will take with them into dog ownership as adults,” 4-H Leader Gayla Mead-Ellis said. 

She has been helping 4-H kids train dogs for the better part of 30 years and said the obedience program is especially helpful for children and their animals because it stresses discipline and responsibility. 

Between calling each contestant to the ring, the dog show announcer reminded kids over the loudspeaker repeatedly of these responsibilities.

He stressed that each 4-H’er must pick up after their dog and leave the grounds better than they found it.

As the day progressed and the thermometer rose to the high 80s, he also constantly reminded contestants to keep their dogs cool and well hydrated. 

It was organized chaos.

“This is my first year at state, and it's way different,” said 4-H senior MaKenlee Patterson of Carbon County. “At our county fair, we only have two rings going at once, and here, there's four rings going on at once. It’s a little nerve-racking.”

Patterson’s dog Millie had gotten first in all her events at the Carbon County Fair, and MaKenlee was excited to compete at the state level. She walked away with a ribbon and determination to return again next year and improve her skills. 

Training The Dogs

Angela Weber’s young daughter Caitlyn is showing their family dog Ruby in both the dog and agility shows. She said that she has seen a bond develop between her daughter and Ruby as they trained for the show.

“It’s built up trust between them,” Weber said. “When we take off to go to agility practice, Ruby gets so excited to go play.” 

For 4-H’er Patterson, it is about taking her interest in dogs to the next level.

“My grandma introduced me to it when I was 8, and she took me to all the classes that 4-H had,” Patterson said. “I started to get intrigued in it, and I wanted to learn more about it, and I've just been doing it since.”

Karen Ulmer is in her final year of showing dogs.

“I kind of just fell into it,” Ulmer said. “I used to show horses, but now I show dogs competitively, and I plan to actually continue on and be a dog trainer.” 

Mead-Ellis said that she has seen many of her students continue training their dogs long after leaving her program and who are now teaching their kids the same skills.  

“I started working with the 4-H kids because they asked me to judge one year, and we had some really out-of-control dogs, so I just thought they might need some help,” she said. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Ulmer said that training her two dogs, Keona and Quizz, for the state fair is intense.

She has been training dogs for the past seven years and gets started in September, the week after finishes state fair. 

“I train all through the year and groom my own dogs,” Ulmer said. “It takes about two to three hours just to groom Keona.”

“There's a lot dogs have to learn,” Mead-Ellis added. “They have to learn to be obedient, to heel with their master, to mind their master in showmanship.”

She said that timing and instinct are critical as the 4-H’ers build up their skills to get the perfect result in the ring. 

“Overall, it just gives a dog and their kid the confidence and the ability to be good citizens,” Mead-Ellis said. 

Ulmer said that to get her Shetland sheepdog Keona to champion level, it took a lot of work and also meant surviving the brutal heat of Douglas in August.

“It's a lot of sweat, that's for sure, because it's always hot,” Ulmer said. “It's a lot of blood, sweat and tears just to get to this point.”

Keona and Ulmer won their division in showmanship and walked away with a state fair buckle and ribbons.

“They have to put a lot of work into their dogs,” Mead-Ellis said. “Throughout the 4-H program, you see different types of dogs, and it’s not about the breed, but the training.”

Unlike American Kennel Club shows, breeds of all types ranging from rescue mutts to expensive purebreds are shown at the 4-H Dog Show and Showmanship.

Some have unique obstacles to overcome during training such as the temperament of the dog and if a rescue had suffered any abuse. 

Ulmer used to show horses and said that she has found dog training to be more difficult and require much more effort. 

“Every year I've had to increase my skills because I've gone up levels every single year,” she said. 

Ulmer is happy to end her 4-H career with a championship and plans to continue training dogs.

“People don't realize that showing dogs can actually be a lifetime experience,” Mead-Ellis said. “Kids can go into a career showing dogs if they want to. And, of course, they learn how to handle dogs really well.”

This is what has prompted Weber to get her own kids involved in the 4-H dog program. 

“I’ve seen the relationship between the dog and my daughter grow,” Weber said. “It just gives the dog some purpose.”

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.