I do have an ACD mix in SchH - he's doing decently in all three phases (nice track, pretty obedience, annnd almost finished setting up his bark and hold today at practice ).
I am very lucky and have a SchH club that is very accepting of anyone who will put the time in and has a dog that can do the work (our TD's motto is "if it'll bite, I'll train it" LOL). Very few clubs are as welcoming from what I hear. Our club has a number of American Bulldogs, several pit bulls, rotties, dobies, GSD, malinois, a dutch shepherd, a few giant schnauzers, a Cane Corso, and my cattle dog mix.
Our TD also is flexible when it comes to training methods, so I rarely see corrections that make me cringe, unlike in some more traditional clubs I'm sure. He does use a clicker and is happy to let me try things my way (limited corrections, lots of shaping, etc.) - I keep it respectful and am learning a ton from him in the process.
In addition to temperament being key, and having a dog that has a genetically good bite (Kes' is full and hard naturally, but he works in prey vs. defense), there are some limitations when it comes to size: in obedience *all* dogs must clear a 1 meter jump and retrieve the same size dumbbells (650g, 1000g, 2000g). Kestrel is 21" and thus a meter jump is quite a jump, though he can do it. The dumbbells aren't an issue for him though.
HTH
I am very lucky and have a SchH club that is very accepting of anyone who will put the time in and has a dog that can do the work (our TD's motto is "if it'll bite, I'll train it" LOL). Very few clubs are as welcoming from what I hear. Our club has a number of American Bulldogs, several pit bulls, rotties, dobies, GSD, malinois, a dutch shepherd, a few giant schnauzers, a Cane Corso, and my cattle dog mix.
Our TD also is flexible when it comes to training methods, so I rarely see corrections that make me cringe, unlike in some more traditional clubs I'm sure. He does use a clicker and is happy to let me try things my way (limited corrections, lots of shaping, etc.) - I keep it respectful and am learning a ton from him in the process.
In addition to temperament being key, and having a dog that has a genetically good bite (Kes' is full and hard naturally, but he works in prey vs. defense), there are some limitations when it comes to size: in obedience *all* dogs must clear a 1 meter jump and retrieve the same size dumbbells (650g, 1000g, 2000g). Kestrel is 21" and thus a meter jump is quite a jump, though he can do it. The dumbbells aren't an issue for him though.
HTH