Wisconsin’s Gerard the Poodle, owner win big at Westminster Dog Show

Gerard, a standard poodle from Wisconsin, always leaves his dog shows with a ribbon.

“Everyone has their different goals for agility and dog training in their dog sports,” said Gerard’s breeder, owner and trainer John Pittman. “I always want my dogs to win.”

Pittman and his agile pup just won their biggest competition yet on Saturday at the 150th Westminster Dog Show in New York City.

The annual event is hosted by the Westminster Kennel Club, the oldest dog sport organization in the country. It has been televised live since 1948. The dog show is a competition only for purebred dogs. But, dogs of all breeds can compete in the Masters Agility Championship and Masters Obedience Championship. 

Eight-year-old Gerard and Pittman won the Masters Agility Competition in the 24-inch category, completing the final course in just 36.55 seconds. 

The 350 competitors are divided into five height classes from 8 to 24 inches. During the agility preliminary round, dogs and their trainers must complete a “standard class” and “jumpers with weaves class.” The standard class includes an A-frame, jumps, weave poles, a seesaw and other obstacles. The jumpers with weaves class is faster paced with jumps and weave poles. 

The 10 dogs from each height class with the fastest combined times battle to be the next Masters Agility Champion.

“There are a lot of good dogs out there that are faster than Gerard, but maybe not as driven,” Pittman said. “So, we have always had a good chance to pull it off and win like at Westminster.”

Pittman said they mostly train in his rural backyard in Saukville. As Gerard’s breeder, owner and trainer, Pittman has been working with him since birth. Training sessions primarily consist of using a clicker to help Gerard learn new tricks. 

“When they do something I want, I click that, and then they get a reward,” Pittman said. 

It’s a common technique that combines classical and operant conditioning to help Gerard perfect his moves. He knows around 200 tricks, Pittman said. Gerard skateboards and can even play basketball. 

Pittman has trained over 20 poodles since he began the sport in the early 1990s. He says Gerard is special because he’s “eager to please.”