INFLUENCE OF BREED, GENDER AND EXTERIOR INDICES OF DOGS ON THEIR WORKING QUALITY IN CANINE FREESTYLE

Abstract

The research examined the reports of the canine freestyle competitions of the All-Ukrainian public organization "Ukrainian Kennel Union" for 2017-2021 and the results of a survey of dog owners from other countries whose national canine organizations are members of the FCI (Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia), and who agreed to measure their dogs and publish the results of their pair in competitions of various levels. Studies have shown that the best results in competitions show dogs of the sheepdog breed group (26.98 ± 0.22 points) with a statistically significant difference P≥0.999 compared to other studied breed groups. Given the efficiency of dogs depending on the size of the breed to which they belong, we can note that the highest score for the general imagination of the composition received dogs of large breeds 8.64 ± 0.27 points, but for the level of complexity and interpretation of the leaders were medium-sized animals the result is 7.01 ± 0.63 and 8.63 ± 0.08 points, respectively. According to the results of the entire canine freestyle, the highest score is in dogs of large breeds. However, the difference between the scores of dogs of different sizes was small and statistically unlikely. Analysis of sexual dimorphism in the performance of dogs in this discipline showed that the average score of male on all indicators is slightly higher than the score of female, but the difference was also insignificant and statistically insignificant. Therefore, summarizing the above, we conclude that the sex and size of the dog do not affect the working qualities of the canine freestyle. When calculating the relationship of physique indices with individual indicators of working qualities of dogs, there is a tendency that dogs are taller (r = 0.40 ± 0.23) and strong or dry type of constitution in the ring look more spectacular and graceful, which affects the sub ' effective evaluation of judges in assessing the general imagination and interpretation of the performance of a sports couple. However, the correlation coefficients were not statistically significant (P <0.95). The results of the research indicate that the exterior of the dog does not significantly affect its performance in the canine freestyle and we can assume that the main factor of influence is the qualification of the training instructor and dog's handler.